Intel is in the news because they are cutting jobs, or are about to do so.  When Josh Bancroft, one of Intel’s biggest blog champions, mentioned this on his blog, one of his comments (anonymous) suggested his job was part of ‘the fat’ that Intel should trim.

Of course, any of your in marketing or PR know that this is often said of anyone in these positions.  Because you don’t actively MAKE the widgets, your job is seen as less than vital. However, you can make 10K widgets, but if they just sit in your warehouse you are going to go out of business.

Apparently this brave commenter (note sarcasm) does not see the value in community relations and such, but without someone conversating with your public, you will have no public.  Intel is large enough, obviously, that they need someone to serve as a voice for the company full time.

However, Josh also let this commenter know that his gadgets and trips are paid for by himself.  This speaks volumes on Josh’s passion (and on Intel’s thriftiness…  they should, at the least, be paying for his business travel). 

Blogs are important for most businesses, but for Intel, they are vital.