I’ve read a few commentaries about Thomas Friedman‘s New York Times column on transparency (like this one and this one). I finally decided I had to read it. Problem is, New York Times columnists are available only if you (a) pay $4.95 for the column or (b) pay a monthly subscription fee to read all the NYT columnists.

Well…not really. It took me about 10 seconds (literally) with Google to find Friedman’s column. You see, the Times syndicates its columns to other papers, like the Dallas Morning News. And the Dallas Morning News makes all of its content available without charge on the web. Did that occur to the New York Times management when they made the brilliant decision to segregate their columnists content?

In any event, Friedman does indeed make a strong case about transparency. In a nutshell, he points out that the fact that everybody is a publisher, paparazzo, and filmmaker means we’re all public figures, ripe for exposure. But, he notes, smart people—and smart companies—will figure out how to take advantage of it rather than despair over the state of things.

Today “what” you make is quickly copied and sold by everyone. But “how” you engage your customers, “how” you keep your promises, and “how” you collaborate with partners ??? that’s not so easy to copy, and that is where companies can now really differentiate themselves.

Exactly.