Transparency vs. Seduction

"Transparency" is a hot word in business blogs, but just how much transparency do we really want? At what point does transparency become Too Much Information?

I'm not talking about financial transparency or being honest over things like fair trade, sweat shop labor, animal testing, blog motivation and sponsorship, environmental issues, harmful/dangerous things, or even poor customer service and products that weren't ready to ship but... did. I assume honesty is becoming the "killer app" for businesses—be honest or be killed. But that's not the kind of transparency I'm talking about.

I'm thinking more of things like Scoble's Channel 9, and this notion of putting up, say, a blog devoted to a reality-tv style behind-the-scenes view into a company as a (in part) marketing tool. I'm talking about ethical businesses using transparency to help inspire passionate users... a fantastic idea, but how far do you take it?

What do you risk when you put up video of your meetings, project notes, discussion transcripts, product development process details, or even just photos or a webcam of your "team at work"?

Mystery.
Seduction.

Do I really want to know what's behind the curtain?

What if it sucks the suspense out of the whole thing? What if surprise and delight are intimately connected, and that removing all the surprise takes away much of the delight?

I was one of those at the MacWorld keynote in San Francisco who--knowing all the while that a low-end Mac was likely to be part of the show--gasped when Jobs held it. We'd all been describing what we thought it might be with uninspired words like "headless box" and "iCheap", but here we were—surprised, no SHOCKED by even the damn box it comes in. I was thrilled that I didn't know going in what I'd really see on that stage.

People love surprises.
The brain is turned on by mystery, curiosity, seduction.

I think it was the Dalai Lama's brother who said (in an NPR interview) something like, "If you shine a bright light into every corner of your apartment, it will become unliveable."

I'm thinking that sex isn't the worst model for thinking about this. Or if not sex, then at least romance. Honesty is crucial in a romantic relationship. Brutal honesty can kill it. If I ask a question, don't lie. But if you feel the urge to "share" every last detail, you might find me less interested. Does that make me shallow? No, it makes me human. Our brains are tuned for things that make us curious, because it saved us from being tiger snacks.

I won't open my presents before Christmas, and I keep my eyes closed while someone special "prepares the surprise". I like twist endings and shocking revelations. I don't peek. (OK, maybe just a little.)

Surprise is an aphrodisiac, so please do not tell me EVERY LAST THING about your product development and process. No, once I know you're up to something, I usually prefer to stay blissfully in the dark, or at least in a blindfold, while you prepare to dazzle me.

It works for filmmakers and novelists and lovers.

And yes, markets are conversations. (The brain is all about conversations.) But what kind of conversation? Because I'll take a stimulating flirtatious dinner party to a laid-bare, tell-all, talk show any time. Shock me with your stories, your liveliness, and your creativity. Not by revealing what you look like when you haven't showered for a week. Yes, genuine (and I'll indulge in one more cliche--authentic) communication is more important than ever as people lose their last bit of tolerance for bullshit. But I'm talking about keeping a healthy, scintillating balance. Cold and distant won't work anymore, but don't rush too quickly to the opposite end. Thank-you, but unless I'm sleeping with you, I'd prefer NOT to see you quite so up close and personal. So tease me, drop hints, do the business equivalent of showing a little skin, but hold a little something in reserve. Whet my appetite.

And as Beth just reminded me, "this is not about hiding the truth from stockholders, auditors, customers. It's about keeping the next cool thing under wraps."

Charm me. Delight me. Make me gasp and I might be yours forever. : )

(You can read more on transparency here, here, here, and here. And by the way, I'm not suggesting that Channel 9 has slipped over the edge at this point, only that it might be playing in the danger zone.)