LexBlog’s Channel 9 is 99 Park Row.

Channel 9 was the channel on United Airlines where, as opposed to prescribed music on the other channels, passengers could listen to discussion in the cockpit.

I don’t recall where we got the earphones, but I do recall we plugged them in under the ashtray on the armrest.

Eighteen years ago, when its reputation was at a low, Microsoft created its own Channel 9 to enable the public to listen to the conversation among Microsoft developers. Rather than audio conversation, Microsoft developers blogged the conversation.

This enabled Microsoft customers and outside developers to speak to Microsoft employees without the intervention of the company’s PR department.

Microsoft’s strategy was to provide the company more of a face than solely that of its chairman, Bill Gates.

The concept worked. The company’s image improved and Channel 9 at Microsoft is still running.

99 Park Row, named after the address of a leading New York City news publisher of its day, will enable the public to listen to the discussion among our team.

A repeated theme in meetings with customers over the last couple months has been a strong desire to know what LexBlog is seeing, thinking and working on.

Listening in to our conversation, via our blogging, the public get our insight on publishing, blogging, open law, technology, WordPress, social media and more.

Rather than talking to me, business development or support folks at LexBlog, you’ll be able to talk to any of my team members, via blogging and social media.

LexBlog has started company-wide blogging initiatives before. They’ve not fared well. I expect we’ll do better this time.

Greg Storey, our COO, penned a piece introducing 99 Park Row and a piece describing the develop work (design, typography, imagery) that’s going on behind the scenes on a product on which 99 Park Row runs.

Listen in.