Where has Wikileaks gone?

So what is going on with WikiLeaks? I haven't heard anything about them in the media now for some time.

I guess with Assange being under house arrest things have cooled off. Not to mention I keep waiting for these supposed Bank leaks that WikiLeaks was going to release (Bank of America is apparently in crisis mode trying to figure out what Assange might have them on). WL hyped the banking leaks months ago, but so far nothing.

This transition from stardom to hardly being on the radar is to me a sign that WikiLeaks is not managing its brand / reputation very well at all.

They did release a video that mocked Mastercard, but far from creating any buzz all it did was drum up a little controversy over whether Assange was an egomaniac by implying WikiLeaks started the Egyptian revolution.



I think Assange is starting to drop the ball big time. Instead of creating a video to try and drum up contributions, they should have created a video to drum up contributions to give to the family of the soldier that is still in jail for leaking info to WikiLeaks.

The WikiLeaks brand is now associated with:

• Its founder facing sex charges (although who knows what actually went on there)
• One of its sources is now in jail (and Wikileaks seems to have just moved on from that fact)
• Assange is asking for money because he's facing lawsuits and is under house arrest
• They are now using grandiose messaging - in their video they are clearly articulating that WikiLeaks will change the world
• Assange is now cashing in on his story? He apparently is writing a book for 1.4M pounds. Apparently HBO is going to create a series / special on Assange as well.

So basically they've gone from an organization dedicated to transparency and truth to one that is starting to look a lot like one of those high-tech start-ups of the late 1990's - big ideas but no real game plan and often with a founder that thinks they are the next Bill Gates (despite not having made a single dime of profit yet).

WikiLeaks should have done the following:

• Save the book and HBO special until you've achieved something of real significance. It kind of reminds me of Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize (quite ironic given he is currently fighting four-to-five wars).
• Instead of the Mastercard mockery, how about raising funds for the kid that's in jail? You can't give him the money, but you could give it to his family. Show your 'leakers' that you aren't just using them and then tossing them out after you're done with them. 
• Don't hype 'releases' six months in advance. I mean, come on, it makes you look like a media hound. Assange being under house arrest shouldn't stop the operation? Unless they are so disorganized that WL truly revolves around a single man.
• Create an official corporate structure to WikiLeaks - I know, it sounds like that would be counter to what WikiLeaks is about, but if you are going to exist for a long period of time, you need structure. You can't spend the rest of your life running around the globe to avoid people finding you. 

So we'll see what happens. Looks like WikiLeaks may turn out to be nothing more than a rogue operation that now and then raises its head with a batch of leaks. Everyone will pay attention for a few weeks, then forget about them until they release something else.

And that may be what they want WL to be. If they were hoping for it to be a catalyst for a movement of transparency, that is not unfolding (mostly because they've failed to remain relevant to folks by essentially going quiet and by confusing people about what their brand stands for).