Chris Pirillo reports that Robert Scoble, the world's most famous corporate blogger, is leaving Microsoft and heading to PodTech.net. I haven't seen a confirmation from Scoble himself yet, so for the moment we'll put it in the realm of a rumor with a high likelihood of veracity.

Some of you will be interested in the news itself, but I was wondering more generally about what happens when a prominent corporate blogger leaves the company. I'm sure Scoble will still maintain somewhat of a following, as he is so well-known in the blogosphere. But I'm thinking he's going to lose a big part of his audience. Sure, readers have developed some attachment to him personally, but let's face it -- most of the people reading his blog aren't just reading it because he's a great writer, but because they're interested in knowing what's going on at Microsoft and he offers more of an inside scoop than anyone else. But he'll build a new audience. Podcasting is hot now (although I have to admit that I'm ambivalent about it myself). I'd be curious to see his traffic stats over the next few months (hint-hint, Robert!).

Now what about Microsoft? Who will become the new principal voice of Microsoft in the blogosphere? There are certainly plenty of popular Microsoft bloggers - Eileen Brown, KC Lemson, Raymond Chen, Michael Kaplan, Heather Leigh, Larry Osterman, et al. (my apologies to the other several thousand I didn't list here). And no, while he may be more "famous", Ray Ozzie's once-a-month posting habits won't cut it.

But Scoble definitely leaves a void there. Does Microsoft need to deliberately attempt to fill it? I think if they're smart, they won't. It will happen like most things do in the blogosphere - organically.

What do you think? Will you continue to follow Scoble's blog or no? Who would you like to see as the next prominent "voice of Microsoft" in the blogosphere?

About the author: Scott Allen is the About.com Entrepreneurs Guide and coauthor of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online.