Q: I work for a mid-sized technology firm and I’m under a lot of pressure to establish a corporate blog for our CEO. I have some reservations, however. Should I hold my ground? Or give in and invest the time and resources to create this blog?
A: This is a case of walking the talk. I can just imagine what it’s like at technology and entertainment companies: there’s a perception that if you don’t have a corporate blog, there must be something wrong. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a technology or entertainment company, big or small, without one today.
In general, however, the rest of corporate America is very slow to adopt this new dynamic tool, especially Fortune 500 companies (only 40 of them had blogs as IR magazine went to press).
First, what are all your peers doing? If they have not embraced this tool, you could have a great chance to show the world your company is at the cutting edge and use a corporate blog as a way to differentiate your business and build your brand. Even if all your peers do have them, it is still a great way to raise your profile.
The second question to ask is: do you cringe when your CEO speaks in public? If so, this tool could end up bringing you more pain than gain. I find the best corporate blogs are those that allow you to get a sense of the true personality of the top management team, either the CEO or another senior-level executive.
The third and final question is whether or not there is a chance management will want to use the site to break material news about the company. The jury is still out on this, in fact; for now, a corporate blog is not an accepted way to disseminate material news in the eyes of the SEC.
There are a few who are trying to move this boulder up the hill. Let’s see if the deep pockets and vast resources of Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems, can move the commission closer to his point of view. Just don’t hold your breath.
Either way, Schwartz and his company have certainly benefited from a successful corporate blog. It has brought them a great deal of publicity, which – in the end – is probably more of a good thing than a bad thing.
