If that's the case, where does the Head of Corporate Blogging report in the organization? If corporate blogging doesn't belong in the marketing organization, perhaps it would be better suited in customer service. That would make sense if the goal is to engage with customers so as to improve their experience with the company and products and incorporate their feedback.
What happens, however, if there is some controversial issue and the company wants to control its public response to it? Some articles contend that the company has to be honest and respond to these issues openly. At times (if the company is facing a lawsuit, for example), it may be wise for the corporate blogger to look to the official PR machine of the company for a response or perhaps answer honestly to say, "This is an issue that is being dealt with by our company's legal counsel and therefore I must refer all questions on this topic to them."
This area will evolve within the corporate space as it is embraced by more companies. There will need to be a reasonable balance between openness and honesty and protecting the company image.
I hate to think of a blog as a PR tool. Theres something about PR that implies spin or slant. Companies may need to create Transparency operations that help disseminate information and shed light ont the company itself. Then again, if a company could encourage key members of its leadership to blog honestly and openly, it might completely change the conversation.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge for the companies is bringing together the "PR machine" and an open, honest dialogue with their customers. You're right about changing the conversation. If companies honestly engage customers in their strategies, they might find they have more customers.
ReplyDeletei never thought about issues the company couldn't address due to legal concerns. i guess at that point the standard statement is proper. i agree with you, julie that the company does need to maintain their image and there definitely needs to be a balance. ps- love the twitter status gadget on the right!
ReplyDeleteCompanies need to be very careful when their employees start blogs, whether or not its directly linked to the company. Many companies do not allow their employees to have social networking accounts, such as blogs or Facebook, in order to mitigate risks as you have brought up. But even though companies try, information leaks no matter what they do. Better to have it leak in a purposeful manner than freely.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, this concept is pretty new for companies. I suppose it is like a new technology - there are some companies that will readily adopt and embrace the idea of corporate blogging and integrating it with marketing, faster than others. Unfortunately, those companies that lag behind may have to play catch-up in the end.
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