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- Scott Beale / Laughing Squid
Why have so many corporations entered the blogosphere? They’re just joining everyone else.
A corporate blog can enhance a company’s reputation—if the company follows the blogger code of ethics. Corporations shouldn’t participate in “blog-spin” or create a fake blog, which Angelo Fernando terms a “flog,” in his article about unethical blogging practices: “Transparency Under Attack.”
Wal-mart’s corporate blog back in 2006 was an example of a “flog.” Two PR agents wrote the blog from the comfort of their offices, while acting as a couple inside their RV, as they stayed overnight in Wal-mart parking lots on their nationwide road trip. Readers discovered the fraudulent postings and were outraged. Bottom line: corporations cannot fake transparency.
Jeanette Weisschuh, who runs Hewlitt-Packard’s social responsibility blog, stresses the importance of openness to reader feedback on a corporate blog. Why have a blog if there’s no room for dialogue between the company and its key publics? A blog without feedback is just an online newsroom where corporate communicators post press releases.
Vincent Potier, of Vonage, however, doesn’t see the point in corporate blogging. He argues that corporate blogs are boring because lower level employees won’t share their honest opinions about the company in fear of losing their jobs. He believes company blogs naturally have a corporate, authoritative voice.
Corporate communicators need to draw the lines on corporate openness through blogs by asking questions such as, “Why are the legal implications of this post/comment?” “How will I react to negative reader comments?” or “Does this post share too many transparent details, making it a dull read?”
Jeff Jarvis lays out rules for his blogging practices. He will not accept money for his opinions, no ads can appear in his posting space, all information will have proper sources, and he will open up to readers about his business relationships as long as details aren’t libelous or confidential.
Corporate blogs can build trusting relationships between companies and their publics as long as boundaries for openness are drawn prior to the first post and bloggers are actual corporate stakeholders.
For more information on corporate blogs see: “Corporate Blogging” featured in New Media Age.
- Courtesy of Life Multimedia
For starters, let’s define authenticity and transparency. Joel Postman lists transparency and authenticity as two of the six attributes a blog should have in his book, Social Corp.
An authentic blogger posts voluntary, unfiltered information that will lead to two-way, open communication. A transparent blogger is open about the goals that he or she hopes to accomplish or the goals that his or her organization hopes to accomplish. An authentic blog also shares the strategies used to achieve those goals.
So, I have taken Postman’s advice and stay authentic and transparent on this blog as well. How will I do it though?
Before starting this blog, I began reading other public relations and advertising blogs—most of which have been top ranked in recent years. Each blogger defines who he or she is in the first post or somewhere on the blog, such as the “About” page or in the sidebar. Communications gurus such as Shel Holtz, B.L. Ochman, and Joel Postman introduce themselves to their readers. For readers to trust the opinions of these professionals, they’ll first need to ask themselves: “Why the heck should I listen to yet another blogger?”
Once social media creators have established their backgrounds in order to prove to readers: listen in on their conversations, they’ll need to establish a voice. Not just a consistent voice for podcasts or vodcasts, but a voice to use in blog posts and comments, Twitter updates, and Facebook information. Creators shouldn’t shy away from using the first person tense either. It can help build a stronger transparent relationship with audience members if they can see how exactly “I” or “we” plan to accomplish a goal, handle an issue, or feel about a current event. Shel Holtz, B.L. Ochman, and Advergirl aren’t afraid to expose their bare opinions to readers through use of the first person tense.
