Possible Risks Involved With Corporate Blogs
In my previous blog posts I have been positively discussing the idea of companies establishing corporate blogs. While I do feel that company-established blogs are a helpful tool that every company should at least look into implementing as a part of its communications efforts both internally and externally, I feel that it is necessary to present a few of the potential risks involved with corporate blogging as well.
In her blog post titled “Top 10 Risks for Corporate Blogs,” communications consultant Kami Huyse discusses what she believes to be the top 10 risks that corporate bloggers face when they decide to implement a blogging strategy within their organization. Though all are relevant points that any corporate blogger needs to consider, I feel that points one, four and five deserve extra attention.
Beginning with point one, the idea of opening up a space on the Web where interactivity in the form of comments is not only allowed, but actively promoted, no matter if the comments are negative or positive, scares many CEOs, and rightfully so. However, by publishing a company-authored blog and allowing for both positive and negative feedback, a company is both making it easier for themselves to track down and respond to negative feedback from its audiences, as well as allowing themselves to appear more open to public opinion, in turn establishing themselves as a transparent company.
I also feel that point four is important for companies to understand before diving head first into the blogosphere because many companies have been trained to use certain technical jargon and communicate with their publics in a more professional way. While I feel that it is important for a company to maintain its professionalism while blogging, I also think that, in order for a company to successfully relate to its blog’s readers, the company needs to understand that the blogging culture is one based more around being open and personable.
Going along with point four, point five is also an important factor to consider when beginning a corporate blog because, if an employee has been asked to author the company blog and does not know the culture behind the blogosphere, the company’s culture, or the messages in which the company wishes to convey using its blog, then the blog can end up being a disaster rather than a helpful social media tool. The photo below, courtesy of photobucket.com, is an example of this idea.
I really enjoyed reading through the article “Top 10 Risks for Corporate Blogs” because I feel like it legitimizes a lot of concerns CEOs may be worried about and responds with the likelihood of the situation happening. I also think point one is a big concern; Execs are always worried about negative feedback and having an open forum is scary because they fear that negative comments will just soar in. I also agree that point 5 is crucial for appointing a company blogger. A corporate blogger should be someone very engrossed in the company culture because they are reflecting that culture to the public. Great article and post!
I really thought this topic was an important issue to cover. Of course you want to spend the majority of your blog discussing how great it is to have a corporate blog, but it is crucial to remember the risks involved. I agree with Colleen and the article that the blogger should be someone who knows a lot about popular culture as well as the company culture because they need to be able to reflect the company to the public in the most efficient and engaging manner. I have really enjoyed your blog and the variety of examples you have given about corporate blogging. I look forward to learning more about corporate blogs in the future.
I believe that it is very important for not just a CEO, but the corporate communicators of the company to realize what are the risks of starting a corporate blog. Like you mentioned in your post, it’s about using the tool as an new more effective way to reach stakeholders. Before starting a blog a CEO has to understand that there are several things that could go wrong. I agree with Colleen and Lauren, that it is very interesting to note that the person writing the blog should be knowledgeable about popular culture and the politics and etiquette of the blogosphere. I think that this is a really good point because this is not a place for really corporate jargon which could confuse a reader. So I think that this was a great post!