When talking about corporate blogging inevitably the topic turns to discussing whether or not the CEO of the company should participate. There are varied views on the issue throughout the social media world, but I believe we can all agree that if it’s done it should be professional and proper to the work environment, facilitating discussions and questions on professional corporate issues. This was the case with Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of the Dow Chemical Company. He decided to start a corporate internal blog for his global 46,000 employees spread throughout five continents so this was no small feat.
It is important to remember that when dealing with numbers like this precautions need to be taken because you are not dealing with a homogenous group of individuals. In this case age varies as well as cultural and ethnic backgrounds which can sometimes become sticky situations if not properly handled. For Andrew Liveris to overcome these obstacles Dow’s global employee communications team and Insidedge, Dow’s employee communications agency partner, teamed up to prep him about the possible pitfalls of the blogosphere. One of the first things they told Liveris was that this wasn’t a decision to be quickly made because for blogs to be efficient they need to be updated on a consistent basis for the long run. In this case it was decided that one post be made for every ten days minimum, so setting standards like this before one even begins to blog can be the difference between success and failure.
When it comes to the management function of the actual blog, Liveris writes all his own posts with minimal editing. This is an important criteria for the employee base because there is nothing more inauthentic than finding out that a CEO’s corporate blog is hardly written by him or her. Although there are individuals in the legal department that do review the posts I believe this to be a smart move rather than inauthentic because its sole purpose is to make sure that what is written won’t jeopardize the company or its legal standing in any such ways. To round things up, having the CEO run their own internal blog can be a great tool for employee communications but it must be done professionally and that’s why outside help (Insidege) can often be beneficial when it comes to blog management. See you all soon.
David,
I agree that CEOs should create and maintain a company blog. The effectiveness of new social media tools allows a CEO to communicate directly with his audience, encouraging interactivity and participation.
This is also one of the best methods to ensure company transparency and authenticity. CEOs should communicate with their audience in an informal and friendly, yet professional manner. Also, the blog should be updated frequently, so the audience knows they can return to the site for current content.
Also, instead of a company blog, I think Twitter is a great way for the CEO to keep his audience, both external and internal, updated on his daily activities.
Dave,
I think your thoughts on this topic are great. It is always interesting and insightful to hear from a CEO about the goings-on in the corporation. It is definitely important to consider whether or not the CEO has time to commit to the blog as well. If the blogger can’t invest the energy they would like to, it won’t turn out effectively. Furthermore, a blog should promote conversation, and while a blogger may be willing to construct posts, they may not have to time to respond to comments. Like Kim suggested, Twitter may be an effective alternative.
Another issue that may arise when trying to get a CEO to blog would be whether or not they could be willing to self-disclose. Readers want to see a little glimpse into the personal life of the blogger and some CEOS may not be interested in that.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post, and found many important pieces of information.
David, this is a great point about blog management. I think you developed a very good idea about whether or not CEO should blog in support of internal communication. And yes, I agree with you that if blogging is done professionally from CEO, it will be beneficial and enhance the process of communication within corporations. Like Kim mentioned earlier, I think it ties well in with transparency of companies. As the number of posts on blogs increase with more useful information, transparency will increase and draw in more publics to attention.
I agree with Kim from a transparency angle that information sounds more authentic coming from the CEO. I really liked how you wrote (Dave) that the CEO has to be careful because he’s “not dealing with a homogeneous group of individuals”, great wording and good point there. I also agree that it’s important that the CEO actually writes his own posts. As far as Twitter goes, I’m warming up the idea that it’s beneficial from a transparency standpoint and a good idea in general (but not for me personally, ha).