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Monday, March 05, 2007
Bad corporate blogs are bad
I have been struck by the number of posts recently that outline the flaws and risks of corporate blogging. On top of Dee Rambeau and Dave Taylor asserting that corporations and CEO’s shouldn’t blog, period, a number of bloggers have cranked out lists of issues that stand between a corporation and successful blogging.
First came Kami Huyse with risks, each associated with the degree of risk each item presented. These include…
- Negative Comments
- Loss of Control Over the Message
- Neglect
- Misunderstanding the Culture of the Blogosphere
- Unprepared or Loose - Cannon Employees
- Fueling a firememe of Criticism
- Legal Liabilities
- Losing the Farm
- Negative Impact on Stock Price
- Tort Lawsuits
The next day, Randish at SEOmoz.org listed the reasons corporate blogging fails. This list covers…
- Blogs vs. corporate culture
- Editorial control issues
- Unfamiliarity with a blog’s structure
Crafting a corporate voice rather than a personal one - Attempting to sell or market
- Domain & URL issues
Companies can plan their blogs more effectively if they pay attention to these potential obstacles. But I wonder why they have to be couched in negative terms? I imagine these articles can be flagged by naysayers as evidence that companies simply shouldn’t blog. Instead, can’t we list things to do to make sure your corporate blog succeeds? The headings for this post could read, “Don’t Worry About Loss of Control” and “Write in a natural, personal voice.” What is it that leads so many of us to approach these issues from the negative standpoint?