Should company blogs be written by a specific executive or by "the company"?
Robert Scoble used to be the chief blogger for Microsoft. He was actually both a champion and a critic of Microsoft and they encouraged him to be as open and authentic as possible. Some even say that his authenticity changed the perception of Microsoft because he dared to question Microsoft about certain things and then went and got answers to questions people were upset about.
One other aspect that we touched on in class about this is whether companies should have a code or policy about blogging. Here is an article that interviews the ex-CEO of Sun Microsystems about this. Here is their original policy that set the standard for many companies. Tell me what you think. It is enough to help employees know what to do?
It is interesting to know companies are encouraging the employees to have honest blogs. However, setting polices and guiding the blogs is critical for the company. There is a risk that employees may disclose company’s secret or write something negative. Many times people can easily deny what they say but they cannot deny what they post on the blogs. It is a risk for both employer and employee. But if you handle it properly, it will benefit the company especially in today’s social media world.
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