Day: August 4, 2004

 

If you ever needed to understand the changing nature of communications then the current melee around Jonathan Schwartz�s blog is as good a place to start as any.

 

Jonathan is the number two at Sun Microsystems and a good example of a corporate blogger.  He�s opinionated, well spoken and not afraid to share those opinions.

 

In case you missed it, an entry Schwartz made on his blog over the weekend, coupled with some remarks to the media managed to move the stock markets.  On his blog he was propagating some FUD (Fear, uncertainty and doubt) around IBM�s ability to deal with the growing popularity of Linux. It�s not the most insightful, nor sustainable competitive argument I�ve read, however at the end of his post he wrote:

�Me, I’d keep a close eye on the Novell/SuSe conversation. If IBM acquires them, the community outrage and customer disaffection is going to be epic… but where else does IBM go?�

People drew the conclusion that Schwartz was hinting that Sun may be looking at Novell as a potential target.  Both companies stock rose on the entry and it�s been widely covered.

 

An illustration of the power of voice.

 

Just like the Wizard of Oz, the executive blog provides visitors with a glimpse of the human behind the machinery.  Of course this is a double edge sword.

 

Properly implemented it can open your organization to new audiences and make compelling arguments in favor of your products and services.

 

However it also creates risk.

 

Following Schwartz�s blog entry, which I believe is innocuous to say the least, Matthew Podboy raises the issue of how closely should PR people be involved with the blogger.

 

�The question I ask you – the PR community – is how involved should PR be in the maintenance of what I call “executive blogs” – they aren’t a corporate blog but they aren’t a personal blog either – especially if that person is an officer of the company.�

 

Here�s my take.

 

For an executive blog to be authentic and by inference useful, it must be written in the first person.  It must be honest, it must be relevant and it must be regular.

 

When you think about an executive in your organization as a potential blogger you must be sure that they have something interesting to say, they can provide readers with value, they are committed to regularly writing and they are cognizant of what they can and cannot disclose in terms of company secrets, legal disclosures etc.  Should a candidate not meet these criteria, then they aren�t suitable.

 

I firmly believe the most important part of executive blogging is the preparation. 

 

When the blog is up an running, let it ride.  Over-cautious PR intervention will remove the authenticity. 

 

It�s fine to meet with the executive bloggers and discuss discussion areas, but ad hoc editing and approval is simply counter-productive. 

 Heather Lindemann writes for the Advertising and Marketing Review on the new role for PR in B2B Marketing:

“Public relations is far more than writing and pitching press releases. PR builds trusted relationships, educates, and wins credibility.”

 Sharon Haley Linhart, writing for the same site offers ten consumer PR tips that always work (ahem). This PR stuff is so easy….

 Finally, Pete Webb warns that you shouldn’t rely on charisma in a crisis:

“Many organizations plan for crises; others do not, or expect that they will never have to deal with a crisis. Companies in the first category obviously are better prepared, but unless they�ve actually rehearsed their crisis plans, they will also falter until they can get their act together.”

  Over at Entreworld.org, Bruce Kepper writes that Public Relations offers marketing leverage for entrepreneurial companies:

“In the service business, I�ve learned that credibility trumps creativity, that a writer’s recommendation carries more weight than a copywriter’s unique selling proposition, and that a third party endorsement is more meaningful than a primary participant’s pronouncement.”

 After yesterday’s news that Robb Hecht is going to broaden the scope of his PR Machine blog, Jeremy Pepper has been following up on a story that MediaBistro is looking for a PR blogger. Now there’s no excuse folks you don’t even have to set up your own blog 🙂

 PR Lesson #3,455: You can’t choose your family, or your fellow professionals.

 Well I’m covering this particular item not because it’ll brighten your day with laughs, pearls of wisdom or the secret to PR success. Nope. For those elements you’ll have to click elsewhere, but at least it’s a different form of online promotion for a PR firm.  Shift Communications, which if my memory serves me correctly, emerged from the ashes of Sterling Hager PR, has created a Flash promo themed around superheros called, surprisingly enough: The Shift Squad.

 Finally, here’s a link to that Chime Communications story in the UK Edition of PR Week that I mentioned last week. They undertook a survey of 100 PR executives on the challenges presented by the information age.