BBS 05: Corporate Blogging: Strategy and Policy

January 25, 2005 at 11:17 AM

Blog Business Summit comments on Lenn Pryor and Matthew Oliphant’s session on Corporate Blogging: Strategy and Policy

I came in a little late to this session after grabbing a few snaps and a drink in the lobby. A few mentions of the clue train manifesto. A conversation is going on out there, it is up to you to choose if you want to be a part of it and how you want to be a part of it. If you choose to have a blog in your company it isn’t going to be just “get the software and install it.” It’s more about change management and risk management.

An audience statement was made and repeated by Lenn; if you are not a company that doesn’t have a bidirectional communication strategy already, don’t do it. Because you won’t be able to deal with the risks and financial issues that surround it. Lenn asked who in the audience has had to deal with a legal issue concerning your blog. One person responded. That’s the first thing we ask; are we going to get sued for this if we post it? The more people who are writing, and blogging, the higher the likelihood that someone is going to mess up and it is important to be prepared for that. Matthew is telling a story about when he posted when he shouldn’t have, kind of blew up instead of taking his hands off the keyboard and walking away. He’s sorry for that and has learned from it.

About blogging policies and guidelines: keep it understandable and simple. (shows a slide of his policy, just a series of short and sweet bullet points, see below). There is a legion of lawyers who want to make things complicated, verbose, and otherwise convoluted. Make it simple so everyone can be treated like professionals and know how they should engage in blogging.

In short… “be smart”
Respect your existing confidentiality agreements
Don’t break news, don’t disclose confidential info
Be cautious with 3rd party info
Respect prior employers
Identify yourself
Be cautious in how you offer support or advice
Speak for yourself
Think about reactions before you hit “post”

Matthew mentioned a case where the company was going to install some blog software but they weren’t going to change it to adapt to the company. Yet the company didn’t work like the software was designed. So if the software doesn’t change the company has to. Now on to blogger personalities and voice within a company. Companies usually function in hierarchical categories; operational, financial, and reputation. Find a voice that reflects your company values. Don’t think of this as something you can outsource, and don’t think this is a function of the PR department.

I thought this was a very good session. It was much more practical and tangible than several of yesterday’s sessions. I think it really struck a cord with me because it’s where I am at within my own company and offered a lot of advice on what to look out for and what to seek out. I think Lenn and Matthew did an excellent job here.