Nowadays, I don’t push it at all, generally, and if someone tells me they want to start a blog I really give them the third degree. Asking why, why do you want to start? What do you think you will get out of it? Do you realize that having a blog means you have to write?

I agree that a blog usually should not be the first step out of the gate. I always tell people that they need to start reading blogs first, get a feel for how they flow, understand how the community flows, start commenting, maybe even begin to have a presence in your community through blogging, then maybe it’s time to start blogging.

The best part of the post (which was a good post) was the Saturn guy leaving a comment. Killer. They were listening. Its a gesture from a monolithic company to the little guy that “hey, we aren’t ignoring you”. And that is a big deal.

Every time I give that example, its wide eyes around the room.

I agree that listening should come first, but then it becomes an exercise in patience before a company starts blogging. Once the listening begins and execs see the opportunity to get the “message” out there in another venue, they’re willing to throw just about anything out there without thinking through the strategy completely.
Patience and planning are key, I believe, to developing a long-term blogging strategy.

You’re spot on, Chris, to say listening comes first. I think the next step for a company might be responding and becoming part of the conversation – at that level. Provide comments and feedback to the blogs. Maybe even respond to customers through the comments sections. The response/comment step could be the first step out into the public eye before launching even a throwaway blog.

Once the organization sees the value of listening and responding, an external corporate blog can be more easily sold up the chain.

I realize I work in a behomoth corporation that is less than nimble, so this cautious approach may not be for everyone. In a company our size the challenge is coordinating the blog strategy throughout. Where does it live? MarComm? PR? Internal Com? Who owns it and do all the bloggers need to be working in concert? And best yet, what metrics do we place on blogging to measure it’s effectiveness and justify the work?

Always more questions than answers. Thanks Chris!

Your Internal, External or Both section is near and dear to me personally, as I’ve struggled mightily to integrate both into a large EMS provider’s internal and external messaging strategy with limited success. But I know what I’m up against. To paraphrase one of James Carville’s tried and true branding statements –

“It’s the stock price, stupid.”

Blogging just plain isn’t for everybody, especially when a public company is trying to drive their stock price in a beleaguered market sector, and every cough and fart that sneaks out of the company requires MARCOM and Legal approval.

That dog just don’t hunt in Blogland.