Business Blog Advice

In a very short time, Bill Marriott seems to have hit his blogging stride. I get the impression he is a man with a lot to say, and man who has embraced his new medium with passion.

In a recent post on his blog, Bill shares another inside look at the people and programs of Marriott Hotels. This time, it’s the disabilities program the hotel operates. But what I like about Bill’s blog (and his style of open communication in general) is that he doesn’t stop by saying “We employ people with disabilities.” He breaks it down to the individual people and stories that make up the program.

Bill is a good story teller. I don’t mean “story” in the sense of lying. I mean story in the sense of real things happening to real people, and later recounted in an honesty and enthusiastic way. He also encourages his staff to come onto his blog once in a while to tell their stories, which I’ve covered before.

A good, honest story goes a long way in today’s corporate world. I think a lot of companies would benefit from taking note of Bill’s ability to tell a good story about good people … one that he believes in.

Seth Godin wrote an entire book on the subject of The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World. If you like this blog post, you should check out his book.

~Brandon

I know that blog consulting is big business for some, and I say all the power to them. But I’ve often wondered, does the average CEO really need a blogging consultant?

This is one of those questions that probably can’t be answered across the board. But if you asked me, I’d say no, in most cases a CEO does not need a corporate blogging consultant. Here’s my reasoning…

I think the whole point of a blog is to speak as yourself, not as somebody who has been coached. I think CEOs who want to start blogging can benefit from a simple, 5-part plan:

1. Read some other CEO blogs for ideas on usage.
2. Establish some basic legal guidelines as not to anger shareholders.
3. Establish a purpose for the blog (customer communications, sharing insight, news distribution).
4. Have the IT team set up your new CEO blog.
5. Start blogging. Write what you feel you should write. Forget about the media.

And if search engine visibility is a priority for the newly blogging CEO, he or she can always download my blogging guide to get the extra benefits of search engine boost.

~Brandon 

I used to watch Grey’s Anatomy back in the early days, when it offered a quirky look behind the scenes of a busy hospital. Now it’s just another sappy, contrived “ER” style drama in the making.

But there’s good news, because if I want to know the genuine trials, tribulations and triumphs of running a hospital, I can read the CEO blog of Paul Levy.

Mr. Levy is the President and CEO of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical Center. His CEO blog gives a rare glimpse of what it takes to run a hospital. In fact, that’s the name of his blog, Running a Hospital.

One of the things I like about this blog is how Mr. Levy often uses it to dole out the thanks to his staff. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post entitled, “Thank you, social workers”:

“The Social Work Department has a pervasive presence in the hospital by assisting patients and families with a huge range of problems. Social workers are the unsung heroes in many regards, helping patients and families through extremely stressful situations.” -Source

~Brandon

Corporate Blogging Favorites:

• Corporate Blogging Alphabet
• A History of CEO Coverage
• The Birth of a CEO Blog

Remember when people used to call the Internet a fad? “Oh, that Internet thing will never last. A bunch of connected computers … what’s the point?”

The same type of thing has happened with CEO blogs. A lot of folks “in the know” started out saying that CEO blogging would never take off, because CEOs aren’t the kinds of people who blog. On the other side of the fence, a lot of folks saw the communication potential of corporate blogs and urged CEOs to jump on board. And, of course, there were those early adopters — the CEOs who needed no invitation, and instead chose to jump in feet first.

CEO blogs are not new. Look at my post on the Birth of a CEO Blog and check out some of those dates. But CEO blogs have become much more popular in the last year or so, partly in response to the ongoing coverage I’ve captured for you below.

My favorite moment in CEO blog coverage? It came from USA Today writer Del Jones, who in 2005 said the following: “But despite all of the power and sway that awaits an early adopter, it’s going to take a brave CEO with thick skin to enter the blogosphere.” [You mean like these brave CEOs?]

Since that remark (and even long before it), a lot of people have said a lot of things about CEO blogging. And they continue to do so. But up until now, this commentary has never been compiled in a single source. That’s what I’ve tried to do below.

Here’s the ongoing evolution of CEO blog coverage. If it’s as interesting for you to read as it was for me to create, my time was well spent. Enjoy!

The Role of PR in CEO Blogs
(October 1, 2004)

The Blog Marketing Explosion
(October 5, 2004)

CEO Blog or Journal?
(October 18, 2004)

CEOs Refuse to Get Tangled Up In Messy Blogs
(May 10, 2005)

CEO Blogs and Why They Won’t Happen
(May 10, 2005)

Why CEOs Should Blog
(September 19, 2005)

Why CEOs Shouldn’t Blog
(September 19, 2005)

CEOs: Blog or Die
(March 17, 2005)

Should Executives Blog?
(January 31, 2006)

New York Times Encourages CEOs to Blog
March 8, 2006

Maybe Your CEO Shouldn’t Blog
(March 16, 2006)

CEOs and Blogging - Second Try
(March 18, 2006)

Most Popular CEO and Corporate Blogs - Any Good?
(July 22, 2006)

5 Good Reasons Not All CEOs Should Blog
(July 30, 2006)

Does Your CEO Blog?
(July 31, 2006)

CEO Blogging? Don’t Hold Your Breath
(July 31, 2006)

To Blog or Not to Blog - A CEO Question?
(August 1, 2006)

Is It Okay to Ghostwrite a CEO Blog?
(September 18, 2006)

Blogging and the Role of the CEO
(September 22, 2006)

Should Executives and CEOs Blog?
(September 25, 2006)

CEO Blogs Not Censored Yet
(November 10, 2006)

When Should a CEO Blog?
(February 22, 2007)

CEOs Should Blog
(March 9, 2007)

That seems like an appropriate way to end the list.

What Did I Miss?
Did I miss something noteworthy? A good article or commentary on the evolution of CEO blogs? Just drop me a comment below, and I’ll add it to the list. After all, this is our list … not mine.

~Brandon

The corporate blogging alphabet is now available for consumption. (And I only had to reach for a thesaurus once!)

I started creating this document just for fun. Sad? But then it took on a life of its own. The finished product is a list of corporate blogging benefits and best practices … from A to Z.

Obviously not all of the letters / entries will apply to all corporate blogging or CEO blogging scenarios, but they all apply to corporate blogging in some way. At least in my mind.

Hopefully there’s at least one letter in this alphabet that makes you think of blogs in a new and refreshing way.

The Corporate Blogging Alphabet

Law.com has assembled a formidable list of do’s and don’ts for corporate blogging. I’m glad they added that this is a “high-level overview,” because there’s no way to make such a list that applies to all businesses who turn to blogging.

What about your company blog, or your CEO blog? Do you have your own list of do’s and don’ts? If not, it might be a good idea to create one. If nothing else, it will help you remember why you started your blog in the first place.

Want to see my list? It’s really short, and thus easy to remember:

• Do stick to the topic of the site (as much as possible).
• Don’t bore people (if at all possible).

Can’t go wrong with that!

Today I was contacted by a guy name Eric Thom from RSS Applied (www.rssapplied.com). They are some kind of blogging company that sells “internet visibility systems,” whatever that means.

I wanted to share my experiences with this person from RSS Applied (www.rssapplied.com) so you will know what kind of company they are, should they contact you about their services.

It all started when Eric Thom from RSS Applied sent me an unsolicited email that was short to the point of being both cryptic and rude. I replied to ask what he meant, explaining that his short email was a bit confusing. He replied in an equally curt and abrasive way. So I politely recommended he get a book on business communications — I do what I can, after all.

That led to a series of insulting “attack” emails with content such as this:

“Those phrases you speak of are a joke to get ranked for number 1, your design is from th stone age number 2, and fiianlly Frankly graigslist would be a step from what content we see on your tiny site. Nice talking to you Farmer, must suit you, farmer.” [Sent from Eric Thom of RSS Applied]

> ——– Original Message ——–
> Subject: [SPAM] Re: [SPAM] Re: blogging
> From: “Eric Thom”
> Date: Thu, March 15, 2007 4:45 pm

All typos have been left intact as not to misrepresent Mr. Thom.

This kind of personal attack bothers me a great deal. Not because I’m the least bit intimidated by a 12-year-old posing as a business man, but because this company (RSS Applied) claims to be in the business of communications. They claim to be experts in blogging, blog content, etc.

I don’t know about you, but RSS Applied isn’t the kind of company I would want giving me communications advice … unless the name of the lesson was “Insults 101.”

I don’t like to bring negativity into this blog. But I realize that most of my readers are regular bloggers, so there’s a good chance this company (RSS Applied) will contact you about their services. I only want to share my brief but distasteful experience with RSS Applied so you’ll have an idea of who you’re dealing with, should they ever pitch their services to you.

Legal Disclaimer: I make no other assertions or claims about RSS Applied (www.rssapplied), aside from sharing the abusive emails I have received from them.

~Brandon

Blogging isn’t easy. I’ll be the first to tell you that.

Or let me clarify that statement. Blogging well isn’t easy. Anyone can pound out content like a monkey and call themselves a blogger. [On a side note, I’m sure that somewhere in the world, there is an actual monkey who blogs.]

But when it comes to corporate blogging in general — and CEO blogging in particular — there is more at stake with the blog. There are regulations to consider. Disclosure concerns. Shareholder perceptions…

These are the points made in a new article at CSO Online, an article about the challenges of CEO blogging and other Web 2.0 activities.

But isn’t this the whole point of corporate blogging … to break through such concerns and have an honest dialogue with your supporters? And to turn strangers into supporters?

I guess every blogger defines blogging in his or her own way. But if you ask me, the benefits of corporate blogging and CEO blogging far outweigh the effort it takes to do it right.

~Brandon 

Many CEO and corporate bloggers realize the intangible, immeasurable benefits of blogging. In fact, these are often the reasons they blog in the first place.

They know that a first-rate business blog can improve their customers’ perception of the company, increase trust, foster interaction and more. And while these things may not be directly measurable, they are obviously beneficial to the company.

But these “immeasurable” benefits of business blogging can have a measurable effect on the company’s success, namely through an increase in sales. That’s the subject of a new article posted to CEO Blog Watch:

How Business Blogging Can Cause an Increase in Sales

“How to Keep Your Geeks Happy and Productive”

That’s the title of a new article on the Jobster blog. The article offers managers eight ways to keep their technical / IT personnel (i.e. geeks) happy and productive, all the live long day.

This is one of the most accurate, insightful and “no B.S.” articles on employee management I’ve read in a while.

My favorite of the eight tips:

#1. Let them work when they want
Geeks work almost every moment they are awake. They are online before they go to the office. They are home working after the office closes. They work weekends. They are even sometimes working in their dreams. Employers should understand this and more importantly appreciate it. Don’t force geeks to work 8 - 5 if there is no real need other than “company morale.”

Read the full article