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May 20, 2005
Monitoring what the boss says
By Christy Brewer
I’m really at a loss when it comes to all the hype over blogs. Really, why do we need a new vocabulary to talk about something that’s been around for so long? The conversations found on corporate blogs are exactly what I experienced the day the CEO of a $3 billion automotive supplier sat down next to me in the lunchroom.
Me, the lowly worker, sitting in the corporate cafeteria, with my peers. Along comes the CEO. He asked politely before plopping his tray down next to ours.
“Here we go, “ we all thought. “Here comes the corporate ‘rah-rah’ speech.”
We were wrong. He asked questions. About us, how our daily projects were going, and how we liked the food in the cafeteria. He asked about our families and our hobbies. He spent time getting to know us.
Then, we got up the guts to ask him the hard questions. What was happening with our stock? What’s this we hear of a merger? He answered the questions honestly, with the information he had. He answered them with what he was allowed to say.
So many who are watching the corporate blogosphere are afraid of people like Bob Lutz spilling his guts in a moment of impassioned reply to a post in his blog. Think about it. Bob knows what he can and cannot say. He’s not going to have dinner with his neighbor and spill the beans on the latest at the Design Center. He knows better than to say that, either on the blog or off.
Executives who are considering the risks of “spilling too much” on a blog need to put it in perspective. Even in a candid conversation, there are still things that you don’t say.
Let’s get to the more important point. Sometimes, people (customers/evangelists/clients/fellow bloggers) don't care what you say or don't say don’t care how you say or don’t say it. It’s more important to say something. Be out there, talking with your audience. Find out what they like and don’t like. Find out about their families and their hobbies. Look at the food they’re eating at the corporate lunch table.
Posted by staff at May 20, 2005 12:11 PM
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Christy Brewer, up the street at Hass MS&L, admits that she's "...really at a loss when it comes to all the hype over blogs. Really, why do we need a new vocabulary to talk about something thats been around for so long? [Read More]
Tracked on May 20, 2005 03:46 PM
