the invasion of blogging in corporate america

blogging is ubiquitous, having recently infiltrated the corporate world (see article). executives of major corporations are beginning to create their own personal blogs. primarily, these blogs are being used to bypass the media filtering of disseminated information. while the immediate intrigue of peering into the mind of a CEO to the public at large is apparent, the long-term of success of these blogs is not guaranteed. all too easily, these blogs could easily transform into a boring regurgitation of company press releases. in order to maintain their audience, the executives must keep their blogs interesting, not necessarily easy for often robotic individuals.

the premise of blogging is also based upon truth. it is expected that blog entries are truthful representations of an individuals thoughts and beliefs. when dealing with large private companies trying to maintain their competitive advantage, being truthful and forthright is not always an option. with each post (not nearly as revised and rewritten as a press release), the executive is walking a fine line between making entries interesting and revealing too much information. also, the role of blogs with regard to insider information and SEC concerns hasn't yet been established.

similar to above, privacy and confidentiality are the biggest concerns when rank and file employees start blogging about their job. while the best intentioned memos and policies will help mitigate this risk, companies do not have the resources available to be monitoring the blogging activities of all employees on a daily basis. furthermore, once information is posted to the blog, subsequent removal of the post will have little affect on those who have already read the entry and web caching servers. lastly, if personal information is located on the blog, the company runs the possible risk of losing its workforce to headhunters.