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The Flip Side of Corporate Blogging

Sun Microsystems says blogging helped rebuild its reputation

By Sally Falkow

We’ve all heard the horror stories about the power that bloggers have to destroy a company’s reputation. “Web logs are the prized platform of an online lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel and invective,” declared an article in the Nov. 14 issue of Forbes magazine.

There is no doubt that blogs have a powerful effect, and this can be disastrous for those with skeletons in their closets or vicious competitors determined to trash their reputations. Millions of people rely on the results they find through search engines, and peer-to-peer content has become the number one pre-purchase influencer online, so how and where you appear on the Internet has become a crucial factor in reputation management.

While we tend to be exposed to the negative stories about bloggers digging into some corporate misstep, there have also been many success stories. Sun Microsystems is one.

Interviewed at the Syndicate conference, Jonathan Schwartz, President and COO of Sun Microsystems said that blogging had played a major role in the revitalization of Sun's reputation. Like many other tech companies, Sun felt the backlash of the dot-com crash and has only recently started to recover.  

"Imagine a company that had e-mail the day it started 24 years ago. When blogs took off, there was never a discussion of whether we should do this ... just how," Schwartz said.

Blogging allows you to look into a company, meet its people and see how it functions. It puts a human face on the corporation and makes it real. Schwartz said that this window into the company and the direct interaction with its employees is what builds the trust factor. And he emphasized that authenticity and transparency are keys to blogging success. 

Sun has gone from the 99th to the 6th most popular server company, largely because it has embraced authenticity and transparency in its communication initiatives.  “Companies that fight transparency will confront a competitive deficit,” said Schwartz.

“We've moved from the information age to the participation age, and trust is the currency of the participation age”, he said. “Companies need to speak with one voice and be authentic. Blogging allows you to speak out authentically on your own behalf, and in the long run people will recognize that. Do it consistently and they trust you.”  

Blogging done right can be a positive force in building and maintaining a reputation in today’s competitive marketplace. But it has to be done in the spirit of open communication and with a willingness to let go of the “corporate message.”

Even if your company is not ready or willing to join online conversations, you should be aware that they are happening regardless. If you do nothing else, you need to set up a system for listening to relevant online conversations and monitoring what is being said about your company, your products and your industry.

BENEFITS OF CORPORATE BLOGGING

• Increases search engine visibility and thus brand awareness
• Offers a direct communication channel to the public
• Builds credibility and trust
• Allows you to tell your story, uncensored by the media
• Makes your organization more “real” to the public

ARE YOU READY TO BLOG?

Take a look at the culture of your organization:

• Can you let go of the controlled ‘messaging’?
• Are you willing to be authentic and transparent?
• Do you have the resources – writers, time, budget - to create the content for a blog that others will find compelling?

If so, it may be time to start thinking about your corporate blogging guidelines.

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Sally Falkow is the author of WebSense: effective website marketing strategies for entrepreneurs. She is President of Expansion Plus Inc, an online marketing and PR agency based in Los Angeles that uses corporate blogging as one leg of its Internet marketing strategy.