Blogging from the top office

So, following on from my previous thoughts, I was out with a few friends the other night (nice food, rubbish service) and it seems that a number of colleagues who work in public sector PR are thinking about the potential benefits of extending their online presence.

Corporate websites are now ubiquitous and generally expected; Facebook groups, even in the public sector, are becoming more common (more about that another day); but how many public organisations have CEOs, senior managers or staff who blog – with the backing of their organisation?

There are plenty of anonymous postings from people working in health, education, local authorities and the police. And fellow bloggers may be aware of the postings of the London Ambulance Service paramedic Stuart Gray, which has now been turned into a successful book, but that wasn’t originally a corporately endorsed blog, just an NHS employee who wanted to share his stories.

The private sector seems to be a little more adventurous, but even so, according to Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008, only 12% of bloggers blog in an official capacity for their company.

So why do those organisations do it, and why are others keen to follow?

I worry that sometimes it’s a case of jumping on the web 2.0 bandwagon, with organisations thinking more about the comms channel itself than the strategic reasons behind using it. Often the pressure may come from senior managers who want to be seen to be at the cutting edge of technology.

CEO: “Hey, let’s have a blog!”
Comms manager: “What about?”
CEO: “All the good stuff I’m doing, the people I meet, the places I travel to.”
Comms manager: “Who’s going to write it?”
CEO: “You are.”

But who’s the intended audience of a corporate blog? If it hangs off the corporate website then surely only those interested enough to visit there will see it, so why not just use the website as the channel?

And what about the purpose and the messages? If it’s to try to give the organisation a more human face to its patients/residents/students, then it’s absolutely vital that the blog has to come across as open and honest, with no hint of corporate spin, otherwise where’s the credibility?

There are a few public sector organisations that are leading the way. The Christie Hospital in Manchester and North Wales police for example (maybe it’s a North West thing?) but even then, are they reaching out? They certainly don’t look like dialogues, with hardly any comments on either site. 

And talking about feedback, how many government organisations are brave enough to allow comments, unedited or unmoderated, about their services and their management? But once you start filtering isn’t it just a slippery slope to censorship?

Neil Boyd, writing for Hill and Knowlton in 2006, makes some very valid comments here. As for my thoughts, maybe blogging for Chief Executives is a bit like marriage - not to be taken lightly, but with thought, planning and a hell of a lot of commitment. However, when it works, it’s fantastic.