David Berlind is smack-down impressed by a CEO who jumped on to his blog to get into a dialogue challenging her software...
Public relations personnel cringe at the idea of executives diving into the blogosphere and mixing it up with the press and end users. Maybe that's because of how the blogosphere prevents them from interceding when an executive is about to say something that shouldn't be said. Personally, I think it makes both the executives and the company seem more open and approachable. When a vendor executive lays it on the line like that, he or she knows that the blogosphere is probably going to respond with brutal honesty. Just that sort of open invitation says something about a person's belief in what they are saying and willingess to engage--unfortunately, it's a rarity in our business. Sun president and COO Jonathan Schwartz for example has a blog, but he doesn't take comments.
Great advice, David. Let your executives have fun if they want to, ok? But guide them on what works/doesn't. That's our role as PR professionals.
