10 fears of a corporate blogger

I recently translated part of an article about corporate blogging risks. With some additions and comments from NetMind , I publish it here. There are ten main risks, and the degree of probability of each occurrence is estimated in percent and by categories - Unlikely Possible and Probable. Of course, these are very basic assessments and for each company the risks are assessed very individually, but, nevertheless, they will help to get a general picture of what the companies leading the corporate blog risk.What are the risks of companies leading a corporate blog?1. Negative comments ( high probability - 90% ) Companies are very sensitive to criticism, especially taking place on “their territory”. The appearance of negative comments can be regulated by a specially developed commentary and moderation policy . Negative comments to some extent raise confidence in the information presented on the blog, few people will seriously take a blog with exceptionally positive feedback about the work of the company. If there is too much negativity, experts suggest using the blog as an interactive “book of complaints and suggestions”.
2. Loss of control over information (it is likely - 75%) . In many companies, the process of coordinating public statements and comments is strictly regulated. The blog is much more independent and this alarms the management of companies. At the same time, people are probably already discussing your company at some other venues - and why not listen to their point of view?3. Drop the blog. ( probably 75% ) Starting a corporate blog and dropping it halfway is one of the significant risks of corporate blogging. It is worth immediately calculating your strength. By the way, I want to immediately note that in our study of Russian-speaking corporate blogs (the first part of which we will soon show to everyone) - the percentage of abandoned blogs is very small. So for our market, the percentage of probability will be lower.4. Do not fit into the blogosphere . ( probably 30%) The blogosphere is a specific environment with its own rules and etiquette. The consequences for dull intruders can be serious. Avoiding this is simple - do not start without preparation, understand the essence of the new culture, and begin to communicate in the blogosphere before starting a corporate blog.5. Untrained employees. ( maybe 5% ) Employees who play the role of corporate bloggers, but have not undergone special training, can be a serious risk and nullify all good undertakings. The problem will be solved by the program of special trainings and “instructions of the corporate blogger”. Another important point is the dismissal. If a former corporate blogger thinks he was fired unfairly, public accusations could be an additional risk.
In fact, this is a risk not only for companies leading a corporate blog, but also for those who do not conduct any activities in the blogosphere at all. With the proliferation of blogs, corporate secrets often come to light in unexpected places. “Our customer is angry. Soon he will begin to set fines under the contract ”- this is a slightly adapted quote from the blog of an employee of a large company, where he writes in detail about the process of negotiating with another very large and well-known company - with the names, numbers and texts of internal documents ...6. Become the object of criticism. ( maybe 10% ). One of the company’s worst nightmares is to create a corporate blog that will become the subject of close attention and criticism in the blogosphere. Dell at one time started the Direct2Dell blog , which at first was very criticized, but Dell was able to turn its blog into an influential and effective channel for disseminating information.7. Civil liability. ( unlikely - 0.05% ) A corporate blog should not violate existing laws, such as the law on consumer protection, the law on advertising, etc.8. Uncover Main Trade Secret. ( unlikely - 0.05% ) Still, this is a corporate blog, and we must try very hard to ensure that an employee of the company with access to the blog is so unprepared to reveal any secrets, and the PR should be very relaxed so as not to control at all what is happening on the blog.9. A corporate blog will negatively affect the value of the company's shares. ( unlikely -0.05% ) What if a blog post causes a drop in stocks? For public companies, this is a serious matter - all their statements can directly affect the value of shares.10. Litigation. ( 0.05% unlikely ) Accusations of libel, damage to reputation and other possible charges arising from the content of blog posts. This is especially worrying for a corporate blogger, as it is obvious that there is something to take from the corporation. Experts recommend taking into account the information published on the blog in the corporate document flow, so that in case of lawsuits use it.


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