[kictanet] Public Servants and blogging

[Al Kags]

http://davepress.net/2008/03/10/public-servants-must-blog/

I just came across the above article and I wonder what the thoughts of this
groups. One would imagine beyond the official policy and regulations there
is a social impediment to public servants blogging. What would need to
happen to get us to a point where we have official public blogs?

I also am reminded of an interesting article (below) by the CEO of Sun
Microsystems that was published in a Havard Business Review a while back -
If you want to Lead, Blog.

If You Want to Lead, Blog

*by* *Jonathan Schwartz<http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbrol/en/includes/sasearch.jhtml?author=Jonathan+Schwartz>
*

Many senior executives at Sun, including me, have blogs that can be read by
anyone, anywhere in the world. We discuss everything from business strategy
to product development to company values. We host open letters from the
outside, and we openly respond to them. We talk about our successes—and our
mistakes. (If you don't believe me, go to
www.blogs.sun.com/roller/page/jonathan?entry=dear_john.)

That may seem risky. But it's riskier not to have a blog. Remember when, not
long ago, CEOs would ask their assistants to print out their e-mails for
them, and they'd dictate responses to be typewritten and sent via snail
mail? Where are those leaders now? (The last of my contacts of that breed
just retired.) In ten years, most of us will communicate directly with
customers, employees, and the broader business community through blogs. For
executives, having a blog is not going to be a matter of choice, any more
than using e-mail is today. If you're not part of the conversation, others
will speak on your behalf—and I'm not talking about your employees.

Blogging lets you participate in communities you want to cultivate—whether
it's your employees, potential employees, customers, or anyone else—and
leverage your corporate culture competitively. Here's a good example: Sun,
like every organization, receives e-mails from happy customers lauding one
employee or another for good work. The idea came up that we should post
these e-mails on a "wall of fame" on our intranet. But we realized that this
venue would profoundly limit the number of readers, so someone suggested
putting the wall of fame up on my external blog. Immediately, people raised
the concern that by identifying our best employees, we'd make them
recruitment targets. Well, of course that could happen. But it cuts both
ways. The upside is the positive ripple effect on workers' morale and on the
public's perception of the company. What's more, my competitors' employees
could see what I'm saying about my team and could decide whether I'm more
compelling than their own leaders. So rather than being a threat to Sun,
blogging about my best employees can build loyalty and be a recruitment tool
to boot.

How do you get started on a blog? I suggest clearly defining a
bloggingstrategy and guidelines. (
Or go ahead and use ours at www.sun.com/aboutsun/media/blogs/policy.html.
Just make sure to change the company name.) Then find your voice. Be honest
and open. Be respectful of your audiences. Don't treat blogging like
advertising—it's not. Use humor. Link to those who interest and influence
you.

Once you get going, don't micromanage the process. Your legal and corporate
communications teams do not have to be involved in every post—after all,
they're not involved in every e-mail you send or telephone call you make. Once
in a while, you may need to add some clarifying language. (For example, a
14A filing was required for my blog posting about acquisition intentions,
just as it would be for many other forms of communication.)

But the rule of thumb is simple: Know the guidelines, then let loose. If you
're unclear about your company's policy on something, ask around. Maybe it
needs to be more carefully defined.

Be sure to listen to feedback and respond to legitimate ideas—from inside
and outside. And, most important, write the blog yourself. Authenticity is
paramount. Some senior executives hire people to write their blogs.
Don'tbother.
It's like hiring someone to write your e-mail. It's not going to work.

Trust me, your market and your employees are clamoring for executive
engagement and insight. They will value and remember your candor. And you'll
be surprised by how much you learn from them.

Reprint: F0511J
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