A Silicon.com report says Harvard Business School is urging businesses to embrace the benefits that blogging can deliver. The school says blogs enable the brave few "to connect with customers online" and "to shape the conversation" about their companies. Those already embracing the trend include Boeing, General Motors, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Sun and Yahoo!.
Key messages:
- ensure readers can comment; keep the blog open and interactive so it doesn’t appear a mouthpiece for the company
- respond in a professional and business-like way to comments made on other blogs pertinent to your area of focus. If you don’t want to hear from your customers and critics in a public environment, don’t blog
- keep the PR department away, and avoid marketing-speak. A blog which is "genuine, conversational and engaging" is far more effective
- update the blog regularly
