CEO Schwartz represents a company creating innovative technology. It makes sense Sun Microsystems is a leader in blogging.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a company that promotes network services and connections by providing shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Well known brands include the Java technology platform and the Solaris operating system. Sun Microsystems supports network interactions and technology solutions for everyday consumer and business use.
A leader in social media, CEO of Sun Microsystems, Jonathan Schwartz has blogged as CEO since 2006. As one of the first Fortune 500 companies to start a CEO blog, Schwartz has represented the transition to corporate blogging. He uses a conversational tone, while discussing topics directly related to his company. Schwartz posts about Sun, the future of Sun, and the technology industry. The transparency and authenticity Schwartz uses in his blog presents Schwartz as a credible and relevant source for his audience. In 2006, The Washington Post ran an article on Sun’s CEO blog. Schwartz’s blog is translated into many different languages and is an effective communication medium to connect with all of Sun’s stakeholders. Schwartz could talk about personal issues occasionally to present more of a personality, but his blog is still the most popular of all the Sun blogs. Schwartz does not respond directly to comments, but he reads all of them. He directs the comments to the appropriate department. He forms relationships through what he provides to his audience. He also will comment and write on other blogs.
Sun Microsystems employees are encouraged to write blogs, which are then linked to the main blog website. The communications department does not manage the blogs, possibly because there are so many, but guidelines on public discourse are explained for employee bloggers. The main idea in these guidelines is common sense. If there is a question of legality, Sun requests the employees ask a higher authority. Sun mentions the importance of quality and to think about the consequences of your actions before publishing.
Schwartz discusses in a video interview about how he uses his blog as a medium to communicate with employees and other stakeholders. He talks about the importance of maintaining a direct and honest personality. In the video, pay attention to how blogs help Schwartz deal with the challenges of life as a CEO.
The success of Sun’s CEO and employee blogs is due to the amount of energy that goes into the blogs. The fact that all these employees make time to provide relevant and authentic information regularly improves the brand image of Sun Microsystems. As more companies are following in the footsteps of Sun Microsystems, it will be interesting to see how Sun will continue to update their social media communications strategy.
Hey Sarah,
Wow all I can say is Sun Microsystems has a great CEO blog and blogger. CEO Jonathan Schwartz is so passionate about social media. Readers experience his transparency and authenticity every time he writes a post.
Schwartz posts at least once a week on his CEO bog and that is so great. CEO blogging is so important and The Washington Post article said it best. Social media cuts out the middle man. It allows CEOs to bypass the company’s public relations department and journalists and industry analyst department. It gives a friendly and familiar face for consumers to relate to; rather than providing them with impersonal information and marketing.
Josh Catone on his Site Point blog posted, The 15 Companies That Really Understand Corporate Blogging. Sun Microsystems was most certainly on the list. There were also other companies that I would have never thought about, such as BBC and Adobe. You can check out the information Catone posted about these companies at http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/08/08/15-companies-that-really-get-corporate-blogging/.
Sarah,
What’s so terrific about the use of new social media inside corporations is the break down of hierarchies and corporate barriers. The lowest-tier employees can have direct access to CEOs, such as Schwartz, via blogs and social networks.
This open access of higher level execs to lower-end employees, and even external publics, can enhance the relationship between the two parties.
In recent decades, many CEOs have become celebrities, getting mentions in the news (especially in the past few weeks, though in a fairly darker light) as often as government officials. Not only do CEOs host social responsibility events, but they now star in commercials and make appearences on late night talk shows. As companies bring about Web 2.0 technologies, doors are opened for employees, consumers and investers to interact with the “face” of the organization, thus flattening its internal barriers.
Hopefully, they aren’t too star-struck.
Nicole, I have noticed a lot of companies involved with computers, technology and the internet are blogging. Maybe they have more resources for blogging or just feel they should continue working with the medium. Whatever the reason, they are a model for other companies to join the blogosphere.
Sarah, Sun Microsystems is a great example of a corporate blog. The CEO actually writes his own blogposts, so he is able to establish those relationships with his audience that CEO’s who have ghostwriters cannot. Schwartz is setting an example for his employees, as well as other companies on how to create an open arena for interaction. Like Lindsey said, not only does this allow for the breakdown of heirarchicial communication, but it allows for everyone in the company to interact with each other and collaborate in ways that might not be possible. Everyone is connected on a higher level, which breaks down barriers so it allows for information to pass more freely. I hope other companies can follow in their footsteps and create the credibility and openness that Sun Microsystems has created. Many companies already have, but there are still many companies out there that have not realized the potential growth that could occur if they adopted these same techniques.