Category Archives: CEO Blog

Sun Microsystems: Leaders in Blogging

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Sun CEO takes risks blogging. Picture attributed to BusinessWeek.

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.

Craigslist: CEO and Founder Blogs

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If you need to rent a new apartment, buy used golf clubs, hire a babysitter for your daughter, find someone to spend your Saturday night with, discuss world politics, find a new job and have only time to look in one place, where can you look?

Craigslist.

Craigslist boasts extensive online classified advertisements and discussion forums for over 550 cities in more than 50 countries. Essentially, anything you are looking for and plenty you are not looking for can be found on this one online resource.

Linked on Craigslist is the Craigslist blog written and updated by CEO Jim Buckmaster. Buckmaster uses the blog to give current news and media coverage about the company. Posting relevant Craigslist issues, good or bad, shows transparency and authenticity in the blog. Buckmaster is not trying to sugarcoat the real issues. He also provides the occasional humorous picture or story. By hearing directly from the CEO, the diverse audience perceives the company as wanting to engage in dialogues regarding current issues. CEO’s have to invest huge time commitments for blogging and risk disclosure of important company information.

In ADWeek , it was suggested that instead of focusing on whether the CEO or employees are posting, it is more important to look at whether the blog is saying something important and interesting to its’ audiences. The CEO’s who are blogging are CEO’s the stakeholders want to hear from. Buckmasters’ blog remains close to topics concerning Craigslist.

Before researching Craigslist, I had no idea there was a real Craig. Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist works as a customer service representative for Craigslist, but he is known in the blogosphere for his blog, CNewmark. His blog provides a real personality to Craigslist. While there are posts about Craigslist, Newmark primarily posts on subjects that are relevant to him, his audience and organizations he wishes to promote. With all the news and spam entering inboxes these days, adding humor to relevant subjects helps Newmark get his message across to readers.

PRWeek interviewed Newmark at the 2008 PRSA International Conference addressing many issues including media relations and the benefits of communicating on the web with accountability and transparency. He calls himself a “community organizer” because he has strived to bring attention to the people who are impacting the world in a positive way. He acknowledges the growth of media as well as how and why companies need to actively engage their audiences.

Peer-to-peer communication, such as Newmarks blog, builds trust because of the direct engagement. Newmark explains how when a company is serious about supporting its customers, they must engage in a dialogue and take ideas from customers seriously. Customer feedback is genuinely important to help a company improve its tactics.  Craigslist is driven by community feedback, which accounts for much of its’ success.

Newmark offers PR professionals some suggestions on communicating in the new world of Web 2.0. He suggests becoming familiar with the new tools available and creating an online reputation. Word of mouth is driving all these new practices and PR communicators must join in the conversation.

Marriott: CEO Blog

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Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications, says that when blogs are done well and post the key issues on the mind of the CEO in a personal way, a wall is removed between the audience and the CEO. Blogging with a conversational tone is a personal way to create a two-way dialogue connection with various stakeholders. While Ragan states that bloggers don’t have to always be top executives, companies with CEO bloggers show themselves as leaders and innovators in social media. People are not just consumers anymore, they are producers. People are producing blogs, wikis and podcasts that can shape the reputation of a company’s brand. The company has to learn to reach the producer where they are and in this case, the blogosphere.

Companies and CEO’s find excuses for not blogging including time, liability and creativity. CEO’s need to realize that the length of a post doesn’t matter; it’s the consistent, interesting and informative content that is vital to a blog. References in the form of external links can drive a blog to relevant information for the audience. Comments provide a sense of community. Ragan Communications supports the use of anonymous comments to learn all perspectives on issues; however comments should be moderated.

According to an article, only a small group of executives have taken up blogging. More companies and CEO’s should consider blogging because direct communication with your marketplace coming from the CEO carries authority and credibility. When setbacks arise within a company, a blog is a place where CEO’s can clarify and explain the situation. Blogs are effective forums for discussing company’s issues. The more people know about a company and the personalities behind it, the more likely they will do business with the company. Stakeholders gain a different perspective on a company’s behaviors by reading and interacting on the blog.

Bill Marriott, CEO of Marriott International Inc., has seen growth in sales since he started blogging. On his blog, he discusses the way he publishes his posts. In his seventies, Marriott does not know how to type or use a computer, so he hand writes or dictates his posts. What is helpful on his blog is the ability to listen to Marriott read the posts, sort of like a blog specific podcast. His posts vary in length, but address topics focused on the hotel business. Marriott is seen as a leader in social media providing his audience with interactivity and transparency.

To see more ways Marriott International is using corporate blogging, check out Vice President Culinary and Corporate Chef, Brad Nelson’s food and travel blog.