Some great business blogging advice (and life advice) from Christopher Burgess of Cisco:
You Are Responsible: There are no do-overs. There is an adage, “Once posted, forever toasted,” which serves to highlight the reality that your information, data and content will be available to one and all, seemingly forever, and it is guaranteed to revisit you sometime in the future.
Abide by the Rules: Individuals are accountable for their actions. This is a basic tenet of public discourse and elucidation. Don’t share your company’s confidential data. Don’t speak about clients.
Be Mindful: Your opinion may not align perfectly with those of others. Indeed the opinion of others may be diametrically opposed to your point of view. Be mindful and allow the difference to occur. This difference is your opportunity for dialogue, and dialogue is the avenue to understanding.
Be Respectful: Treat others with respect in your responses and interactions. Sarcasm is seldom appreciated by the target of your clever wordplay and is easily misunderstood. Be direct and engaging. An individual has taken the time to share his or her thoughts. Listening to one’s customers and partners is the best way to gain insight into your successes and those occasions when opportunities for improvement manifest themselves.
Be Yourself: Use your own voice. Don’t use a stilted or artificial approach. Decide early on whether you will be engaging with the corporate hat firmly and squarely on your head or if your voice will be yours alone. If the former, allow yourself to express your personal thoughts, but always keep them in context, as you are associating what you say with your corporate brand. If the latter, provide full disclosure when you mention your employer, so that all can understand your personal perspective.
Be Honest. Nothing loses credibility faster than a mishmash of factoids or flat-out dishonesty in place of a direct statement. Honesty isn’t a suggestion, it is a requisite.
Add Value: Above all, bring value to the table. No one is interested in a rehash of old information or methodologies. Bring your voice, perspective and solutions forward, and do so in a way that the audience can understand the value you bring to the table.
Come to BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media on August 13 in Minneapolis — hosted by General Mills — where you’ll hear McDonald’s, Mayo Clinic, H&R Block, CME Group, General Mills, Ford, Progressive, and Walmart share case studies on how to create a fantastic social media program.
You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal — and you’ll see some brilliant presentations like this one from BlogWell San Francisco:
Jeanette Gibson’s big idea: “When you engage and open up, you’ll significantly increase the amount of positive conversations about you.”
In her case study, Jeanette shares a bunch of fantastic examples of how Cisco has seen a significant increase in positive mentions of the company by simply participating in social media, as well as some tips on how to get your executives more comfortable and more involved in engaging online.
Learn how the biggest organizations succeed using social media with 8 practical, how-to case studies. You’ll learn everything including how to get started, how to get past roadblocks, and how to make your social media program phenomenal.
You’ll ask questions, network with lots of smart people, and walk away with fantastic, actionable ideas for your social media programs.
4 great reasons to attend:
Focus on big brands and social media. No agencies, no startups — just big companies sharing what they’ve learned.
8 amazing case studies from big companies using social media: Dell, General Mills, Cisco, Wells Fargo, Intuit, SAP, Kaiser Permanente and Pepsi
Actionable, how-to advice. Topics include: Creating great content, engaging fans, tools and tech, BtoB blogging, working with agencies, getting management buy-in, interdepartmental issues, employee training, negative word of mouth, ethics, disclosure, keeping lawyers happy, and regulatory issues.
Learn it all in four hours (and be home for dinner)
We're hosting another amazing BlogWell conference — in San Francisco this time.
8 Great Case Studies on Corporate Social Media
Hear Dell, Cisco, Wells Fargo, Intuit, SAP, Kaiser Permanente, and more as they share corporate social media case studies.
In one afternoon, we'll discuss measuring ROI, engaging fans, managing teams, dealing with legal issues, working with agencies, BtoB blogging, internal communications, blogging in regulated industries, and creating great content. I'll also give a brief presentation on social media ethics and disclosure.
You'll learn what you need to start or improve your corporate social media efforts.
Just a little reminder that when you blog, tweet, or update your Facebook status — WE CAN SEE IT!
Two recent stories:
The college grad who was offered a job at Cisco, then tweeted "Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work." Cisco replied, displeased. More here, here and here.
The big-agency PR guy on his way to visit client FedEx, who managed to insult their hometown by tweeting "I would die if I had to live here." FedEx replied, displeased. More here and here.
Social media requires a little common sense. (Please also teach your kids how to protect their privacy.)
As many of you know, my company runs the Blog Council, a community for corporate social media executives at the largest companies in the world.
We’re excited to let you all know that we’ve just launched the Blog Council’s newsletter, Big Business Blogging: Corporate social media success stories.
Each week, we’ll share a few examples of how a big business is successfully using social media, upcoming Blog Council events, as well as an interview with a corporate social media executive we call, “The Big Idea.”
Dell, Cisco, Wells Fargo, Intuit, SAP, and Kaiser Permanente share social
media case studies at BlogWell San Francisco. Discussion include measuring ROI, managing teams, dealing with legal
issues, working with agencies, BtoB blogging, internal communications, blogging
in regulated industries and creating great content. This is the best
opportunity available for anyone looking to get started or improve their
corporate social media efforts.
Get practical, how-to advice,
a lesson in disclosure and corporate social media responsibility, and loads of
ideas and examples — all for $250. If your company is thinking about or in the
early stages of developing a social media presence, you absolutely need to be
here. BlogWell is presented by GasPedal and the Blog Council.
Clorox: Using gaming strategies to grow community
BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media
