Social Media Breakfast 2: Bigger and Better
The first Social Media Breakfast, created by Bryan Person and sponsored by CustomScoop in Boston last month, attracted a great crowd of about 20 Boston-area bloggers and new media enthusiasts, and was not only a great discussion, but a lot of fun.
So I was thrilled to attend SMB2 this morning, held at Digital Influence Group, and discover the event has already evolved into something even greater, on only the second try.
Much to my delight, both the crowd and the scope of the discussion have grown, with this morning’s event featuring a presentation from social media marketing guru (and DIG chairman) Larry Weber, whose insights and ideas were thought-provoking enough that the Q&A probably could have lasted long enough to turn the event into a “Social Media Lunch” as well. Also featured, a breakout session run by David Cutler, discussing monetizing the social web (find a great summary of that discussion here).
One of Larry’s ideas that struck me was his notion that CEOs shouldn’t necessarily be blogging. He followed up that remark by explaining that blogging should come more from the guts of the company, that the everyday employees could provide insights sorely lacking in posts from the C-Suite. I asked Larry for a clarification when he signed his book for me–isn’t it just as important for executives to communicate as it is for the grunts?
He admitted that the idea wasn’t black and white, but that for a bigger company a CEO blog may present more problems than it’s worth: ghostwriting, transparency issues, and (something I hadn’t thought a lick about) legal concerns. When you’re running a major corporation, sitting down to your laptop and blabbing about whatever and whoever isn’t always kosher. And if you have to run a blog post past three lawyers before you can post it…is it still a blog?
What do you think, should CEOs be set free on the blogosphere without restraint, or are Larry’s thoughts that they’re better off keeping their (or their ghostwriter’s) mouths shut the way to go?
Perhaps we can talk about it at Social Media Breakfast 3. (grin)
Technorati tags: Social Media Breakfast, Digital Influence Group, Larry Weber, David Cutler, Bryan Person
Crossposted from the CustomScoop blog.
Filed under: blogging, social media, transparency
I agree with Larry. With all the new regulations that business executives have to cope with, loose lips can sink a lot of ships. They can also send corporate officers to jail. If the CEO’s blog is too tightly controlled, it looks contrived. If it’s too loose, it can get people in trouble. Very few CEOs of public companies will blog for this reason.
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Paul - great insights. I think I am coming around to this thinking…but mainly in the “big company” realm. I think with a small business, a CEO blog can actually enhance the company’s brand online.
It’s definitely food for thought!
Hi Sarah,
I think it has more to do with public vs. private corporations. There are many more legal constraints on a publicly owned company.
But private CEOs can and do blog effectively. My favorite model of a Web 2.0 company is Blip.tv, the video-hosting service in NYC. They have a company blog, and the CEO, Mike Hudack, among others will make posts to give important service or new feature news, or to call attention to one of their member’s shows that they like. Here’s the link: http://blog.blip.tv/blog/
Look for posts by “mike”.
BTW, I was at the breakfast, too, but did not have an opportunity to talk with you. Next time for sure!!
ps. I brought the apple cider.
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