Introduction

UPDATE: You can read a blog post titled “Do Companies Need Social Media Managers?” that covers similar topics.

Companies have already started blogging. They see it as an informal way to communicate with customers.

Personal bloggers, meaning people that blog because they want to, also comment on other blogs, use social networks like Facebook, and might be active on FriendFeed.

Should corporate bloggers do some of these things, or is it too risky for the companies reputation?

Personal bloggers often post about their opinions without much worry, but a corporate blogger must separate personal opinion and what the company wants written in the blog. A corporate blogger has to be careful to make sure that the company is not being misrepresented.

Obviously, a corporate blogger participating in discussion massively increases the risk of misrepresenting the company, but there might be many benefits from having corporate bloggers participate in discussion.

Advantages

1) The company will be seen as Web 2.0 savvy

Going beyond the normal corporate blog and having employees interact more with the community might impress a lot of people, that is, until all the other companies do that too.

2) The company can learn more about the target audience

Assuming the target audience is also Web 2.0 savvy, the Internet can easily be used as a digital focus group that the company can use to get more data about potential customers.

3) People understand that the company cares about customers

A company with bloggers that are participating in discussion on the Internet gives the appearance of caring about customers. A company that focuses entirely on making money won’t have people blogging and communicating about the company.

4) Because banner ads are so old

Traditional advertising is getting less and less effective. Print advertisments are too expensive compared to Internet advertising, and Internet advertising is getting less effective as people use Adblock.

Sparking discussion about a company’s products, services, etc. can help spread the word. This needs to be done carefully as negative discussion could severely harm the company. The company would have to be squeaky-clean to minimize the risk of negative opinions about the company being spread.

On the other hand, being open to criticism and listening to these negative opinions can help fix the company, and showing that the company is willing to fix problems will boost its image.

5) The company can attract intelligent employees

Most people would rather have a secure job with slightly less pay than work at a turbulent company with a not-so-good reputation and get more money.

Being active in blogosphere discussions will give a positive image to the company, and make the company seem like a really GOOG good place to work.

Disadvantages

1) Once something negative gets on the Internet, it’s not going to go away

Let’s take Microsoft as an example. If you have some fun looking around Youtube, you can find Steve Ballmer screaming “Developers” over and over and over and see Bill Gates being given a pie (very quickly). Interestingly enough, Bill Gates himself admits to watching pirated Youtube videos, which is a stark contrast from Microsoft’s stance on piracy.

There isn’t the ability to try again if a bad image is (accidentally) painted of the company.

2) Your corporate bloggers might make a mistake

Nobody is perfect, so your corporate bloggers might voice an opinion that is not shared by the rest of the company. This is already a problem with normal corporate blogging, but as stated above, active interaction with the community dramatically increases the risk of this happening.

3) It might be difficult to interact without breaking the rules

Your corporate bloggers might find it difficult to interact with the community AND put the company in a positive light. To avoid posting something bad, your corporate bloggers might be relatively silent in the discussions taking place in the blogosphere.

4) You risk over-hyping

If you generate a lot of interest and excitement over an upcoming product, and the people discover that the product isn’t that good, you lose credibility.

With corporate bloggers participating in discussion and talking about their company’s products, you risk over-hyping.

Conclusion

Having corporate bloggers participate in discussion in the blogosphere can give you good results, but only if you maintain several delicate balances.