Thoughts on The Blog Council

It's the time again that I have to go dark and not share a lot of thoughts because of competitive reasons.  During our planning period I literally feel like I'm in a cave, but, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to respond to the recent announcement from The Blog Council on best practices on disclosure.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have recently added my company to the ranks of Fortune 500 (well almost 500) that participate on The Blog Council.  As a recent join, we did not have an active shaping of the disclosure best practices, but do whole-heartedly support the initiative. 

As with any initiative, there have been supporters and dissenters.  I thought a lot last night about the skeptics' point of view.  The skeptics do not seem to be taking issue with the best practice document.  After all, this is an open source document versus a proposed standard.  The commentary seems to be circling around the value of The Blog Council or Andy Sernovitz. 

Personally, I find the dialog around the value of The Blog Council interesting.  As a participating member, I think that Andy has done a great job in uncovering an unmet need (challenges facing large companies as they use social media and blogging) and providing a solution (a peer group to share insights and alternative solutions).  As a participant, I can attest to the challenges in championing initiatives that change the way large corporations interact with consumers.  Sharing experiences and having dialog with others who are also trying to move some pretty big mountains has been advantageous.  Like every community, it is not driven by one individual - it is the sum of the collective.  While I do agree that there are many public communities that provide valuable information and we should all continue to listen, learn and participate - I value the private forum that The Blog Council has created simply because it is a like peer set and I'm constantly faced with competitive intelligence issues.

Dave Taylor raised the question "Is the Blog Council going to a milestone in the adoption of blogging and new media by major corporations, or is it a sleeper organization that's going to come and go, leaving behind a few press releases and a Web site that gradually fades away?"   Personally, I believe it is up to the members of The Blog Council to answer that question.  My hope is that all the members find value in the organization and that they continue to push for customer engagement through their companies.  If and when there is no longer any value in the council, then I believe the organization should fade away.  However, for this moment in time, The Blog Council is providing a valuable forum for its members.

Comments

[Michael E. Rubin, Blog Council]

Hi Paula,

You hit the nail on the head here. More than any other organization I've ever been associated with, the Blog Council works because it really does involved more than one voice. Yours and the 133 other individuals who participate are some of the smartest people I've ever been privileged to work with.

Thank you so much for the wonderful post. We definitely appreciate your support.

Cheers,
Michael
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michael@blogcouncil.org
312-932-9000
I am a Blog Council employee and this is my personal opinion.