As recently seen, there was a lot of backlash and reaction to Google's Lauren Turner's post on “Does negative press make you Sicko?â€. Lauren Turner came to her own rescue again saying that the opinion s she raised about the movie was hers and not her corporation.
Based on this event, here is Matt Cutts who in his official blog gives some evergreen pointers when one is blogging on his or her company's behalf.
- The easiest time to make a blogging gaffe is when you’re starting out: Ask someone experienced to read the first several blog posts you do. They can flag inaccuracies or tell you if you misjudged the tone of a post. Write a few posts that you’re willing to throw away. You still get the practice, but without as much pressure. Do a guest post or two on someone else’s blog first. At Google, we have lots of official blogs. It’s better to try things out as a guest before you step into the spotlight on your own blog. Practice on forums first. For example, Google has a lot of discussion and help forums where Googlers chime in from time to time. For Googlers, that’s a great place to start. For other companies, find the most relevant forum and practice chatting with people (make it clear that you work for your company so that people don’t think you’re astroturfing).
- Do not criticize other companies or people: This isn’t a hard and fast rule. But for a company blog, it’s usually unnecessary and unwise to throw dirt at other companies.
- Don’t post when you’re angry. Take an extra day to get a little perspective. Sometimes other people make the same points that you would have made.
- Become thick-skinned: sometimes people are just baiting you trying to get attention. Usually there is a core issue that someone is angry about though. Tackle that issue and don’t sweat the insults.
- Figure out which stories matter and which ones don’t. You don’t have to respond to every criticism that someone makes. If a story is little more than insults, maybe it’s better to work on developing.
- Mistakes should not make you give it up. The important thing is to keep participating in the conversation. Post again to clarify your stance. Don’t yank the original post. If you have to change the original post, make it clear how you changed it, e.g. adding a postscript or striking out what isn’t right.
Or more read Company Blogging 101.
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