The Corporate Blog

This evening, while preparing for a presentation, I had to poke around in the development of corporate blogs in Latvia. While the private blog or diary niche is flourishing and expanding with laacz.lv, journal.lv, onkulis.com, pods.lv, shulcs.lv, zuz.lv and others at its forefront (sorry, I won't list them all), companies appear to be very cautious about this. Corporate blogs in Latvia can be counted on one hand.

If a blog as such is regarded as a public diary in which the thoughts, opinions, experiences, discoveries and interests of its creator or group of creators are recorded in chronological order (at least in the author's own estimation :) ), then a corporate blog is a view of a company through the prism of its managers', specialists' and employees' opinions, ideas, formal and informal solutions and activities. It is also an excellent opportunity to receive feedback - reader (and client) comments, ratings, suggestions, etc.

What is the difference between a corporate blog and a company website? While the indispensable components of a company website are - about us, news/updates, products/services, support, contact - a blog essentially reflects what is "inside the bear" (the company).

As I see it, a corporate blog is:

• more personal - the reader sees not only the company's product, but also employees as individuals with their own opinions, value systems, ideas, hobbies and interests;
• an opportunity to build communication - the reader, by commenting on a specific post, expresses both their view on the topic at hand and hints at their attitude towards the company's service or product;
• a reflection of the company's daily life - the reader/client sees how the company thinks and operates, how much effort is invested in finding the best way to present its service or product;
• an aid in recruitment or "fresh blood" - a potential new employee sees how transparent the company's structure is, what opportunities for growth and development exist, and what management's attitude is towards the flow of information within the company.

Some corporate blogs I am aware of (if I've overlooked any interesting site, you're welcome to correct or add!):

Amigo blog - http://blog.amigo.lv/ - one of the first corporate blogs in Latvia. Launched relatively recently, in August 2007. Its main stated goal was to build a closer connection with the target audience and to inform them in a more accessible, personal way. The creators acknowledge that running a blog requires time resources and a willingness to be open, but it provides an excellent opportunity to learn the audience's opinion on Amigo's services and ideas - which is essential for the company's development.

Lattelecom blog for corporate clients - http://www.lattelecom.lv/korporativajiem_klientiem/blogi/ - the company's specialists' views on topics such as internet, development, regulation, innovation, e-services, web. For example, a post sharing thoughts on optimising internal costs by creating a self-service system for employees, analogous to a customer self-service system. The idea of replacing paper flow in the office with electronic documentation - for example, a holiday request to one's manager, electronic, with buttons: approve, reject. :)

Interesting to read and borrow ideas from - or share them - isn't it?

In connection with corporate blogging, I came across an interesting thought in the LETA blog at www.nozare.lv - more precisely, it was a headline: "Only by talking will we reduce rumours." A paradox, but it seems to be true. The less information there is about processes, changes or circumstances - especially when they bring changes - the more speculation there is. Well, I also liked the three theses of that article about the situation in a company: 1. Treat your employees as your most important target audience. 2. Management must not stay silent. 3. Focus on your company, not on the general economic situation.

A useful thing, then - the corporate blog - the question is how many resources, efforts, time and initiative we are willing to invest. How open and transparent are we prepared to be with our employees, clients, and society?