Jeremy Pepper and Mike Manuel co-hosted that spotlighted a panel of three charming corporate communications specialists from Cisco, NetAppliances and Ingres. I did not take notes. Nor did I catch all three of their names, so I have to give a vague report based on my recollection of what was said after I had consumed a beer and was really focused on not freezing to death in the Palo Alto Fanny & Alexander Patio where the heat lamps were not turned on as the temperature plummeted.
Each of the companies are taking different views of corporate blogging. Ingres, a recent spinoff, is acting with the freedom and speed of a startup because it is still a private company. NetApps has only one official blogger and he is on the C-level. Several employees blog on their own time and identify themselves as NetApp employees. Cisco seemed to me to have the most open blog policy, sounding very much like any employee can start a blog and is trusted to say what they want. One official blog, faces off on one of the most controversial of all issues, Cisco's involvement in China where internet freedom of speech is under the thumb of a government command and control policy.
The two public companies moved at a glacial pace to implement blogging. Ingres moved with speed.
I got a special kick out of the fact that two of them said they used Naked Conversations to persuade their company decision-makers to facilitate blogging. Jeremy pointed out t me and identified me as co-author. I felt like I was in a remake of the Marshall MacLuhan moment in Annie Hall.
In fact, this is precisely what Robert and I hope will happen with Naked Conversations. It is a book written with Corporate evangelism in mind.
Each see them increasing
