Posted on September 6, 2006
Corporate Transparency
BY JENNIFER EUBANKS
Shel Holtz wrote an article about corporate transparency, which Todd Defren over at PR-Squared summarized quite nicely.
The important points taken away from the article are those that we have made all along to our corporate clients worried about entering online conversations, the most important being: transparency is not equal to full disclosure. There are certain corporate secrets, future-looking forcasts, and other sensitive data that should stay private. Many companies fear that having a blog and therefore a more personal voice means that they have to tell all.
In reality, transparency simply means taking an honest approach. It means not being afraid to monitor your reputation, or that of your competitor on your own, or through the use of services such as our Reputation Management system. It also means engaging in the online conversations BEFORE a crisis hits, so that your voice is more authentic, and the response from the online community more approving. As Todd notes, in an ideal world, "would see the blogger's post and draft a quick, apologetic, explanatory note that they could post on their own site; in the Comments section of this blogger's site; and that of any other online complainants."
Companies that embrace transparency will benefit tremendously in the long-run, as the blogosphere and other online communities are not to be discounted. These communities play a HUGE part in word of mouth transactions, and having a transparent online presence will go a long way in validating your actions.
