Here's the dilemma: all blog content isn't created equal. On the one hand we're told people should write in a casual manner, be transparent, say what's on their mind. But when does sharing become oversharing? Take the case of conductor Leonard Slatkin who was "pelted by brutal reviews" and bowed out of the production in humiliation after he blogged that not only was he new to "La Traviata," but that he was"somewhat naïve in this repertoire."
A few years back, Curt Schilling started blogging on 38Pitches.com about every pitch and what was going through his mind. Managers told him point-blankâ€"stop. Give away the mechanics and you risk losing the awe of your fans.
In business, it's not a company's mission to tell customers the most inner workings of their organization; product development secrets, what regions they're thinking about expanding into. Companies keep those cards close to their chest and divulge the information when and if it's time.
If the conductor or the baseball player's blog had been treated like any other media outlet, the organization could have nipped those blog posts in the bud. Ideally they would have had a content strategy and coached the writer on what's acceptable and appropriate to write about. And more importantly, what's not. They wouldn't have been forced to censor.
Transparent, authentic voicesâ€"yes. But within guidelines.
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