The Risks of CEO Blogging

The risks of CEO blogging are low but ever-present. Here are some of the potential downsides:

Compliance. There is always the risk of saying something inadvertent that will create problems.
Competition. It’s easy to predict who will be the most loyal readers of a CEO’s blog: the competition. They will pick the blog apart for clues on new products, company direction, etc.
Posts taken out of context. The postings on a CEO blog may be used by anyone, reposted in inappropriate forums and otherwise taken out of context to distort the CEO’s position.
Controversy. If a CEO expresses any point of view at all, it’s almost inevitable that he or she will offend someone from time to time.
Critical comments. The most useful part of a CEO blog is the opportunity to have conversations with readers and requires comments. Many of these comments and conversations offer real value, but some will be critical.
Succession planning. If a CEO has a personal blog, it must be considered in succession planning. What happens to the blog when the CEO retires or is fired?

John Kador

John Kador is a business author based in Lewisburg, PA. His last book is What Every Angel Investor Wants You to Know: An Insider Reveals How to Get Smart Funding for Your Million Dollar Business (with Brian Cohen, McGraw-Hill).

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John Kador

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