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?