ToughSledding was born on 9/11/06 at a patio table on the north shore of Sandy Lake. While my decision to launch on the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy was coincidental, some readers may see it as appropos given the disasters I have since published.
ToughSledding is a middleaged professor’s attempt to learn about social media by doing social media. So far, so good. I was inspired to try it by Scoble & Israel’s book, but it has been sustained by a mix of ego and a desire to be part of the online discussions about public relations.
I fully intended to stop after one semester and walk away with lessons learned. But I find myself addicted to the medium and enamored by the conversations that are part of it. I continue to learn about social media and about life, mostly by reading the “friends” on my blogroll, only a few of whom I’ve ever met face to face. I see social media as a step in PR’s evolution. I don’t see it as a revolution.
ToughSledding addresses topics related to public relations but isn’t limited to “PR and social media.” Too many folks, most of them way smarter than I, are already doing that.
I envision my audience as students of public relations and younger practitioners. That’s the teacher in me. As I blog on, I’m seeing an expanding readership, but I plan to keep my original focus — for now at least. I try hard to let my personality and smartass nature shine through on this blog. Occasionally my attempts at wit are clumsy. So I hope you find it in your heart to forgive an old fool.
Comments are welcome. I do moderate them; I do not censor them. So far I’ve not had to disallow a comment, but I suspect I will someday. (And I have. See here for the update.) I won’t tolerate rudeness, nor will I allow crude language unless it has a purpose, or if I decide I want to raise a shit storm about something.
Updated 4/15/08
October 5, 2007 at 1:46 am
Great stuff, Bill. You sound exactly like me. Also at http://theprlab.wordpress.com (haven’t decided where to plonk myself).
October 15, 2007 at 12:36 pm
I am currently researching whether or president/ceo should have a blog. It was suggested to her. I have found lots of information but quite frankly not enought to make a sound decisions. Any advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Ann Davis, Public Relations Manager. I case you were wondering how I got your name I was searching the internet for a topic for an ethic minute. We start each meeting with a safety, strategic plan (balanced scorecard) and ethics minute. I am using your 5 minute response to Lauren a PR major at West Virginia U. Thank you for your consideration.
October 15, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Ann. When I started into this blogging adventure, I was convinced every CEO should have one. I even drafted a proposal to our new president to suggest it. I came away from reading “Naked Converstations” (Scoble & Israel) convinced I had found the holy grail.
I’m no longer so sure. I’m all for a CEO blog, since it can really open up the organization. But you need to consider the variables.
First, you need an open culture that encourages candor and rewards those who challenge the status quo. Your boss must be willing to post the negative comments alongside the positive or the “conversation” won’t happen. In my experience, that knocks out 90% of top executives, maybe more. A blog can turn into a free for all if the culture is wrong. And when that happens, the CEO will be asking you to censor it. When that happens, it’s game over.
Second, you need a CEO who believes enough in the blog to commit plenty of time to it. If a blog is to be the voice of the top officer, then it should be HER voice, not someone from the PR staff (It’s OK if you clean up her typos). I can see a CEO getting excited about blogging, then losing enthusiasm as the burden expands. Blogs also require maintenance time, too, since they’re a conversation. That means checking comments and responding, at minimum, daily. I check mine every few hours. Since most CEO travel a good bit, maintenance is an issue.
Third, It takes a certain amount of EGO to put oneself out there every day. Most CEOs are blessed with plenty of it, but the top execs truly interested in listening tend not to crave the limelight. This is gonna sound crass, but it really helps if you love the sound of your own prose. I know I do.
My best advice would be to try a blog on a fairly vertical topic and limit the discussion to that topic. You can always expand. Maybe it focuses on employee wellness issues, or issues related to retirement planning. For customers, it could be an ideas exchange. But be careful. If you use the blog for propaganda, you’ll lose followers quickly. You might also want to test it with another officer of the organization. If it fails, it’s not the CEO’ s problem.
Our president, though not a blogger, issues an email about once a week that goes to staff and students of the university. While his tone is light and conversational, the messages never addresses issues of concern to us. They just cheerleading for the organization, which is part of the CEOs job. But a constant harangue of “aren’t we wonderful” messages only leads to folks tuning you out.
November 21, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Bill,
Regarding the president’s emails, You hit the nail on the head. The emails were a refreshing change, but the lack of substance got old fast. Now, I just hit the delete key when the emails appear in my box. I suspect that most of the students and faculty do too. I would rather watch cheerleading on ESPN.
Noah