Interview: CEO Bloggers' Club Initiator
The CEO Blogger's Club, started just over a week ago, is beginning to find members. I think the idea is interesting, so I did a short interview with the French initiator Guillaume du Gardier of PR Planet (corporate site/blog).
In the Welcome post some of Guillaume's thoughts are outlined. The club is about sharing experiences.
- This is really a place to share daily corporate blogging practice, either for external or internal purposes, conducted by people leading their companies and willing to help other CEOs taking their first step in the blogosphere, Guillaume writes in a e-mail reply to my questions.
Do you think that CEOs that blog have common difficulties, challenges or possibilities considering their position?
- The position of CEOs gives them the power to decide which orientation we could give to this new channel. The CEO has the power to decide if he wants to put his brand on the scene and if he is ready to be directly connected to its public.
Guillaume is convinced that blogs are a positive step to take for most companies.
- I wanted to find a way to bring this awareness to CEOs who might not be informed on blogs, or to share daily experiences with those who are bloggers already.
I understand the club as both an information service and a network. Is one of these perspectives more important than the other to you?
- The online resource is available to everyone, easy to access or develop, and this must be the first priority. If we also can have an opportunity to meet a few times during the year, it will be a chance to go deeper, to meet each other and have discussions focused on specific issues.
I'm a CEO blogger myself (at www.wpr.se). I think it would be fun to join, but the meetings makes it difficult. It's both expensive and time consuming to travel abroad, and for most of us blogging is an experiment that still doesn't generate revenue. I think many blogging CEOs feel the same. How important are the meetings IRL to your idea?
- The blog is the most important in this project, the online resource is the main objective. Meetings IRL are for those who can, who want more than just online meetings. This is optional, additional.
Thanks Guillame, and good luck. Those of you that want to join just leave a comment on the blog. This informal application of membership seems very appropriate for a blog club, and to me the concept sounds interesting. I just hope the club will get the international profile Guillame intends.