If you want some great insight into corporate blogging, both B2B and B2C companies, check out the Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki, a directory of Fortune 500 companies with business blogs. The wiki, started as collaborative project between Wired Magazine’s Chris Anderson and Socialtext’s Ross Mayfield, is a wiki compilation that’s following active public blogs by company employees blogging about their companies and/or products.
With Mayfield, Easton Ellsworth of We Know Media and John Cass of PR Communications have joined the effort to expand the project. Included on the site are lists and links of blogging Fortune 500 companies, example blogs for each (many have multiple blogs), examples of other social media in use (Twitter, etc.), and reviews. As a side note, you can also write and submit your own reviews of Fortune 500 corporate blogs there.
Their research, as of May 17, 2008, indicates 11.6% of Fortune 500 companies, 58 of them, are blogging. Initial findings at the start of 2006 found just under 4%, or 18 Fortune 500 companies had corporate blogs. Although still an emerging media, the trend is obviously upward as corporate blogging among this group has tripled in 18 months. What you might find surprising (I did) is how many on the Fortune 500 blogging list are B2B companies. There’s been so much internet (and elsewhere) chatter about the fit and role of social media in B2B; the information here offers some confirmation. (I can remember, it wasn’t that long ago when a lot of B2B clients saw no use for a website!)
As there are links to corporate websites, example blogs, and a few examples of social media use, you can use the list to connect to leading corporations and see how they are approaching social media. CEOs and other C-level executives, employees, and at least one site (IBM) even ex-employees, have blogs. A number of employee sites have multiple blog contributors. And a number of companies have multiple blogs.
Another interesting item on the site—an analysis of traits by Mitch Turck. He’s plotted a bias graph, grouping 30 randomly selected corporate blogs into writing styles—logical and formal vs. colloquial and casual, and content styles—information vs. commentary. Again, you might find more surprises if you’re expecting formal and informative. More lean toward casual and personable than not.
There’s more on this site. If you have an interest or are just curious about corporate blogging and social media, it’s worth a visit.
