GM’s advice to would-be bloggers

Neville Hobson has a wonderful post about Vice Chairman of GM Bob Lutz’ blogging experience.

To any senior executive on the fence about starting a corporate blog, Bob Lutz, the Vice Chairman of General Motors, has one word of advice: Jump.

Writing in Information Week, Lutz says a blog provides no better opportunity to engage in an open dialogue and exchange of ideas with customers and potential customers, illustrating his experiences with the GM FastLane Blog:

Since January, I’ve been participating, along with other members of General Motors’ senior management, in the GM Fastlane blog. We’ve found the blog to be a hugely effective communications tool and a terrific way to conduct a grassroots, largely unfiltered conversation with GM fans and nonfans alike.

Lutz gives some sound blogging advice that lawyers and legal marketing professionals should heed.

The key is to leave the corporate-speak behind and keep the tone conversational, open, and honest. Anyone who has read our blog sees the real deal, as produced by us and not polished by several layers of trained communications pros.

Another aspect that helps keep things real is the wealth of comments posted by readers and other bloggers. We don’t filter out negative comments, complaints, or hate mail. All we do is screen for spam and posts from crackpots using language that most people would find offensive.

Boy, I gotta believe General Motors plays it pretty conservative when it comes to open communications and PR. If GM can use blogs as a hugely effective communications, why not large law firms? It’s time to wake up.