Boeing starts an executive blog

Following the General Motors executive blog earlier this month, another Fortune 100 company takes a step into the blogosphere - aircraft maker Boeing has started a public blog.

Written by Randolp S. Baseler, Vice President Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, his first post on 17 January in Randy's Journal sets the scene for what he expects to be doing:

I hope [this] will help solve one of my biggest frustrations - not being able to talk with everyone as often as I like about what's going on in our industry and our company. Either I'm in a different time zone, or in a meeting or at another commitment, so this web space can be a place where you can go to find out my thoughts and opinions. And in the weeks ahead as we figure out more about blogging technology, we'll be adding more features, so it can be an additional good source of information on BCA and the industry. [...] As we have researched effective web logs, I learned that a cardinal rule of blogging is to keep the entries short and to the point. So I'll save some more thoughts on 2004 for another entry. Hope you enjoyed reading this, and stay tuned.

No comments, no RSS, no trackback, not even an email contact - and no indication that such interactive features are coming. So a one-way communication channel. As the blog evolves, I hope Mr Baseler will see for himself the larger benefits to better relationship development with his visitors that will result from developing the blog into more of a two-way forum for exchanging views and opinions, not purely visitors passively reading about his own.

No matter, a very welcome step in its present form nevertheless!

(Hat tip: Robert French at InfOpinions.)

Comments

[Robert]

Thanks, Neville. It is great to see another company - major player - jump in on the conversations. I do really hope that Mr. Baseler 'goes out on the wing' with comments open. It may be risky, but - as you note - GM did it and has reaped rewards. A tip of the hat back to you, sir. :o)