I was handed an article called The See-Through CEO today and I realized two things. First, my reading is falling behind; shame on me for being behind on Wired magazine. The second thing that struck me was how effective the web can be regarding image.
The article uses the phrase “reputation management system” as a way to think about the Internet and corporate management. I believe that most of the Real Estate industry primarily views blogging as a Lead Generation mechanism. This is because of the impact blogs have on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I think Clive Thompson did a nice job explaining how the same SEO effect can be used for corporate messaging purposes.
The same transparency that improves corporate reputations are also why some consumers trust rough cut, “YouTube” style home tours. There is something about the “amatuerish” (OK, I’ll say it, non-professional) quality of some web content that some people translate into genuine and sincere glimpses into the author’s personality.
This means that grammar and spelling are still important because the rough cut vs. professional video comparison does not directly translate to text. Consumers just want more than well crafted spin. Being transparent means letting consumers understand a bit more about what is behind corporate decisions; a glimpse into the thought process and factors that were considered.
