For those readers that attended Online Marketing: Innovations that Work outside of Pittsburgh (I would say Pittsburgh, PA, but apparently it’s not necessarily to mention Pennsylvania because of the “h”) last fall, you will remember Jose Mallabo from eBay Inc. presenting about online pr.
Since that time, I’ve had a lot of interesting conversations with Jose about the steps eBay is taking to join the conversation. Earlier this week, I even had the opportunity to visit Jose on eBay’s main campus (you know a company is large when it has any campus, let alone multiple ones). During that time, I was able to meet Richard Brewer-Hay and get a sneak peek at eBay’s new corporate blog: eBayInk. Pretty good stuff. I was talking with Paul yesterday and said they seemed to have hit everything I think we would have recommended (except for the fact that I can’t seem to easily pull the logo - sorry, but I’m way too tired to open up photoshop).
The blog launched earlier today and the limited comments so far have been very interesting. They show eBay has its negatives or perceived negatives and that some people felt that it hasn’t until now engaged in any meaningful online conversations (see esp. comments by “implog”).
Now the tempting thing for eBay would be to not post these “negative” comments, or write them off as just some whacko, feed standard company lines, or give up on the blog altogether. I put “negative” in quotes, because I prefer to think of it as an opportunity to really become part of the larger conversation taking place outside their San Jose walls. (Or basketball court that the new CEO just had put in.)
Richard’s got his work cut out for him, as anyone launching a real attempt at a conversational blog for any corporation that size would have. But I know he has the right attitude and he seems up for it. Good luck to all involved and for continued improved relationships.
What’s that you say? Aren’t we going to be talking about joining the conversation during the Next Generation Marketing series? Why, yes we are. Thank you for asking. If you’re in or around West Virginia in April or May, come check us out. We promise you’ll walk away with some new ideas you can put into action for improved marketing ROI for your business even if you’re not a billion dollar Silicon Valley firm.
Justin - Great having out at eBay. Since the blog launched, it has drawn a very strong and passionate crowd into the dialog about all things eBay Inc. The idea was to provide investors, the media, buyers and sellers, employees and any interested parties a forum to hear about the company through Richard’s journey through the company. Yes he gets his paycheck from the company and yes he works for the corporate communications department but we’ve really put him in a unique position to report on the company as he sees fit. He doesn’t do PR, he’s truly an editor in chief.
That’s not always easy when you consider how many inputs and stories he comes across. I’d encourage anyone looking to start a corporate blog to take a hard look at how you position the blogger in the company. Credibility is everything and I’ve fought hard to make sure this position is full time and dedicated to the blog.
If you take a look at the blog now, it feels like it’s always been there.
Despite all the very pointed commentary — particularly about the changes in our fee structure and feedback on eBay.com — its heartening to see that people at least are appreciative of the opportunity to engage in a direct conversation with us. Richard has had very direct conversations with our leadership from John Donahoe, Bob Swan, Lorrie Norrington to even a brief talk with our founder Pierre Omidyar in his first four months with the company.
Another key, I think, is to give your blogger full access to information — or the audience will see right through him or her.
See you soon.
Jose
It’s been fun reading for sure, Jose! I know Richard has his hands full, but he seems to be handling it all really well. Like you said, if he wouldn’t have been granted access to folks who can provide him with real answers, it would have turned into a disaster. This is a great thing for eBay and its members - I hope everyone on both sides of the conversation will stay the course.