Two more cents...

I think that Lee Odden says it well in his May 24, 2005 post: “Blogging ain’t going away. The conversation is going to go on without you. Be there or be square.”

For me, it will be interesting to see how this technology develops and where it will ultimately be utilized when the “dust settles,” so to speak. While the line between web sites and blogs is blurred, I believe that some combination of the two is an essential tool in any company’s tool box.

Blog With A Purpose

So what is the “Purpose” of this blog?

In addition to fulfilling the requirements defined in the course syllabus, we are primarily using the blog “as an effective communications tool, that enables you to work well in groups, share information with fellow classmates and team members while also drawing from some of the latest information and insights coming from the internet.”

Each class member has been assigned to a company team; my company for this project is Procter & Gamble. At the same time, we’ve also been assigned to be a specialist for our team; I’ll be the pricing specialist. Each company team will have a specialist to cover the "4 Ps" (product, price, promotion and place) and segmentation/global marketplace.

Besides the primary objective (and hopefully an excellent grade), we should be able to leave with some basic (I believe Alex used the word rudimentary) HTML skills and a deeper familiarity with the internet and its marketing capabilities.

A very brief bio...

As was mentioned earlier, I am currently enrolled in the Introduction to Marketing class as part of the Marketing Certificate program offered by the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton).

Currently, I am part of the Systems Engineering team that is working the Chinook helicopter program at Boeing. Prior to arriving here, I had been based in Paris, France with the Cessna Aircraft Company serving as an International Field Service Engineer supporting the Citation corporate jet fleet throughout Europe and the Middle East. I was employed there since my graduation from LeTourneau University in 1997.

In addition to my undergraduate degrees, I also obtained a Master of Aeronautical Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2001. Cessna was an extremely rewarding opportunity; however, my wife and I were married in March of 2003 and I relocated from Europe to southeastern Pennsylvania, close to both of our families. Outside of the office, I serve on the Board of Directors for The Armada Foundation as well as being actively involved in various international missions.

Chairman/CEOs Hesitant to Blog

Prior to enrolling in the MKTG 411 (Introduction to Marketing) at Wharton, my knowledge of blogging was extremely limited…put another way, I had heard of the word "blog" before. After receiving our syllabus, I quickly came to the conclusion that I would be learning more about it in very short order. Because 50% of our class grade will be based on our blogging efforts, I am keenly interested in gaining a better understanding of this technology. Furthermore, I am curious to see how this relatively new tool is emerging in the corporate arena, specifically in the field of marketing.

This morning, I came across an article in USA Today written by Del Jones that discussed the hesitation of chairman and/or CEOs to use blogs. It was interesting to learn that not one of the Fortune 1000 chairman and/or CEOs is using this forum yet. However, after reading the article, I can appreciate the reasons that have been given for their unwillingness to launch into the blogosphere.

Beyond the potential legal challenges, these leaders are tasked with setting the tone for the company, employees, shareholders and customers. Therefore, any misstep (or misinterpretation) could be exploited causing problems where they previously did not exist…the phrase “opening up a can of worms” comes to mind. Additionally, it is impossible to please everyone.

In summary, this was an interesting article that provided some new information about corporate blogging to me.

More practice...

editing templates, hyperlinks, etc.

My First Blog Posting

Just a quick note to test this out...