Was pointed to this Amazon blog via Scripting News. Made me realize that Amazon, like Google, really is anonymous to outsiders. I don’t know if this is deliberate, and it is common at big companies, in general (including my own, to some extent), but it’s refreshing to get any look ‘inside the curtain’ at companies that everyone knows and uses. EBay would fit the same category. As Microsoft blogs spring up like wildflowers (or so Scoble’s linking would make one think, at least… maybe they’ve been there all along), the lack of voices at other companies — at least, internet/software companies — becomes more and more noticeable.
What’s hard for companies is that voices do not always match brand. While authentic personalities and voices can forge stronger connections between readers/consumers and the company in question, those same voices can annoy/offend. I expect for most companies the risk of opening up does not overcome the rewards of turning away potential customers. Bland = safe. And, to be fair, blogs, like the people who write them, are not necessarily consistent. Consistency is a good company attribute, especially for younger companies, which have not yet earned the lifelong trust of their customers.
I still don’t know if blogs strengthen businesses or not, but they do make life more interesting for us corporate voyeurs. 😉