Blog Council takes a flogging

Maybe the Blog Council ought to ask for a mulligan.

Launched by the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, Nokia, SAP, Coca-Cola, GM and TV Guide - this organization devoted to developing and sharing best practices for corporate blogging has been out publicly for only a few days yet has managed to generate a truly impressive body of criticism.

Oh, sure, there have been thumb-sucking and suck-up reviews of the organization's debut, but most of the reaction from those who already believe they have the blogging thing knocked has been of the haymaker variety.

Let's sample some:Dave Taylor can't get past the questions of where have they been and what's taken them so long?

My translation: "we're all clueless, but don't want anyone to realize just how unplugged our organizations have become from the world of "marketing 2.0", so we created a club so our ignorance can be shielded from public eyes." Alright, that's probably a bit harsh, I admit, but having helped organize the terrific Blogworld Expo last month in Las Vegas, why weren't these companies there? We had over a thousand of the smartest trend-setting bloggers and new media people in the world all neatly in one place. That's how you learn, guys, from talking with the best in the business - and everyone else - not by hiring an expensive consultant to have discussions behind closed doors.

Robert Scoble sees the undertaking as likely being a lost cause:

I'm pretty skeptical. Why? Cause I've done enough speaking to enough corporations now that if they don't get why they should be talking with their customers already I don't get how hanging out at yet another boring industry conference is going to help them to get it. And, actually, if your company needs help "getting it" then you shouldn't be hanging out with other companies, but should be hanging out with the teams who are helping the political campaigns.

Mark Hopkins wickedly dismisses the council as "a thinly veiled department meeting:"

This strange new world confuses and frightens them. And in typical old guard fashion, rather than consulting an expert, they create a committee, give it an important sounding name, set meeting dates for the committee, and will end up spending most of their efforts coming up with new ways to explain why the old ways of doing things work best.

Alec Saunders believes the Blog Council is making the essential task of connecting with customers too complicated:

It's laughable, but it's also pathetic that the stewards of American business and some of the largest brands in the world have come to this point. Good heavens, people! Get a grip! You don't need a cozy little exclusive club to figure out what to do with blogs. Just get on the net, start talking to your customers and advocates, and start interacting with people outside the strictures of twentieth century command and control marketing.

Josh Catone notes that the council has failed to lead by example:

Most strikingly, how can a council that plans to promote best practices for business bloggers do so while not blogging? The first two posts on the Blog Council are a FAQ and a press release - i.e., two forms of communication indicative of the old way of doing business. Neither are really blog posts - though they're formatted as such, nothing on the site supports commenting and nothing new has been added since day one.

And Paris London sees condescension in the concept:

The Blog Council. The name and logo make it sound like they should reside up in a white tower overlooking the rest of the blogosphere - only speaking when they notice a dispute that is too big for us "regular" bloggers to handle. What it is in reality is little more than a "book club" for corporate bloggers.

I won't pile on.