As much as I am not a particular fan of Telstra’s nowwearetalking.com.au - it’s far too nasty at times and not as genuinely open as I would like - I have to applaud Mike Hickinbotham and his new blog, The Scrum, for openly asking the question of whether Telstra have it right, or are getting there. I haven’t commented there as they make me sign up first - a huge barrier to open and participatory social media and something that needs to be changed.
Personally, I think Telstra have a long way to go on engaging in honest, personal, open conversation and particularly, listening to their user base. They are still far too much the faceless giant.
That said, if Mike can maintain the voice he looks to be seeking to establish with The Scrum, and if it can get the attention and ear of senior Telstra management there are great gains to be made and Telstra might yet undo some of the great damage it’s done itself as a brand who is perceived often as:
- not paying attention
- not caring about its employees
- not caring about its customers
Telstra could also be engaging in some outreach. Take a look at Twitter search for the buzz on the terms “hate Telstra” or this one. Looks like they could do with a good Community Manager to me. Imagine if Brand Tags built a page on them…
Hi Stephen,
As the first corporate blog of its kind in Australia, Now We Are Talking (NWAT) has been a huge learning experience for us.
Any feedback we can receive to help us better participate in the Australian blogosphere is appreciated.
My follow up blog will profile all the various responses and commentary.
For those of you interested in reading and commenting about NWAT - check it out: http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/blogs/the-scrum
Cheers, Mike