GE launches blog to communicate directly with stakeholders

This summer the SEC said it was okay for corporations to communicate with investors through the Web. Last month GE joined the ranks of corporate America sporting a company blog launched for just such a purpose. It’s called GEReports.com.

The reviews are mixed. Some wonder what the motivation is behind the posts. Others fear it discriminates against investors who aren’t tech savvy.

I applaud the move. As I’ve counseled clients for many months, technology is changing communication. Social media tools are here to stay. They may morph into something else, but they’re not going away.

Companies either need to get on the bandwagon or be left at the station.

With GE taking the lead, sharing market-sensitive news on a blog, many other companies are sure to follow suit.

An article on MSN discusses the blog in more detail. To those naysayers who say people have to go search out the news now instead of having it delivered to them, they don’t understand new technology like RSS.

GE’s blog includes an RSS feed as well as a Twitter subscription. Investors or other key stakeholders can easily receive news and information from GE through these tools at an even faster rate than snail mail or looking up a press release online.

This marks the change in communication I like to call ‘wholesale communication.’ No longer do companies need to rely on media to ‘retail’ their story. Companies can go directly to key constituencies through technology, putting Joe Shmoe on an equal playing field with the company’s largest investor.

Content is king! Kudos to GE for stepping forward, utilizing new technology, and telling its own story in an engaging way.