posted by Robin Tooms @ 10:21 PM
I’ve always been a fan of Kodak (and collect quite a few cameras), but recently have been very interested in them for a different reason: the way they’ve had to deal with change. It’s no secret that most photography is now digital, but you can imagine what this meant for a company like Kodak. Steeped in history and traditional structures, they’ve had to change not only the strategy of the company, but also their internal organizations and cultural norms.
According to this East Bay Business Times article “Sixty percent of the people at Kodak today weren’t part of the company four years ago.” This is more than a transformation of the workforce, it’s an overhaul. But if you think about it, a company whose business had changed so dramatically in the past four years would need an internal change to match.
Kodak does continues to honor the “social” aspects of photo sharing, as it did even in the days of film. If anything, technology has made this practice more prevalent. Both customers and employees alike share how they live the brand through the photos they post.
(It’s also interesting that Kodak is one of only a few Fortune 500 companies to embrace the concept of a “Corporate Blogger” (to much debate). Jenny just finished up a great wrap-up of the 2008 Olympics.)
8.12.2008
posted by Bethany Haley @ 2:51 PM
Granted, it is directed to “small businesses” but Monday’s WSJ article, “How to Create a Successful Web Site for Nothing (Or Almost Nothing)” is outrageous. In fact it claims that you can create one in 8 hours for $10 bucks. Really? Just buying a URL can take $10 and a couple of hours. Not to mention the time you need to spend finding a host company, designing the site, writing the content, setting up for search engine optimization, etc.
However, the opportune word here is “successful.” The article claims that anyone can build a successful site on his own just by throwing together an About Us page, a Contact Us page and maybe another one or two pages that are specific to your business. This approach hints back to the late 90s when people just “needed a web site” and didn’t pay attention to what that web site could do for them. Additionally, the article takes a very technology-oriented slant, as if just having access to a few tools were enough. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now.
Having a web presence is very different than building a web site. Not every site needs to be overly complex, but every business should be paying attention to their brand, their product, their audience and how they are pushing or pulling the users to the site. This takes some strategic thinking, at least some element of unique design and probably a bit of functionality that is tailored specifically for the business. Companies and site users today are far too advanced to view these junk sites as anything but unsuccessful.
8.01.2008
posted by Robin Tooms @ 7:38 AM
This week, the SEC noted that information posted to a company’s website or blog should be recognized as adequate disclosure to meet Reg FD requirements. This is not only good news for IR professionals, but for the practice of investor communications too. As stated in this transcript from the IR Web Report:
“Indeed, one of the key benefits of the Internet is that companies can make information available to investors quickly and in a cost-effective manner. The use of electronic media is arguably superior to providing company information the old way. It’s a better way to provide information to most investors since today it can be presented in interactive format that allows each individual to click through or drill down to the level of detail that’s appropriate to him or her.”
-SEC Chairman Christoper Cox
The guidance outlined in the SEC meeting benefits corporations since it reduces the cost of disclosure, will improve the ability to communicate with investors and clears up some previous confusion on Internet usage in investor communications. Additionally, they addressed the issues of liability on external links and the nature of presenting information in an online format – information can be formatted for the screen and not for paper. All of this is important since it acknowledges the benefits of the web (hyperlinks, etc.) and will allow for companies to use more interactive elements to present information in a dynamic way.
It’s also very interesting that the SEC itself is now using Twitter to distribute its releases too.
