Over at iMedia Connection, John Cass of Backbone Media has a terrific article on how large companies can effectively manage the blogging community, using Macromedia as an example. This article is stuffed full of good ideas, and I’ve only clipped the sensible policies they use to guide their decisions and actions. Read the whole article for the amazing benefits they’ve found from encouraging the right kind of blogging.

iMedia Connection: Case Study: Macromedia and Blogs by John Cass

• Only those employees who have something useful to contribute — with relevant and quality content in terms of product information — blog.
• It’s okay to personalize, but only about as much as their employees would in a face-to-face meeting; employee bloggers stick to product info.
• Product managers ask for feedback on products and request suggestions from customers.
• If Macromedia cannot implement a product suggestion, then they explain why
• The company actively watches online conversations about Macromedia, and when they see something that solicits a response, a Macromedia employee responds.