Guess which World Leader Blogs?
Well it’s holiday time still until we can get past New Year’s Day and the NHL’s greatest event since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. And as I do every year while eggnogging, my mind turns to one question: which leader of an impact country blogs?
George W. Bush? Nope.
Gordon Brown? No, although the public clashes between British PMs and their Parliament is a good step towards open communication and dialogue.
Vladimir Putin? Nyet, unless you count this. By the way, it looks like several other leaders have fake blogs here that look amusing, although I wouldn’t read any from candidates or politicians you actually like unless you have a great sense of humor. And if you’re not a fan of profanity, do NOT read how Paris Hilton will survive without her inheritance.
Give up? Why it’s our good friend Mahmoud Ahmenijjealg Amminnangjeg Ahmadinejad. Seriously – go check it out.
Say what you want about President Ahmadinejad – heck invite him over to speak at your school – but that’s pretty cutting edge. We’re a federal contractor with HUBZone status and occasionally see government agencies submit rfq’s to explore blogging, but I don’t know of any US agencies actually doing a public government blog. If you know of one – please add it to the comments below.
Comments on Ahmadinejad’s Blog
The Iranian President even posts comments (that get approved) on his official blog. Some of them have a doctored look to them, like this one at the top from “ali khan”:
“His excellency, it gives me immense pleasure to visit your site and post my comments this fabulous blog of a leader of free world not only islamic world.”
Or this one from “Colby Brown” of the United States:
“God bless Iran, Bush and Isreal are unfair to Iran. I am sorry for the way you were treated at our university. All americans are not the same as Bush. Peace god bless Iran and the rest of the world!”
But there are also comments that I have to assume are from real people because they are not quite as kind to Ahmadinejad, like “ken mcfly” who offers the following holiday wishes to the Iranian leader:
“die slow …”
Just for my own curiosity’s sake and at the risk of being put on some sort of no-fly list, I submitted a comment to see if it will get posted. FBI – if you’re reading this, it was a simple question for market research. I’ve never checked out Mein Kampf from the library and don’t belong to any subversive groups, unless you count Rotary.
Objections to Blogs
One of the most common objections I hear from business owners, executives, and marketers when considering a corporate blog is that they’re afraid of negative comments. I’ve said before that I think that’s usually a good thing because you have a chance to address concerns in a public way and you’ll come off looking better than ever.
And if you were really at fault, it lets you know what you can do to improve your processes. Or just tips for running your blog better. John Walker of Germany suggested to the Iranian President, “nice blog, but you should be posting more often.”
Besides, unless you’re ruling a government, you’re not going to get too many ultra-negative comments on your blog that wish for your death, unless perhaps you don’t give Paul proper internet connectivity.
Happy New Year everyone!
