Happy New Year!   I hope this finds you doing well.

In preparing for 2008 and my communication plans for this blog, I have been doing some research and talking to a number of people about what makes a blog successful.   The consistent feedback centered on the following elements:

1.  Voice:  what are you talking about, what is the tenor of the blog, and how personal do you want to be?

2.  Quality Writing:   useful & timely information is important...strive to be interesting and engaging.

3.  Cadence:  how often do you blog?   It doesn't have to be everyday...but consistency is important.

4.  Authenticity:  you can't fake it...address your audience directly and with respect.

So, for this blog: here's what we're working towards....

Voice

This blog is about Global Corporate Citizenship.    In producing this blog, our goal is to provoke thought and conversation about the importance and relevance of this topic...and to be open and transparent about Sun Microsystems Inc.'s activities in this space.

Though written by me, this blog is not about me.  So don't expect a ton of pics about travels around the world, or floods in my backyard, or rants about my personal life. 

Having said that, my personality is sure to come through.  :-)    And if you've been to my office, you may recognize this pic:

Expect me to draw on examples from my daily life--both personal and professional--that connect to the topic of Global Corporate Citizenship. 

Otherwise...ugh...this could be just plain boring and lack relevance.  And relevance is important IMHO.

Quality Writing 

I'll try.  :-)

Cadence

Please RSS this blog....as I expect to post entries every other week or so.  

It is unlikely that I will post every day.  It is a certainty that I will not post every day. 

But every other week or so, you should find a new entry.

Authenticity 

So you can't fake it in a blog.   My wife speaks French, and she taught me the phrase: "bien dans sa peau".  You have to be comfortable in your own skin [hint, hint, hint:  herein lies the translation].

Again--for those of you who know me--no worries here.   :-)

So, our goal is to be relevant.   We will be conscious of you (the audience) and will strive to address you directly about interesting topics in an engaging way.   

There is so much information on the web coming at us from different directions.   The last thing we want to be is lost in the traffic.

Wish us luck!  

A Few Resources

Here are links to some resources that helped me in this blog:

Debbie Weil

Lorelle on WordPress

Dave Taylor--the Business Blog at Intuitive.com

Meredith Farkas--Information Wants to Be Free

Lee Wilson--Education Business Blog