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November 28, 2005
Of characters and authenticity
As corporate America explores the informal, conversational world of blogging, a new form of the format is coming into controversy: the character blog. These are weblogs written from the perspective and with the narrative style of fictional characters. Some, like the Captain Morgan Blog, are built on characters we all know are fake. Others, like Panasonic's Tosh Bilowski blog create a brand new character for a specific purpose (promoting high-definition video, in this case), and aren't always clear about the reality of the author.
In the blogosphere, some pundits hate character blogs outright, others are willing to let them evolve in appropriate places.
All of us in the arts business should be familiar with the benefits of fictional characters. But we should also be cautious about bringing that fiction from the stage or experience space into the business communications of our company. Blogger Amy Gahran puts it rather well in this post:
Character blogs are risky business, since authenticity and transparency are the basis of credibility in this medium.... In a nutshell, I think that if you’re offering a character blog, you’re asking for trouble if you don’t make its nature clear. Don’t present a character as a person; approach it as a theatrical device. Theater is cool. Deception is not.
So, if you're organization is planning to launch blog, stick with a real person with real perspectives for now. You're audience will be watching, and they know the difference.
