Ron Ploof is the founder of OC New Media, LLC, a consulting firm focused on helping business leaders understand  and develop strategies for incorporating social media into their communications programs. Ron is a blogger, author, speaker, and electrical engineer. He is also a Synopsys alumnus who launched the first social media-related initiatives at Synopsys as New Media Evangelist.

Ron recently hosted a session for Synopsys’ Conversation Central at DAC titled “Objectivity is Overrated: Corporate Bloggers Aren’t Journalists, and Why They Shouldn’t Even Try.” In the following conversation, Ron shares his perspective on that and other social media topics — and chats a bit about a new book he has written about how New Media technologies can be used to increase corporate communications effectiveness while reducing costs.

Rick: How are corporate bloggers different from other online media sources, and why do you believe they shouldn’t strive for objectivity with their blogs?

Ron: There seems to be lots of emotion surrounding the whole “blogger” versus “journalist” thing. My session at  DAC was specifically targeted at corporate bloggers — communicators such as Karen Bartleson (Synopsys) or Bob Dwyer (Cadence). Since both are writing for their respective companies, I propose that there is no need to be “objective.”

By being published on their corporate sites, readers will naturally assume that their opinion is biased — and that is okay! Why would I listen to someone who doesn’t believe in their products or services? What value is it to me if a corporate blogger says something like, “our products are indistinguishable from that of our competition?” Seriously, would you stake your career on someone who didn’t believe in their own product?

Journalists are tasked with reporting news in an even-handed way. Their job is to get both sides of the story, report facts, and let the readers makeup their own minds. Since corporate bloggers aren’t under the same restrictions, they frequently become the targets of the “journalism police,” who question the validity of their content. But people love transparent biases. Although Bill Maher and Rush Limbaugh incite strong audience reactions through their openly left and right leaning opinions, their audiences appreciate the bias.

Rick: Blogs have proliferated at a staggering pace over a very short period of time. Is it possible that people are getting “blogged out?”

Ron: Most New/Social Media misconceptions stem from an inability to separate the concept of content from the channel that distributes it. Blogging is just a vehicle for delivering information, similar to a newspaper, a magazine, or broadcast channel. Newspapers have been around for many years. I dunno… was there a time when people got “newspapered out?”

People will always seek the best information from the best sources. If that information comes in the form of a blog, then so be it. If that information comes in the form of a podcast, online video, a magazine, a radio show or a teleconference, then that’s okay too!

Rick: What do companies that embrace social media understand that others don’t?

Ron: Companies embracing New/Social Media understand that the days of controlling the message are gone forever. In the past, one could write a press release or buy an advertisement — essentially holding a monopoly on their brand. Today, with the advent of blogging, podcasting, online video, Facebook and Twitter, those days are gone forever. Today, anyone with Internet access can tell their story in their own words, something that strikes fear into the hearts of traditional PR professionals and marketeers who can’t stand the thought of someone else talking loosely about their brand.

Companies that embrace these new communications vehicles trust that the quality of their products and services will speak for themselves. If my company has the best product on the market and someone trashes it online, I have faith that my fans will defend it in their own words. On the other hand, if my product is crappy, then it doesn’t matter how much time, effort, spin, or advertising dollars that I throw at it — the product will still be crappy.

The definition of hell is being a marketing manager for a crappy product in the age of social media.

Rick: You’re in the process of publishing a new book called “Read This First” – what’s it about and why did you write it?

Ron: Read This First: The Executive’s Guide to New Media – from blogs to social networks presents an executive-level conversation that describes how New Media technologies can be used to simultaneously increase the effectiveness of corporate communications while reducing costs. It should be hitting the shelves in the fall.

I’ve had the chance to speak with hundreds of executives over the past few years and have learned that most don’t understand the basics of social media. I wrote Read This First to give executives a step-by-step way to evaluate these new communications vehicles. Instead of looking at the problem from a traditional marketing or public relations perspective, I chose to approach the topic from the customer’s perspective. By looking at the problem from the other side, my book aims to put companies into the proper mindset to create content that helps their customers instead of the traditional way — interrupting them!