Blogging isn't just for po-mo pastors or techno-geeks or net-heads (are any of those real words?) anymore. Even busy corporate types like Bill Marriott are making time to communicate directly with customers and employees. If you're new to blogging (okay, so I'll admit that I may be the last pastor on the planet to get this) or an old hat, you can appreciate Bill's first blog on uncharted territory.
Here are a few excerpts:
"I'm venturing into uncharted territory as I launch this blog. A year ago, I didn't even know what a blog was -- until my Communications team began telling me about all the blog traffic on travel and tourism. Now I know this is where the action is if you want to talk to your customers directly...
"Truth be told, I'm not very good with computers, although I couldn't do business in today's fast-paced economy without my cell phone, and my grandchildren have gotten me hooked on my iPod.... Ten years ago when my people first started talking about selling room reservations over the internet, I was a skeptic. Today Marriott.com is not only the biggest website in the hotel industry, it's also our fastest growing reservations channel. I'm a convert...
"Blogging will allow me to do what I've been doing for years -- on a global scale. Talking to the customer comes easily to me. I visit 250 hotels around the world every year. This year I'll be traveling once again to China where we have 27 hotels, 16 under construction and many more in our development pipeline. At every hotel, I talk to associates, from housekeepers to general managers, to get their feedback. I call it "management by walking around." Like my parents, I value the input from our associates at all levels. I make lots of notes -- and my best ideas almost always come from our people in the field... Bottom line, I believe in communicating with the customer, and the internet gives me a whole new way of doing that on a global scale. I'd rather engage directly in dialogue with you because that's how we learn and grow as a company. So tell me what you think, and together we'll keep Marriott on the move!"
Sounds like a leader that is committed to keeping his edge!
