China Blogging Tour

60-second video interview with David Brain: Why do so few CEOs blog?

Edelman's David Brain interviewed me in March 2007 when I stopped by his London office. He asked: "Why is it that so few CEOs blog?"

Why should multi-nationals be blogging in China? Answer #1: to recruit the best employees

That's the key question I'll be addressing in Beijing and Shanghai next month. One answer is this: to recruit the best and brightest employees. Recruiting is a high-priority in China. The Economist wrote last month that Asia's skill shortage is the top business concern.

20-somethings expect a higher level of openness, authenticity and engagement from their employers these days, whether they're coming out of Chinese universities or are up-and-coming expat managers. And blogging is one of the best ways to not only project that image but to embody the new culture of engagement, whether it's a multi-author corporate blog or a visionary CEO blog.

Exploring China's Business Blogosphere... in English

One of the best blog/sites about what's happening in China (for those interested in business, media and marketing) is danwei.org. I ran across danwei's 2007 list of "best blogs" in a number of categories, including business and marketing. Here's a partial list (note: annotations are verbatim from danwei):

Advertising, marketing and PR

Imagethief
A very funny blog about public relations, communications, tech industry and life in China by an American PR professional who lives in Shanghai.

Madison Boom
Subtitled 'The world filled with egos,' this blog is written by a Chinese advertising industry insider and presents regular updates on new ad campaigns and industry gossip. It's written mostly in English with some Chinese posts.

Digital Watch
News from and analysis of the world of digital marketing and media from Kaiser Kuo and others at the ad agency Ogilvy's China offices.

Sam Flemming
Commentary on word of mouth and brands on the Chinese Internet, by the CEO of CIC Data, a company that analyzes and quantifies online chatter on behalf of multinational companies.

Business, finance and technology

Silicon Hutong
David Wolf is a very sharp consultant who works in the technology, media and telecom industries in China. His blog covers his areas of professional interest and, once in a while, some general China stuff.

Billsdue
Technology, markets, venture capital, gaming and the Internet in China: tersely worded commentary from a savvy American guy who knows his way around the markets.

China Web 2.0 Review
A Chinese view of the Internet business and Internet startups, China Web 2.0 Review is written by two Chinese guys who work in the industry, and presents clearly thought-out posts about new developments. A valuable resource for anyone interested in Internet innovation in China.

Managing the Dragon
Mr China by Tim Clissold is an entertaining book about China and business. The 'Mr China' of the title is a charismatic investment banker who first came here in 1992, was smitten, and then employed Clissold to help him lose a lot of money. Now, several years after the publication of the book, Mr China is apparently making boatloads of money, or so the business gossips say. Managing the Dragon is a group blog under his leadership.

Complete list here.