Patagonia, the manufacturer of outdoor clothing, hosts a blog called The Cleanest Line. In one recent post, “Fracking In Our Backyard,” the company sought to educate its readers about the controversy surrounding hydraulic fracturing. The post included links to many online sources about the controversy and presented the company’s perspective: “Because of fracking’s wide-ranging risks and impacts, we support each community’s right to educate itself and regulate and/or ban fracking, and we support local, state and federal government efforts to monitor and regulate fracking.”

The post generated many comments, of which the first three are presented here. Notice that the third comment ends with a swipe at the company. Blogs are a popular way for organizations to interact with their stakeholders, and even though blog posts routinely elicit negative comments, most organizations believe that the occasionally embarrassing or critical comment is a reasonable price to pay for the opportunity to generate honest discussions about issues—and thereby learn what is on the minds of their stakeholders.

FIGURE 1.3 A Corporate Blog Post Presenting a Public-Policy Viewpoint