As a CEO, I've been amused to read all the posts about whether or not a CEO should blog. Fred Wilson says 'yes', Seth Godin says 'no'.

As an author on two other blogs, I'm certainly a proponent. More and more CEOs are blogging, and other CEOs are much more multi-tasking than I. While I agree with Seth about 'best blogging' practices (urgent, pithy, controversial, honest, and timely), I think it's possible to meet those tests and add company value.

Here are ways a CEO blog can do that:

1. Emerging industry information. We started our Enterprise RSS blog a couple of weeks ago because our young industry needs a single source for current information and best practices. Very inexpensive, high-value collateral. Steve Goldstein's blog is another good example.

2. Corporate culture. A CEO's blog tone conveys a great deal about his/her company's culture. That matters to employees -- present and future.

3. Customer dialogue. It's all too rare to find a CEO willing to engage in a direct dialogue with customers, but it's invaluable. You see this more often with younger technology-based firms, where founders' use their blogs to apologize and explain when there's a problem. There are times when the dialogue is happening so quickly that the company's at risk (offensive or defensive) if it speaks authoritatively too late..

New media such as RSS-enabled blogs provide a chance for greater immediacy and intimacy. CEOs should give them a try.