Key frustrations with CEOs include

• lack of appreciation for the power that bloggers have today. Bloggers believe their influence already rivals that of traditional media journalists and is likely to grow over time.
• lack of respect. Bloggers believe that CEOs and their senior communications staff do not pay sufficient attention to the blogosphere and are too slow to respond to requests for information.
• lack of direct access. Bloggers don't expect full access, but believe an interview once or twice a year is reasonable. They feel they are given less access than traditional media.
• excessive control by the communications staff. Although bloggers understand the need and desire for CEOs to avoid mistakes, they believe CEOs and their staffs go too far in attempting to manage the media and in the process come off as artificial and scripted.

"The frustrations that bloggers expressed can be remedied with a strategy of inclusion", according to Valerie Di Maria, principal and co-founder of the 10 company. "CEOs and their Chief Communications Officers need to make sure they read and occasionally comment on the stories and posts of key bloggers in their industries, focussing on those bloggers with the most influence and journalistic integrity. It's an opportunity to create a real dialogue with the blogosphere."

"We are now well beyond the point where bloggers can be ignored", says Dr. Jeff Levine, founder of Gotham Research Group. "Some of the bloggers we spoke with have larger followings than the media outlets that executives would have interacted with in the past."

The report is based on findings from ten one-on-one in-depth interviews with prominent institutional bloggers who cover corporate or business news for top-tier national, regional, and trade news outlets, conducted in December 2011. It was compiled by the 10 company and the Gotham Research Group.