Australian companies are engaging increasingly with customers and critics through social media, but blogging and networking online are fraught activities for many. Losing control of a corporate message is just the start. There’s the need to be able to handle the frank fallout that inevitably comes through open online exchanges. And what happens when popular bloggers and “tweeters” move to another employer, taking their followers with them? Corporations need to develop an understanding of how to behave in this new environment and to create clear policies for staff engagement. Big ears and thick skins are not optional.