Have
IR departments given up on the Web?
By Dominic Jones, IR Web Report
IT HAS been a while since
my last communication with you and high time to
stick my head out again. However, I don't bring
good news.
Since my last dispatch on Firefox problems
— which is still
a problem — we've conducted almost
500 additional IR website reviews.
And a very clear picture is emerging that far
too many companies are neglecting their online
communications with investors. Consequently,
many IR departments are portraying themselves
as Web illiterate, disorganized and even, in
extreme cases, as untrustworthy.
I have dozens of stories and examples to tell
you about. And tell is what I will be doing
in the next few dispatches.
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Investors,
big and small, deserve better
than they are getting.
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We'll see examples of companies that flat out
are not managing their online investor communications
effectively. I will demonstrate common credibility
gaffes and show how problems can happen in the
darndest places.
My hope, sincerely, is that by shining a spotlight
on the problems on IR websites today, companies
will be inspired to take a harder look at how
they are (or are not) using the Internet to
communicate with their investors.
Some companies may be embarrassed by the examples
I will use, but hopefully they will understand
that they are contributing to a common good.
If not, well that's just too bad because there's
more at stake than individual egos. Investors,
big and small, deserve better than they are
getting.
Kicking us off is an eye-opening look at the
shockingly poor online annual report usability
practices of the the S&P Global 100 companies,
the world's most widely held and heavily traded
stocks. If this is the best the world's biggest
companies can do, you can imagine how bad things
are in the lower leagues.
Part One: 90%
of S&P Global 100 Companies Fail Annual
Report Usability Standards
Part Two: Ignorance,
Arrogance and Philips Electronics
Read our