OK, ok, ok. Enough with “corporate speak.” Here’s the scoop: After 14 years at Johnson & Johnson, I’ve made the difficult decision to leave the company and set up on my own as a consultant. For details of my plans, you can follow me on my personal Twitter feed @MDMonseau.
I’ve NEVER liked the cliched phrase “it is with mixed emotions” that starts almost every internal memo that’s distributed when someone moves on to another job. But as someone who is doing just that, I have to admit there is truth in those overused words: although it’s hard to leave so many good friends and colleagues, I’m also excited about the future -- for both me and for my friends at Johnson & Johnson.
One reason I’m excited is that I’m handing over the day-to-day management of this blog and the corporate Twitter feed, @JNJComm, to my very capable colleagues. They’ve been responsible for much that we have accomplished on the social web and I’m looking forward to seeing what they will do next.
In my first post on JNJBTW way back in 2007, I explained how the company had to relearn how to listen and interact with people. While there have been a few stumbles, we’ve learned a lot since those early days.
On this blog, we’ve tackled some difficult situations, like when the company was embroiled in a suit against the American Red Cross or when reporters have gotten their facts wrong or when our McNeil Consumer Healthcare business was criticized for an advertisement that was running on its website. But there have also been some exciting developments, like the recent announcements around Text4Baby or news about the company’s charitable activities.
While I’ve been resident blogger, editor and chief bottle washer for JNJBTW (among my many other responsibilities) my friends and colleagues in the J&J Corporate Communication group have also been very busy with a variety of activities on the social web. Here are few highlights:
- Rob Halper launched his successful Johnson & Johnson health channel on YouTube.
- We created a Facebook page for Johnson & Johnson corporate.
- I created the @JNJComm feed. Our Twitter presence has since expanded with the launch of @JNJStories, which is managed by Mark Krajnak and Keirstin Ferrante, @JNJHistory, through which Margaret Gurowitz shares some of the cool history of Johnson & Johnson and @JNJVideo, where Rob gives us the latest from the YouTube Channel.
- Rob and I sponsored two full-day tracks at BlogWorld, focused on social health.
- We’ve tweeted our annual shareholders meetings.
- The team has tried to foster stronger relationships with mom bloggers, e-patients and online physicians.
- The Campaign for Nursing’s Future created a Facebook page for the nursing community.
And much more. And that, of course, doesn’t even touch on all that is going on within the Johnson & Johnson operating companies.
Through these efforts, the company has been finding its voice -- and its role -- online. It’s been incredibly exciting and intellectually stimulating (as well as a lot of fun) to be part of this effort.
And so it is with mixed emotions that I hand over the keys to JNJBTW to my colleagues in the Corporate Communication group. Margaret Gurowitz, who many of you know as the brains behind the entertaining, insightful and popular Kilmer House blog, is going to help manage JNJBTW through this transition while continuing to pen Kilmer House. My colleagues in the media relations team will take on responsibility for managing @JNJComm.
I wish them -- and everyone who I’ve worked with over the years at Johnson & Johnson -- much success in the future. Farewell and best of luck with everything!