Banking Review

Social issues drive corporate blogging

Mutual financial institution mecu looks set to embrace web 2.0 with plans underway for blogs and discussion boards to help it connect with its 107,000 members.

General manager of development Rowan Dowland told Retail Banking Review’s Green Banking forum he views web 2.0 technology as a terrific opportunity to connect with mecu’s community of socially-minded customers.

The credit union hopes to develop “a virtual community where members can be engaged on issues which they share a common interest.”

Dowland says the institution has recognised the challenges blogging can create for a corporate, but hopes to deal with these as they arise.

Aside from Savings & Loans Credit Union’s Greg Connor, there’s been very little activity from Australian financial institutions in the blogosphere.

For those that are wondering just how large the Australian audience is for blogs, new stats from comScore Media Matrix reveal Australians spend an average of 21.2 hours a month online, and they’re increasingly using that time to visit blogs.

The number of unique visits from Australians aged over 15 to blogs grew from 2.1 million in May 2006 to 3.3 million in May this year.