Whole Foods’ Founder in Blog Flap

You think no one knows if you’re a dog on the Internet? Better think twice before you don those funny ears and tail and head for the blogosphere.

There's an old saw about any publicity being good publicity as long as they spell your name right. Wrong again.

Just ask Whole Fools, er Foods founder John Mackey, who is surely feeling the heat ratchet up, as a torrent of news and angry editorials rain down on his parade in literally dozens of pages of Google News citations.

Just to bring you up to speed, a sampling of headlines:

Whole Foods Is Hot, Wild Oats a Dud -- So Said 'Rahodeb', WSJ

How Whole Foods CEO Led 2 Lives

FTC: Mackey posted Whole Foods stock comments undercover – Austin American

Whole Foods CEO Mackey Is Out Of His Organic Mind - Seeking Alpha

Whole Foods Executive Used Alias – The New York Times

Whole Foods CEO was busy guy online - USATODAY.com

Although the blogosphere is in it's virtual infancy, there are still a few near eternal verities that might apply the medium. A number of Moses wannabees have delivered commandments to us and some seem to pertain especially to this landmark case.

Here’s a couple from ThinkHammer’s Ten Commandments of Blogging.

1) Thou Shalt Speak in Thine Own Voice.
(Everyone has a natural voice when they write. Some people are cranky, some are funny, some are strictly business. All voices can be ok, just make sure the voice you use is your own. If you try to sound like someone or something you're not, your readers will spot the fake right away.)

One thing ThinkHammer forgot to mention that is especially significant for PR people and CEOs is that one must own up to his/her own voice – don't post anonymously.

7) Thou Shalt Be Truthful.
(This should be easy. Don't write or repeat things you know or suspect to be false. Eager bloggers can quickly become a pitchfork wielding mob in search of a victim. Look for trustworthy authoritative sources. Take deep breaths. Think before you post.)

Well, how about deceitfully posting for some seven years or more as someone called Rahodeb, even though it doesn’t sound like any dog’s name I know.

10) Thou Shalt Have Fun
(You're probably not getting paid for this, so take your compensation in delight. If it's not fun, try something else. If you are getting paid, you'll probably find the job easier and more rewarding if you are having fun while you do it.)

We gotta agree with this one, but, even though Mackey takes but $1 million? annually in salary, not in this case.

Marketing strategist Steve Rubel has also offered his "10 Commandments," these calling for 'The Era of Participatory Public Relations."

Rubel also enthuses people to "keep it real" and not hide behind characters and phony IDs. Blogging is not a fad, he says. It's here to stay. "Be part of it."

And, perhaps most importantly, he writes, "Thou shall tell the truth – If you don’t tell the truth, it will come out anyway."

You know, that's the word I was looking for all along, “truth.” Reach for the stars – and stick to the truth in your communications.

Len Stein is president of New Rochelle, NY-based agency Visibility Public Relations.