In June 2009, ÜBERCEO analyzed Fortune 100 CEOs’ participation in social media, only to find that said participation was sorely lacking in terms of exposure, connection or conversations. Among the findings:
• Twitter: Only two CEOs—Warren Buffett ( Berkshire Hathaway) and Alan Lafley ( Procter & Gamble) have Twitter accounts. Buffett has more than 7,000 followers, is following no one and hasn’t posted anything since “coming soon,” which was tweeted on Feb. 20. Lafley has 33 followers and has never posted an update. (Note: The report identified accounts created in four other CEOs’ names, but they were believed to be fake or unofficial.)
• LinkedIn: Only 13 CEOs from the Fortune 100 list have LinkedIn profiles and no CEO in the top 20 has a profile on this platform. Of those who do have profiles, Michael Dell of Dell is most active, with 500-plus connections.
• Facebook: Only 19% of Fortune 100 CEOs have Facebook pages. Kenneth Lewis ( Bank of America) leads the pack with only 13 friends.
• Wikipedia: Wikipedia has the highest level of engagement among CEOs, with 76% having some sort of entry. Of the 76 entries, though, nearly 30% had inadequate or out-of-date information.
• Blogs: No Fortune 100 CEOs have their own blog, though some contribute to other blogs.
Note: This research was gathered between May 29 and June 16, 2009. Changes made online after June 16 are not reflected in these numbers.