Mark Hannah has a great essay on transparency posted over at PBS's MediaShift website.
Starting off by contrasting the public relations rules of the past with today's reality, Hannah discusses how search engines have created an environment where it's not enough to just watch what you say to the media. You have to be careful about what you put up on the net because search engines index, and in some cases cache, that information.
Those who are skeptical of your business not only can see what you're saying but also get a picture of what you have said and done in the past. Those who are dissatisfied with your products and services can post bad reviews on third party websites.
In short, your reputation is controlled by a marketplace where your message competes with that of those who don't agree with your message.
Hannah rightly takes companies to task for treating transparency as just another marketing gimmick to help shape and sell the brand. He says you have to do more than just have transparency. You need to be transparent. You do that by changing the way your business operates, ultimately ceasing to do the things that you wouldn't want to be publicized on the web.
Hannah's message is also relevant to your corporate blog. Blogs will help you get your message out, but if the message doesn't reflect the reality of the way you conduct business, it will do you more harm than good.
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