At the helm of Sun Microsystems Inc., Jonathan Schwartz became “un blogeur” last week when he started publishing his blog in French and nine other languages.

Schwartz, whose Web journal attracts 50,000 viewers each month, says going international will generate new customers and attract prospective employees in Europe, China and elsewhere. That puts the 40-year-old CEO at the vanguard of a trend in corporate communications, one that tears down barriers between executives and the general public.