Employee Blogging

Now it’s time to tackle the issues of Content. Business Blogs can cover many topics, ranging from Hiring, Firing, Marketing and Advertising, Charitable Contributions, Employees, Economic Trends, Health Care and so on. But you will not be the only one posting or commenting to the Company Blog.

Employee Blogging

As we all know, new communication technologies are popping up every day with email, instant messaging, texting, blogging, and twittering, just to name a few. As a business owner it is easy to think of the positives that can come from all of this new technology. But it is also important to stay ahead of the curve on the negative or possible negative impact of these communication tools.

What would you do if an employee were to share trade secrets or air internal bickering between employees? What would you do if a potential new client were to find out the “deal” being offered to them was higher than the “deal” offered to other clients through the company Blog? Can a company be legally responsible for the information on a Blog post? Could a company be sued for the information found on their Blog? Some of these questions have yet to be answered in a court room. But it is important that these and many other questions and concerns be addressed.

Employee Blogging Policies

Many companies are realizing, much to their chagrin that preventing the problem is easier than trying to apologize after the fact. Every company has or should have employee policies on topics including but not limited to employment expectations, vacation days, holidays, issues regarding conflict of interest, and harassment. Regarding the topic of blogging, think about what specific topics your company needs to protect and develop a policy for you and your employees to follow. Consider contacting your attorney on the terminology necessary for your Employee Policy Handbook. You will also need to develop procedures for punishment or dismissal when the inevitable happens and an employee breaks that policy.

Sample Blogging Policies

A Google Search on this topic as one would expect brings up a number of sites, two that I have found very helpful are Groundswell http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2004/11/blogging_policy.html and another Blog site http://mmanuel.typepad.com/media_guerrilla/2005/07/corporate_and_e.html. Both of these sites are keenly aware of the issues surrounding the topic of Blogging Policies. The Media Guerrilla site lists the three biggest blogging areas which companies are at risk:
1. Protecting the company’s intellectual property,
2. Slander and invasion of privacy and
3. Security law.

The Groundswell site actually provides an excellent Blogging Code of Ethics and has links to Blogging Policies currently being used by a number of corporations.

Remember: Blogging can be fun and informational, but blogging can also have its down sides. Whether you are an employee or the owner of the business, think before you hit that BLOG SEND or POST button.