Minding your manors is something we have all be taught since a very young age. My research has concluded that the same thing applies in the business world. Here are some of the policies that I feel are best used by major corporations.
- Blogs, wikis and other forms of online discourse are individual interactions, not corporate communications. Be mindful that what you write will be public for a long time -- protect your privacy.
- Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
- Don't provide confidential or other proprietary information.
- Don't cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval.
- Respect your audience. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc., and show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory -- such as politics and religion.
- Find out who else is blogging on the topic, and cite them.
- Don't pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes, and don't alter previous posts without indicating that you have done so.
- Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective.
I feel that all of these and valuable points to consider when writing a professional blog. The most important thing to remember is that you represent the company you work for, there is no room for personal life in business blogging.
"Guidelines for Employee Bloggers," Web Pro News, May 2005,
