The Post Covers Work & Blogging

So, my boss comes in this morning and informs me that today’s Washington Post has a cover story on what he called my “pet issue.” I thought he meant same-sex marriage, but it turned out the Post has a front-page story on bloggers who lost their jobs because of their blogs.

It’s a little weird to read an article about something I’ve been writing about for well over a year now, including my own previous experience with the consequences of blogging on the job. (The irony is that soon afterwards blogging kinda became my job.) Still, it’s a pretty good article. The reporter managed to talk to Michael, whose story is probably the most well known, as well as Karsh and even Mark Jen.

Considering how often I’ve covered it, I guess it has become a “pet issue” of mine. And my writing on the subject hasn’t gone unnoticed. Just this week I was given the job of drafting a company blogging policy at work. Needless to say, I turned to the web for my research, and Charlene Li’s post on blogging policies pointed me to some helpful examples, like Sun Microsystems’ policy and Groove Networks’ policy.

Really, I think it boils down a few common-sense points:

• Don’t tell secrets; the company’s, or your clients’.
• When in doubt, ask. If you’re not sure you should blog about something, ask someone you trust for their opinion.
• Speak for yourself. Make it clear your opinions are your own, not your employer’s.
• Think before you post. Before clicking that “Publish,” “Post,” or “Submit” buttons, consider the consequences of what you’re about to say and how you’re about to say it.
• Complain in person, not on your blog. If you have legitimate beef about something, take it up with the appropriate persons, in real-time.

Of course, blogging exists in that no-mans-land between the personal and the public. We blog about our lives, and since we spend a good bit of our time working, it’s natural to want to post (or in some cases, vent) about work. The problem is that your blog may become well known, even if anonymous, or that co-workers and clients will stumble upon it and put two-and-two together. What you say, even on your own time and anonymously, can come back to haunt you, and there won’t be much you can do or say about it if it happens.

Basically, discretion is advised. Maybe blogging needs some sort of campaign, like the one to end forest fires, complete with a mascot modelled after Smokey the Bear. We’ll call him Bloggy the Bear, prop him up in front of a computer, and give him the tagline, “Only you can stop doocing.”