Blog Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policy, Public Relations, and Legal Issues

Tuesday 19 September 2006 12:00

@25807 With a new blog created every second, the hype and hoopla surrounding blogging is understandable. From the millions of people with a conviction or cause they're eager to share, to the thousands of corporations looking for a more effective way to build trust-base relationships with customers—everyone, it seems, is blogging. Without doubt, the blog is an electronic communications powerhouse that is likely to have greater impact on business communications and corporate reputations than email, IM, and traditional marketing-oriented Web sites combined.

In spite of the potential benefits, blogging poses enormous risk to business. The accidental misuse (and intentional abuse) of business blogs by employees and malicious third parties can create expensive and time-consuming legal, regulatory, security, public relations, and productivity headaches for employers. Hundreds of employees have already been "dooced," or fired, for blogging at work—and at home.

The solution? Do not embark on a business blog program without first establishing a strategic blog management program based on written blog rules, policies, and procedures.

In this chapter: Excerpted from the best-practices guide Blog Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policy, Public Relations, and Legal Issues, author Nancy Flynn recaps 36 essential blog rules designed to ensure that your organization is helped—not hindered—by this revolutionary technology tool. Learn how to manage legal liabilities and regulatory exposure, protect trade secrets and intellectual property, battle organized blog swarms, control employees' written content (on the job and at home), maximize employee compliance, and take full advantage of blogosphere's benefits.

Read the rest of the excerpt in this PDF.