Weblogs or blogs as they are more commonly, have become extremely popular in recent years. Visit The Related Companies for more clarity on the issue. So popular in fact that many large businesses are letting some employees post Blogs on their corporate websites. While many companies are jumping on the blog wagon for use as a creative marketing technique, some companies have fired employees for what is published on a blog. These businesses accuse the employees apparently had revealed trade secrets, proprietary information, and make statements that showed the employer in a bad light. First, it may be important to explain exactly what a blog.
A weblog or blog is a website not unlike a journal that people post their ideas, opinions, and views on daily events. These blogs in most cases can be viewed by anyone with Internet access. It is for this reason you may consider a policy for your business blog. Blogs have even become part of the media underground especially since the recent elections in the United States. Even getting the attention of major international media is now in second-hand report on what bloggers are saying.
The point is, like it or not, it seems blogs are here to stay. The best thing a company can do to protect themselves and the interests of the employees is to create a blog policy for all employees. This policy should include specific items that employees should not mention in the blogs in a corporate website. Employers should also have policies for people who have their own blog that they control and run well. It is essential that these policies were created so that there will be no confusion as to what the employer deems as inappropriate for their employees, to publish on the Internet. This policy also protects the employer from possible future claims that may arise from the publication of weblogs as well. If you are consider implementing a policy for your business blog, please be sure to consult a lawyer as to what exactly you should do in its policy. This policy should cover those issues that the employer deems as inappropriate, copyrighted, secret and in relation to confidentiality agreements and “blackout periods.” People who choose the blog in their personal weblogs to be secured in at least include some sort of disclaimer on the Website that is easily visible to all visitors to your website. The advice is not to appear on every page of your website, but you should show so that they are seen by the people who visit, as in the main page or the About Me page. The warning should say something along the lines of: The opinions expressed in this web site or weblog are mine alone and not necessarily those of my employers. Along with this, not all efforts to disseminate information that would violate any clause confidentiality of your employer. Also take time to review this clause if you have one before posting to avoid any confusion as to what this clause of States. The use of a blog business policy will go a long way to avoid any problems on both sides of the issue of whether and when one should arise, because the policy clearly define what can not be posted on his weblog. Happy Blogging!