This is a subject that I think needs some greater attention. Most corporations don’t permit access to web based email such as Hotmail and Gmail. These same companies also block access to porn sites. But, most do nothing to address blogging. A a recent American Management Association/ePolicy Institute study of 416 U.S. businesses found 8% of organizations operate official corporate blogs.
- 9% have policies about personal blogging during business hours
- 7% have policies covering the use and content of business blogs
- 7% cover employee’s personal blogging activity from home
- 6% prevent personal blogging on corporate blogs
- 5% ban blogging at work outright
- 3% have blog retention policies
Here are some things to take into account when you look into drafting a corporate policy.
- Does your organization permit blogging? If so, are there specific approved blogs or can any employee create their own? What is the new blog approval process?
- Do you wish to place any restrictions on employees’ use of personal blogs? Are these restrictions different depending upon whether they are blogging from home or from the office?
- Are there any specific regulatory requirements that limit what you post to your corporate blog? Do these requirements extend to employees using personal blogs?
- What is the approval process for postings to official corporate blogs?
- How long will records of blog content be maintained and where will they be stored?
- Are there any specific types of content that are taboo on corporate and/or personal blogs? For example, may blogs include the names of employees or customers? Are products in development fair game for bloggers?
- Do you require that non-official blogs carry a disclaimer that the opinions expressed in the blog are those of the blogger only and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the organization?
Being an avid blogger myself I can see the potential for abuse if this type of activity is not outlined by a corporation.
[tags]Blogging, Blogger, Corporate Blogs, Blog Policy, Information Security Policy[/tags]
