] There are about 10 million blogs out there, give or take.
 . . .
] Mark Jen, who was fired from Google in January after just two
] weeks, having made some ill-advised comments about the company on
] his blog, is now busy helping to draft a blogging policy for his
] new employer, Plaxo
 . . .
] With Plaxo's blessing, Mr. Jen is soliciting public comment on
] the new blogging policy at blog.plaxoed.com.
]
] Most of the points are the kinds of common-sense items
] that employees would do well to remember, particularly if
] they plan on identifying themselves as employees in their
] blogs, or discussing office matters online: don't post
] material that is obscene, defamatory, profane or
] libelous, and make sure that you indicate that the
] opinions expressed are your own.

This is an interesting subject to me, and one which is going to get more attention as more and more people (especially non-tech-literate people) get online and start blogging.

Personally, every time I post something to my blog, I am excruciatingly aware that it is *not* private speech, and even if my friends are the only ones visiting the page when I write it, that there are almost certainly many strangers (and probably some family) reading whatever I write. Also, I keep in mind that no matter what I say, it's going to be floating around the internet for quite probably the rest of my life, so I may have to be willing to live with whatever I say, since it may well be quoted back at me several years down the line.

I view blogging as something akin to "recorded soapbox ranting", where someone goes into a park or other public place, drops a soapbox on the ground, and then steps onto the box and begins shouting their opinion at the top of their lungs to anyone who can hear, and then posts written transcripts of everything they said for anyone who happens to come by later.

So I've been really uncomfortable seeing other friends treat their blogs like a private confessional. They talk about the things they like and don't like about other mutual friends, or they'll discuss their personal sexual habits, or crimes they may have witnessed (or engaged in). All of which could easily come back to bite them later.

And workplace ranting is especially dangerous. When an employee goes online and rants about the bad day they had at work, and vents about how their supervisor is a real SOB, the employee is oblivious to the fact that their ranting is *not* private speech that disappears as soon as they said it. Indeed, someone may eventually forward their words to "that SOB", resulting in potentially serious consequences.

Me personally, I try to reserve my online posting for informational and public debate kind of stuff, with a smattering of humor and fun human interest links tossed in. If I need to be venting about an ex-boyfriend or troublesome work associate, that venting is best done verbally, in a non-recorded fashion, and only around people I trust.

Elonka

When the Blogger Blogs, Can the Employer Intervene?