It can pass as the most widely used means of self expression on the internet today. Web Logs or blogs as widely known have become an integral part of the way people propagate ideas, concepts, products and services without fear of breaking the rules or a code of conduct. Blogs are used by individuals and organizations to post information from news, opinions, gossip and photos about business, politics, economy and communities.

Blogs are here , there and everywhere. Their growth in numbers and prevalence to say the least is almost sky-high. Yet who is minding the store .? Are your employees “blogging behind your back” ? about corporate secrets ?

It is easy today to blog . The costs are trivial , if not free of charge. The tools are easy. If you can write on a simple word processor then you can blog . Simple as that.

As an employer or consultant you need to be aware of the blogs and postings of current staff on the job , as well as former employees , who may well be disgruntled , and who even go by pseudonyms.

In order to protect your business from damaging employee blogs and to reduce the risk of falling to bloggers damaging content, the following steps would be advisable;

Believe it or not , there are organizations out there , whose management view their role in life is to protect their perks and privileges . Any open concerns and discussion is seen by this form of management as a personal attack on them , or a direct threat to their apparent power and position. Its a matter of no matter what “I will teach you who is boss” ( often at great expense to corporate morale and profitability ). It is hard to imagine a greater means of creating dissension , hostility and even anger in the ranks.

Most likely at this point , no one in H.R. or management has provided an official listing when it comes to the rules of the game concerning blogs and blogging by staff. How else are your staff to know. People do not always like rules but they sure like to know where they stand , what is allowed and what is not tolerated. At least there is a yardstick against which they can be measured .

The amount of time and effort spent , should you have a raging bonfire of a loss of private trade data , or procedures can be immense. All in all its a waste of time. It can be said that some management levels actually like to fight and even create “fires” as a means of justification of their existence and pay. Would it not be smarter from the very start to have clear policy procedures in place , including a signed non-disclosure document , clearly listing rules ,proceedings and a time line after leaving the employee ? Large corporations do this as a simple matter of routine . Should not this be your established pattern as well ?

Blogs are a powerful tool in today’s business climate which can be used for good or bad. Remember it can only take one Blog entry to destroy your business image or customer base that took 20 years to develop and nature. Take responsible steps to embrace the culture and avoid the pitfalls.

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