More on Corporate Blogging Policies

I'm now back from a few days with my family back in Montreal, and I see that Rob Hyndman, who has a great blog, has moved to robhyndman.com. It's a great looking site and the content is as  fantastic as always.

I see that Rob has a post on Corporate Blogging Policies and links to some other posts.  I have written many times (here, here and here) on the subject of how blogging can get you fired (in fact the issue came up in the course of an interview that I did last week for National Magazine, the magazine of the Canadian Bar Association) and have suggested that employer's implement "blogging policies" out of fairness, if for no other reason.

Michael Hyatt President and Chief Operating Officer of Thomas Nelson Publishing who maintains a blog called Working Smart has published a draft Corporate Blogging Policy and has asked for comments (Corporate Blogging Rules).  I think this is a fantastic idea and Mr. Hyatt should be commended for taking such an innovative approach to developing this policy.  This shows the power of blogs when used creatively and purposely.

I find that these types of posts generate discussion and allow me to read blogs that I might not otherwise have visited.  So, others have waded into the discussion including:

• Shel Holtz with Community development of company policy
• Thomas Nelson Publishers’s Corporate Blogging Rules
• Steve Rubel with Help Write a Corporate Blogging Policy
• Michael Specht with Corporate Blogging Policy (referring to Sun's Policy on Public Discourse)

I have looked around and have located some other resources.  Charlene Li has a blog (Charlene Li's Insights on Technology Developments in Media & Marketing) and a post entitled Blogging policy examples). 

It cannot be overemphasized that what works for one company may not work if implemented at another.  Resist the temptation to cookie-cutter this policy (there are some where this can be done, a Corporate Blogging Policy isn't, in my humble view, one of those).  Sure, there will be some common features, but, ultimately, a "one-size-fits-all" approach might be downright offensive to your employees, given your company's unique culture.  The key, I think, is to know your culture and your employees and design a policy with those unique characteristics in mind, recognizing the legal issues that have to be covered off. 

A policy is a great idea and every company should have one.