It seems that almost everyone has a blog today . Blogs are are the new “Coronation Street”. People may not talk to their neighbors anymore . However they may well be following their online blog. Yet that blog roll may well spill the beans about what should be considered private and confidential workplace matters as well as proprietary if not trade secrets and procedures at the firm and home office.
You may be surprised to know that the number of blogs has been growing tremendously in the recent past Blog herald, a Blog authority “, indexed the startling count of 50Million blogs as of the end of May 2006. Even at that point the growth of blogs and the Blog count was almost logarithmic with no end in site. No doubt about it there are tons of blogs out there of every shape and description , the growth is phenomenal , No doubt some of your employees are out there Blogging which at the very least not only involves their home , family and personal lives but events and personalities at work , no doubt.
One of the reasons behind this rapid increase in blogging is the ease with which blogs are created. Anyone with basic computes skills and something to write about would be up and running with a blog in less than 10 minutes, thanks to the many free blog auto creation software and templates being offered by internet entrepreneurs including he mighty Google.
Working stiffs in your employee , or even those past your employ , and who were “let go” are in a position to a lot of damage to your hard earned “corporate image”. On top of that once out of the floodgates , it is virtually impossible to control and limit the spread of this information . Once on the “net” , it is now fair game for copy and dissemination. Never mind the caches and stores in and around and through out the whole world wide web .
What do marketing and information technology consultants recommend as a matter of course of planning and procedures ? Its no accident that a major enterprise has emerged on the web , of removing negative comments and postings on the web . On top of that it is an expensive and time consuming procedure , often to little avail except substantial costs to offended companies. Fire departments have fire prevention departments. So should you when it comes to employee blogs and their postings.
First, create an environment where information and ideas are freely exchanged in your organization. This will allow employees with personal issues and opinions to feel free to express them within the parameters of the organization. It would be much easier to deal with it here than when its goes to the web.
Your company , firm or organization , most likely has extensive policy and procedures manuals already . Do these manuals have procedures , polices and rules when it comes to blogs and online blogging ?
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.