submit to reddit

Speaking at the Software 2005 conference yesterday, David Sifry, founder and CEO of Technorati, said employees should not only be able to blog but that they should be autonomous and not subject to PR agency screening.
That’s just not going to happen in most publicly traded companies. Companies are too paranoid to let employees air their laundry, and in most cases, they should be. The only people who should blog for a company are those who the company would allow to be a spokesperson in the media. Cause blogs are media baby.
And guess what? A lot of those people are going to have media training. It doesn’t have to be done by a PR firm, but it does have to be done by someone with interview experience. I would never let a client do a media interview without coaching them on how to make a point succinctly, where to look while on camera, even not to wear a striped tie of certain colors. You can’t just let people have blog access and run from there. There needs to be a policy, and a style book.
Sifry suggested a basic corporate blogging policy that seems pretty sound to me:
* A requirement that the blogger use his or her real name.
* A disclaimer that says the blogger does not necessarily speak for the company.
* A confidentiality and privacy statement so that the blogger does not violate any non-disclosure agreements.
* A policy on the use of obscenity, tone, and slander.
* Certification that employees will not violate any copyrights.
* A disclaimer pertaining to corporate risk.