Blogger Help : How Not to Get Fired Because of Your Blog?

Blogger Help : How Not to Get Fired Because of Your Blog?

by Biz Stone

Do you blog at work? Do you check your referrer logs and surf the blogosphere all day from your office? Do you think it might be funny to mock your co-workers publicly, or that it could be a good idea to post photos of sensitive corporate information on your blog? If only Blogger Support could have reached this unfortunate Blogger sooner. Folks, this doesn't have to happen to you.

These days, many companies are blog-friendly because they recognize a valuable tool for communication and the sharing of ideas when they see it. However, as with any public medium, care should be exercised from time to time. Here at Blogger, we want you to keep your job and as always, ending your blog should be a last resort reserved only for woeful situations. Fret not gentle blogger, we’ve put together this document to help you keep those paychecks rolling in.

Photos: Choose Your Captions Wisely

There are many ways of causing trouble at work and eventually getting fired. This is as true with blogging as it is with sending an email, getting drunk at a company party, or just plain old doing a really bad job. Our example employee was allegedly sacked for posting a photo to his blog. This, in and of itself is not so bad. In fact a photo makes a fine blog post.

See: How do I post pictures?

If this unfortunate blogger had merely posted an image and not also published additional information that helped to describe the private geography of the corporate campus, this incident may have been avoided. Just because you have information does not mean you should release it to the entire wired world.

Understanding "Public"

Actually, now might be a good time to reiterate that blogs are available to a public audience like television, newspapers, and radio. When you publish a blog entry, you are broadcasting this information to a potential audience of millions.

See: What does the public blog setting do? See: What is the difference between 'post' and 'post & publish'?

Blogging off the Company Pier

We understand that you can’t work all day. In fact, a healthy dose of intellectual distraction is necessary for productivity. Theoretically. For all we know, there may even be statistics that prove two hours of actual work per day is enough to keep the world running smoothly. In any case, a traditional boss will want to see you working when they visit your cube, not blogging. Gary Turner has got you covered with his invention: the Web Fire Escape. Also, if your blogging is covert there is less chance of being caught in the act. We recommend using a bookmarklet to blog quicker, more efficiently, and less visibly.

See: What is BlogThis!?

Remember too that your blog posts are arranged by date and time. So it is very easy for anyone reading your blog to discover that you were posting at 10:23 AM on Monday when you were supposed to working on your TPS report. Here’s a tip: change the time of your posts.

See: How do I change the date/time of my post?

Additionally, if you think your employer might be blog-friendly, you could take preemptive actions to stave off getting "blogcanned." Try asking if your company has a Blogging Policy and then adhere to it. Or, meet with your boss to find out if it's okay to blog.

"They Would Never Allow It"

If you work for a company with a "faceless behemoth" corporate policy, you may need to modify the intellectual environment before even suggesting a blogging policy. This can be daunting, but we've got you covered. Or rather, Chris, David, Doc and Rick have you covered.

First, get your hands on multiple copies of The Cluetrain Manifesto, the entire text of which is available for free online. Then launch a quiet campaign to work the manifesto into the upper echelons of your corporate hierarchy.

Put a copy in the break room on top of the donut box, run out to the parking lot and stick one under your CEOs windshield wiper, stand outside the executive washroom with some mints and a basket of books, or just walk up to your manager and say, "Oh, and here’s that book you wanted."

Distribute the book. Once the ideas contained therein begin to soak into the minds of your bosses, conditions will eventually ripen to the point that you will be empowered to step up to the challenge of suggesting that blogging has value for your company. We at Blogger encourage you to do so.

Keep on Bloggin'

Bloggers tend to be a sharp group. After all, writing on a daily basis forces you to think and typing does require some hand-eye coordination. If you end up getting yourself fired for blogging, deep down you must have really wanted out of that job. If that's the case, keep blogging. With your newfound status as one of only a handful of people in the world who have been "fired for blogging," you should be able to grab some headlines. Fan those flames! You could wind up on Oprah with a million dollar book deal. Theoretically.

Biz Stone works at Google on Blogger and is the author of two books about blogging.