Fredrik Wackå has done a thorough review of blogging policies of some of the top corporations who are blogging--CorporateBloggingBlog- Policies compared. Susie Gardner--Buzz Marketing with Blogs--and B.L. Ochman also picked up on this post--B.L. Ochman's weblog--surprising others haven't. What I really like is Fredrik breaks down the policy topics into Core (everyone), Common (about half), and Unusual (one or two). In reading through the three groups, I think all companies blogging should adopt Core and Common, and look seriously at Unusual. Here are the Three groups and what policies are in each:
We can also add The Unusual; things only one or two companies mention. There are certainly many rules we only find in a few policies, but these I found especially interesting.
- The Core; all companies
- You're personally responsible
- Abide by existing rules
- Keep secrets
- Be nice
- The Common; approximately half of them
- Add value
- Respect copyright
- Follow the law
- Cite and link
- Discuss with your manager- You can write on company time
- Our goal
- You may disagree with the boss
- Stop blogging if we say so
- Contact PR
Read through the rest of Fredrik's post, because his detail and explanation are important to appreciating these policies.
Looking through the list I can see that "stop blogging if we say so" might ruffle some feathers. A very "it's my right to say what I want" reaction, which might be followed by "it's our right to fire you". There might be an occasion where you are asked to stop blogging, delete a post, post a retraction, etc. Before you throw your coffee mug across the room, stop and take a breather. 
There just might be bigger forces at work that you can't be made privy to. Maybe your manager really likes a controversial post, but legal is breathing down his/her neck, and needs some breathing space while he/she goes to bat for you. Maybe you off-handedly mentioned something that raised the eyebrow of the SEC--or similar body. The bottom line is that you don't know. Just relax. Easier said than done, of course.
Hey, I've strayed pretty darn to close to the line myself--thank goodness Fred our CEO is a patient man--and I've had my oops, shouldn't have said that, posts. And when it happens to you, and trust me it will happen sooner or later, remember this: that person asking you to stop blogging, might actually be looking out for you and have your best interests at heart. If they really wanted to dooce you, they'd let you blog away and dig your own grave deeper.
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