Plaxo has presented a nice and short but informative document in regards to their blogging guidelines. WordFrame is happy to have thier Blogging Guidelines as one of our examples for the properly structured and set corporate blogging policies.
Original Document available at:
http://blog.plaxoed.com/2005/03/29/plaxos-communication-policy/
________________________
Plaxo Public Internet Communication Policy
The following policy applies to all employees and contractors of Plaxo, and covers all publicly accessible communications via the Internet relating to Plaxo. This includes, but is not limited to: blogs, discussion forums, newsgroups, and e-mail distribution lists.
OVERVIEW
This company depends upon not only the strong formal competencies of its workers (programming abilities, writing skills, etc.), but their “soft skills” as well. Specifically, the fabric of this company is sustained by a sense of camaraderie and trust.
While we encourage open communication both internally and externally in all forms, we expect and insist that such communication does not substantively demean our environment. This means that constructive criticism — both privately and publicly — is welcome, but harsh or continuous disparagement is frowned upon.
Externally communicating about aspects of the company that are part of your non-disclosure agreement (partnership deals, earnings, upcoming unannounced features, etc.) is ALWAYS forbidden, however, and grounds for immediate termination and legal action.
In a nutshell, be prudent. Ask yourself: “Would this public expression regarding Plaxo impair my ability to work with my colleagues on a friendly basis? Would it give a leg up to our competition? Would it make our current or upcoming partners uncomfortable?” If you could answer yes to any of those questions, please avoid this communication.
Additionally, you should first express with your management and co-workers any Plaxo concerns you may have. Voicing concerns about Plaxo publicly without first communicating such concerns to your management and co-workers is counterproductive and inadvisable.
SPECIFIC POLICIES
1. Your public communications concerning Plaxo must not violate any guidelines set forth in your employee handbook, whether or not you specifically mention your employee or contractor status.
2. You may participate in Plaxo-related public communications on company time. However, if doing so interferes with any of your work duties and/or responsibilities, Plaxo reserves the right to disallow such participation.
3. You must include the following disclaimer on published public communications if you identify yourself as a Plaxo employee or if you regularly or substantively discuss Plaxo publicly: “The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of [your name]. Content published here is not read or approved by Plaxo before it is posted and does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Plaxo.”
4. You may not communicate any material that violates the privacy or publicity rights of another.
5. You may not attack personally fellow employees, authors, customers, vendors, or shareholders. You may respectfully disagree with company actions, policies, or management.
6. You may not disclose any sensitive, proprietary, confidential, or financial information about the company. This includes revenues, profits, forecasts, and other financial information, any information related to specific authors, brands, products, product lines, customers, operating units, etc. You may not disclose any information about any specific customer. Further detail is provided in the “Security and Confidentiality” section of your employee handbook.
7. You may not post any material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, libelous, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful or embarrassing to another person or any other person or entity. This includes, but is not limited to, comments regarding Plaxo, Plaxo employees, Plaxo’s partners and Plaxo’s competitors.
Failure to follow these policies may result in disciplinary action, up to and including discharge. Only a written document signed by the President of Plaxo can approve an exception of any of the above policies.
Additionally, here are some guidelines you may wish to follow for your own protection. This is not a comprehensive list and Plaxo will not indemnify you from legal action if you follow these guidelines.
1. If you think you will get in trouble directly or indirectly because of any communication you are about to make, please discuss it with your manager first.
2. Remember that you are not anonymous. Even if you write anonymously or under a pseudonym, your identity can still be revealed. You should communicate as if you are doing so under your own name. Indeed, it is recommended that you do communicate using your real name.
3. You will probably be read or heard by people who know you. Post as if everyone you know reads or hears every word.
4. You are personally legally responsible for any content you publish. Be aware of applicable laws regarding publishing your content or regarding the content itself before you post. This includes adhering to applicable copyright laws.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Corporate Blogging Policies - Thomas Nelson Blogging Guidelines
Another Corporate Blogging Guidelines example at the WordFrame Blog - Thomas Nelson Blogging Guidelines
Original Document available at:
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/dept.asp?dept_id=1117904
________
Thomas Nelson Blogging Guidelines
At Thomas Nelson, we want to encourage you to blog about our company, our products, and your work. Our goal is three-fold:
• To raise the visibility of our company,
• To make a contribution to our industry, and
• To give the public a look at what goes on within a real live publishing company.
Therefore, we have established a “blog aggregator page” that is linked to the ThomasNelson.com Web site. “House Work,” the name of this page, contains links to employee blogs, along with the first few sentences from the most recent entry. The page is automatically updated whenever a blogger creates a new post. This way readers can quickly scan new entries, click on those that interest them, and then read the entry on the blogger’s site. This makes it convenient for people who are interested in reading employee blogs. It also helps publicize individual blogs and generates traffic for everyone.
In order to give some direction to employees who wish to blog, we have established a “Blog Oversight Committee” or “BOC.” This is a group of fellow-employee bloggers who are committed to promoting blogging within our company and making sure that the Company’s interests are served.
If you would like to have us link to your blog, you must submit it to the BOC. Before doing so, you should design your blog and write at least one entry. Once you have done this, send an e-mail to Gave Wicks with a link to your blog. The BOC will then review your blog and notify you whether or not it meets the criteria.
In order to participate in this program, you must abide by the following guidelines. (Please keep in mind that review by the BOC and participation in this program does not absolve you of responsibility for everything you post.)
1. Start with a blogging service. We do not host employee blogs. We think it adds more credibility if the Company does not officially sponsor them. Therefore, please use one of the many third-party blog hosting sites on the Internet. Some of these are free, such as Blogger.com, LiveJournal.com, Blog-City.com, Xanga.com, and MSN Spaces. Others charge a nominal fee. Examples include TypePad.com, SquareSpace.com, BlogIdentity.com, and Bubbler.com. If you use one of the latter, any expense is your responsibility.
2. Write as yourself. In other words, please use your real name. We don’t want people writing anonymously or under a pseudonym. Your name should be prominently displayed on your blog’s title or subtitle. This will add credibility with your readers and promote accountability within our company.
3. Own your content. Employee blog sites are not Company communications. Therefore, your blog entries legally belong to you. They represent your thoughts and opinions. We think it is important that you remind your readers of this fact by including the following disclaimer on your site: “The posts on this blog are provided ‘as is’ with no warranties and confer no rights. The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.” You assume full responsibility and liability for all actions arising from your posts. We also encourage you to put a copyright notice on your site in your name (e.g., “© 2005, John Smith”).
4. Write relevant. Write often. Whether you know it or not, you are an expert. You have a unique perspective on our company based on your talents, skills, and current responsibilities. People what to hear about that perspective. Also, in order to develop a consistent readership, you should try to write on a regular basis. For some, this will be daily; for others, it may be weekly. The important thing is consistent posting. New content is what keeps readers coming back. You may also write on company time, provided it doesn’t become excessive and doesn’t interfere with your job assignments and responsibilities.
5. Advertise—if you wish. While there is no requirement to run ads on your blog, you are free to do this if you wish. Some of the free blog services run ads as a way to offset their costs. If you use such a service, you won’t have a choice. On the other hand, if you pay for your service, you can avoid advertising altogether or participate in a service like Google’s AdSense or Amazon’s Associate Program. These types of programs will pay you based on “page views,” “click-throughs,” or purchases made on participating Web sites. You might want to ask the BOC or fellow bloggers for suggestions. The only thing we ask is that, to the extent you have control, you run ads or recommend products that are congruent with our core values as a Company.
6. Be nice. Avoid attacking other individuals or companies. This includes fellow employees, authors, customers, vendors, competitors, or shareholders. You are welcome to disagree with the Company’s leaders, provided your tone is respectful. If in doubt, we suggest that you “sleep on it” and then submit your entry to the BOC before posting it on your blog.
7. Keep secrets. Do not disclose sensitive, proprietary, confidential, or financial informa-tion about the Company, other than what is publicly available in our SEC filings and corporate press releases. This includes revenues, profits, forecasts, and other financial information related to specific authors, brands, products, product lines, customers, operating units, etc. Again, if in doubt, check with the BOC before posting this type of information.
8. Respect copyrights. For your protection, do not post any material that is copyrighted unless (a) you are the copyright owner, (b) you have written permission of the copyright owner to post the copyrighted material on your blog, or (c) you are sure that the use of any copyrighted material is permitted by the legal doctrine of “fair use.” (Please note: this is your responsibility. The Company cannot provide you with legal advice regarding this.)
9. Obey the law. This goes without saying, but by way of reminder, do not post any material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, libelous, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, embarrassing to another person or entity, or violates the privacy rights of another. Also, do not post material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, or any other computer code that is intended to damage, interfere with, or surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data, or information.
10. Remember the Handbook. As a condition of your employment, you agreed to abide by the rules of the Thomas Nelson Company Handbook. This also applies to your blogging activities. We suggest you take time to review the section entitled, “Employee Responsibilities” (pp. 36–39).
If you do not abide by the above guidelines, we reserve the right to stop linking to your blog.
Original Document available at:
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/dept.asp?dept_id=1117904
________
Thomas Nelson Blogging Guidelines
At Thomas Nelson, we want to encourage you to blog about our company, our products, and your work. Our goal is three-fold:
• To raise the visibility of our company,
• To make a contribution to our industry, and
• To give the public a look at what goes on within a real live publishing company.
Therefore, we have established a “blog aggregator page” that is linked to the ThomasNelson.com Web site. “House Work,” the name of this page, contains links to employee blogs, along with the first few sentences from the most recent entry. The page is automatically updated whenever a blogger creates a new post. This way readers can quickly scan new entries, click on those that interest them, and then read the entry on the blogger’s site. This makes it convenient for people who are interested in reading employee blogs. It also helps publicize individual blogs and generates traffic for everyone.
In order to give some direction to employees who wish to blog, we have established a “Blog Oversight Committee” or “BOC.” This is a group of fellow-employee bloggers who are committed to promoting blogging within our company and making sure that the Company’s interests are served.
If you would like to have us link to your blog, you must submit it to the BOC. Before doing so, you should design your blog and write at least one entry. Once you have done this, send an e-mail to Gave Wicks with a link to your blog. The BOC will then review your blog and notify you whether or not it meets the criteria.
In order to participate in this program, you must abide by the following guidelines. (Please keep in mind that review by the BOC and participation in this program does not absolve you of responsibility for everything you post.)
1. Start with a blogging service. We do not host employee blogs. We think it adds more credibility if the Company does not officially sponsor them. Therefore, please use one of the many third-party blog hosting sites on the Internet. Some of these are free, such as Blogger.com, LiveJournal.com, Blog-City.com, Xanga.com, and MSN Spaces. Others charge a nominal fee. Examples include TypePad.com, SquareSpace.com, BlogIdentity.com, and Bubbler.com. If you use one of the latter, any expense is your responsibility.
2. Write as yourself. In other words, please use your real name. We don’t want people writing anonymously or under a pseudonym. Your name should be prominently displayed on your blog’s title or subtitle. This will add credibility with your readers and promote accountability within our company.
3. Own your content. Employee blog sites are not Company communications. Therefore, your blog entries legally belong to you. They represent your thoughts and opinions. We think it is important that you remind your readers of this fact by including the following disclaimer on your site: “The posts on this blog are provided ‘as is’ with no warranties and confer no rights. The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.” You assume full responsibility and liability for all actions arising from your posts. We also encourage you to put a copyright notice on your site in your name (e.g., “© 2005, John Smith”).
4. Write relevant. Write often. Whether you know it or not, you are an expert. You have a unique perspective on our company based on your talents, skills, and current responsibilities. People what to hear about that perspective. Also, in order to develop a consistent readership, you should try to write on a regular basis. For some, this will be daily; for others, it may be weekly. The important thing is consistent posting. New content is what keeps readers coming back. You may also write on company time, provided it doesn’t become excessive and doesn’t interfere with your job assignments and responsibilities.
5. Advertise—if you wish. While there is no requirement to run ads on your blog, you are free to do this if you wish. Some of the free blog services run ads as a way to offset their costs. If you use such a service, you won’t have a choice. On the other hand, if you pay for your service, you can avoid advertising altogether or participate in a service like Google’s AdSense or Amazon’s Associate Program. These types of programs will pay you based on “page views,” “click-throughs,” or purchases made on participating Web sites. You might want to ask the BOC or fellow bloggers for suggestions. The only thing we ask is that, to the extent you have control, you run ads or recommend products that are congruent with our core values as a Company.
6. Be nice. Avoid attacking other individuals or companies. This includes fellow employees, authors, customers, vendors, competitors, or shareholders. You are welcome to disagree with the Company’s leaders, provided your tone is respectful. If in doubt, we suggest that you “sleep on it” and then submit your entry to the BOC before posting it on your blog.
7. Keep secrets. Do not disclose sensitive, proprietary, confidential, or financial informa-tion about the Company, other than what is publicly available in our SEC filings and corporate press releases. This includes revenues, profits, forecasts, and other financial information related to specific authors, brands, products, product lines, customers, operating units, etc. Again, if in doubt, check with the BOC before posting this type of information.
8. Respect copyrights. For your protection, do not post any material that is copyrighted unless (a) you are the copyright owner, (b) you have written permission of the copyright owner to post the copyrighted material on your blog, or (c) you are sure that the use of any copyrighted material is permitted by the legal doctrine of “fair use.” (Please note: this is your responsibility. The Company cannot provide you with legal advice regarding this.)
9. Obey the law. This goes without saying, but by way of reminder, do not post any material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, libelous, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, embarrassing to another person or entity, or violates the privacy rights of another. Also, do not post material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, or any other computer code that is intended to damage, interfere with, or surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data, or information.
10. Remember the Handbook. As a condition of your employment, you agreed to abide by the rules of the Thomas Nelson Company Handbook. This also applies to your blogging activities. We suggest you take time to review the section entitled, “Employee Responsibilities” (pp. 36–39).
If you do not abide by the above guidelines, we reserve the right to stop linking to your blog.
Corporate Blogging Policies - Feedster Corporate Blogging Policy
Another example for good corporate blogging policy available as a resource on the WordFrame blog site: Feedster Corporate Blogging Policy
Original Document available at:
http://feedster.blogs.com/corporate/corporate_policies/index.html
______________
Corporate Blogging Policy
In general, the company views personal websites and weblogs positively, and it respects the right of employees to use them as a medium of self-expression. If you choose to identify yourself as a Feedster employee or to discuss matters related to our technology or business on your website or weblog, please bear in mind that, although you and we view your website or weblog as a personal project and a medium of personal expression, some readers may nonetheless view you as a de facto spokesperson for the company. In light of this possibility, we ask that you observe the following guidelines:
1. Please make it clear to your readers that the views you express are yours alone and that they do not necessarily reflect the views of Feedster. To help reduce the potential for confusion, we would appreciate it if you put the following notice – or something similar – in a reasonably prominent place on your site (e.g., at the bottom of your “about me” page):
The views expressed on this website/weblog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
Many bloggers put a disclaimer on their front page saying who they work for, but that they’re not speaking officially. This is good practice, but may not have much legal effect. It's not necessary to post this notice on every page, but please use reasonable efforts to draw attention to it – if at all possible, from the home page of your site.
2. Be careful to avoid disclosing any information that is confidential or proprietary to the company or to any third party that has disclosed information to us. For good measure, consult the company’s confidentiality policy for guidance about what constitutes confidential information.
3. Please remember that your employment documents give the company certain rights with respect to concepts and developments you produce that are related to our business. To avoid conflicts or discrepancies, please consult your manager if you have questions about the appropriateness of publishing such concepts or developments related to the company’s business on your site.
4. Since your site or blog is a public space, we hope you will be as respectful to the company, our employees, our customers, our partners and affiliates, and others (including our competitors) as the company itself endeavors to be.
5. You may provide a link from your site to the corporate website. However you will require permission to use company trademarks or reproduce company material on your site.
6
. Finally, please be aware that the company may request that you temporarily confine your website or weblog commentary to topics unrelated to the company (or, in rare cases, that you temporarily suspend your website or weblog activity altogether) if it believes this is necessary or advisable to ensure compliance with securities regulations or other laws.
If you have any questions about these guidelines or any matter related to your site that these guidelines do not address, please direct them to me.
Our policy is an adaptation of Groove Network’s published policy. Here’s a quick summary from Charlene Li of Forrester Research:
1. Make it clear that the views expressed in the blog are yours alone and do not necessarily represent the views of your employer.
2. Respect the company’s confidentiality and proprietary information.
3. Ask your manager if you have any questions about what is appropriate to include in your blog.
4. Be respectful to the company, employees, customers, partners, and competitors.
5. Understand when the company asks that topics not be discussed for confidentiality or legal compliance reasons.
6. Ensure that your blogging activity does not interfere with your work
Original Document available at:
http://feedster.blogs.com/corporate/corporate_policies/index.html
______________
Corporate Blogging Policy
In general, the company views personal websites and weblogs positively, and it respects the right of employees to use them as a medium of self-expression. If you choose to identify yourself as a Feedster employee or to discuss matters related to our technology or business on your website or weblog, please bear in mind that, although you and we view your website or weblog as a personal project and a medium of personal expression, some readers may nonetheless view you as a de facto spokesperson for the company. In light of this possibility, we ask that you observe the following guidelines:
1. Please make it clear to your readers that the views you express are yours alone and that they do not necessarily reflect the views of Feedster. To help reduce the potential for confusion, we would appreciate it if you put the following notice – or something similar – in a reasonably prominent place on your site (e.g., at the bottom of your “about me” page):
The views expressed on this website/weblog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
Many bloggers put a disclaimer on their front page saying who they work for, but that they’re not speaking officially. This is good practice, but may not have much legal effect. It's not necessary to post this notice on every page, but please use reasonable efforts to draw attention to it – if at all possible, from the home page of your site.
2. Be careful to avoid disclosing any information that is confidential or proprietary to the company or to any third party that has disclosed information to us. For good measure, consult the company’s confidentiality policy for guidance about what constitutes confidential information.
3. Please remember that your employment documents give the company certain rights with respect to concepts and developments you produce that are related to our business. To avoid conflicts or discrepancies, please consult your manager if you have questions about the appropriateness of publishing such concepts or developments related to the company’s business on your site.
4. Since your site or blog is a public space, we hope you will be as respectful to the company, our employees, our customers, our partners and affiliates, and others (including our competitors) as the company itself endeavors to be.
5. You may provide a link from your site to the corporate website. However you will require permission to use company trademarks or reproduce company material on your site.
6
. Finally, please be aware that the company may request that you temporarily confine your website or weblog commentary to topics unrelated to the company (or, in rare cases, that you temporarily suspend your website or weblog activity altogether) if it believes this is necessary or advisable to ensure compliance with securities regulations or other laws.
If you have any questions about these guidelines or any matter related to your site that these guidelines do not address, please direct them to me.
Our policy is an adaptation of Groove Network’s published policy. Here’s a quick summary from Charlene Li of Forrester Research:
1. Make it clear that the views expressed in the blog are yours alone and do not necessarily represent the views of your employer.
2. Respect the company’s confidentiality and proprietary information.
3. Ask your manager if you have any questions about what is appropriate to include in your blog.
4. Be respectful to the company, employees, customers, partners, and competitors.
5. Understand when the company asks that topics not be discussed for confidentiality or legal compliance reasons.
6. Ensure that your blogging activity does not interfere with your work
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Corporate Blogging Policies - Blogging Guidelines of Sun Microsystems
Here is the Corporate Blogging Guidelines of Sun Microsystems. I wll try to put as many as possible docs from the ones I have read and used over the years so we can have them in one place and WordFrame Blog be another good reference point too.
Original Document available at:
http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2004/05/02/Policy
_____________________
Sun Blogs
Many of us at Sun are doing work that could change the world. We need to do a better job of telling the world. As of now, you are encouraged to tell the world about your work, without asking permission first (but please do read and follow the advice in this note). Blogging is a good way to do this.
Advice By speaking directly to the world, without benefit of management approval, we are accepting higher risks in the interest of higher rewards. We don't want to micro-manage, but here is some advice.
It's a Two-Way Street The real goal isn't to get everyone at Sun blogging, it's to become part of the industry conversation. So, whether or not you're going to write, and especially if you are, look around and do some reading, so you learn where the conversation is and what people are saying.
If you start writing, remember the Web is all about links; when you see something interesting and relevant, link to it; you'll be doing your readers a service, and you'll also generate links back to you; a win-win.
Don't Tell Secrets Common sense at work here; it's perfectly OK to talk about your work and have a dialog with the community, but it's not OK to publish the recipe for one of our secret sauces. There's an official policy on protecting Sun's proprietary and confidential information, but there are still going to be judgment calls.
If the judgment call is tough-on secrets or one of the other issues discussed here-it's never a bad idea to get management sign-off before you publish.
Be Interesting Writing is hard work. There's no point doing it if people don't read it. Fortunately, if you're writing about a product that a lot of people are using, or are waiting for, and you know what you're talking about, you're probably going to be interesting. And because of the magic of hyperlinking and the Web, if you're interesting, you're going to be popular, at least among the people who understand your specialty.
Another way to be interesting is to expose your personality; almost all of the successful bloggers write about themselves, about families or movies or books or games; or they post pictures. People like to know what kind of a person is writing what they're reading. Once again, balance is called for; a blog is a public place and you should try to avoid embarrassing your readers or the company.
Write What You Know The best way to be interesting, stay out of trouble, and have fun is to write about what you know. If you have a deep understanding of some chunk of Solaris or a hot JSR, it's hard to get into too much trouble, or be boring, talking about the issues and challenges around that.
On the other hand, a Solaris architect who publishes rants on marketing strategy, or whether Java should be open-sourced, has a good chance of being embarrassed by a real expert, or of being boring.
Financial Rules There are all sorts of laws about what we can and can't say, business-wise. Talking about revenue, future product ship dates, roadmaps, or our share price is apt to get you, or the company, or both, into legal trouble.
Quality Matters Use a spell-checker. If you're not design-oriented, ask someone who is whether your blog looks decent, and take their advice on how to improve it.
You don't have to be a great or even a good writer to succeed at this, but you do have to make an effort to be clear, complete, and concise. Of course, "complete" and "concise" are to some degree in conflict; that's just the way life is. There are very few first drafts that can't be shortened, and usually improved in the process.
Think About Consequences The worst thing that can happen is that a Sun sales pro is in a meeting with a hot prospect, and someone on the customer's side pulls out a print-out of your blog and says "This person at Sun says that product sucks."
In general, "XXX sucks" is not only risky but unsubtle. Saying "Netbeans needs to have an easier learning curve for the first-time user" is fine; saying "Visual Development Environments for Java sucks" is just amateurish.
Once again, it's all about judgment: using your weblog to trash or embarrass the company, our customers, or your co-workers, is not only dangerous but stupid.
Disclaimers Many bloggers put a disclaimer on their front page saying who they work for, but that they're not speaking officially. This is good practice, but don't count on it to avoid trouble; it may not have much legal effect.
Tools We're starting to develop tools to make it easy for anyone to start publishing, but if you feel the urge, don't wait for us; there are lots of decent blogging tools and hosts out there.
This site contains blogs written by Sun employees and is governed by company policies, including Sun's Blogging Guidelines. When employees leave Sun, blogs written during their employment normally remain in place here and are subject to the same policies. Sun Alumni are invited to continue blogging on the friends.sun.com/blogs site, where additional terms and conditions apply.
Sun's Blogging Guidelines
Speaking to the world in public has potential risks for you and for Sun and you need to understand
them. Here are the big-picture risks.
Posting the wrong thing on your blog could:
? Lose Sun its right to export technology outside the U.S.
? Get Sun and you in legal trouble with U.S. and other government agencies.
? Lose Sun its trademark on key terms like Java and Solaris.
? Cost us the ability to get patents.
? Cost you your job at Sun.
Most of these risks can be avoided by just being careful and responsible. Here is a summary of the
important rules to follow to avoid getting in trouble. There is an applicable company policy for each of
the items listed. Links to these policies are included in the internal version of this document located at
https://akula.sfbay.sun.com:8443/blogs-admin/ Violation of any applicable company policy may result
in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Summary of the important rules:
1. Do not disclose or speculate on non-public financial or operational information. The legal
consequences could be swift and severe for you and Sun.
2. Do not disclose non-public technical information (for example, code) without approval. Sun
could instantly lose its right to export its products and technology to most of the world or to
protect its intellectual property.
3. Do not disclose personal information about other individuals.
4. Do not disclose confidential information, Sun's or anyone else's.
5. Do not discuss work-related legal proceedings or controversies, including communications with
Sun attorneys.
6. Always refer to Sun's trademarked names properly. For example, never use a trademark as a
noun, since this could result in a loss of our trademark rights.
7. Do not post others' material, for example photographs, articles, or music, without ensuring
they've granted appropriate permission to do this.
8. Follow Sun's Standards of Business Conduct and uphold Sun's reputation for integrity. In
particular, ensure that your comments about companies and products are truthful, accurate, and
fair and can be substantiated, and avoid disparaging comments about individuals.
Original Document available at:
http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2004/05/02/Policy
_____________________
Sun Blogs
Many of us at Sun are doing work that could change the world. We need to do a better job of telling the world. As of now, you are encouraged to tell the world about your work, without asking permission first (but please do read and follow the advice in this note). Blogging is a good way to do this.
Advice By speaking directly to the world, without benefit of management approval, we are accepting higher risks in the interest of higher rewards. We don't want to micro-manage, but here is some advice.
It's a Two-Way Street The real goal isn't to get everyone at Sun blogging, it's to become part of the industry conversation. So, whether or not you're going to write, and especially if you are, look around and do some reading, so you learn where the conversation is and what people are saying.
If you start writing, remember the Web is all about links; when you see something interesting and relevant, link to it; you'll be doing your readers a service, and you'll also generate links back to you; a win-win.
Don't Tell Secrets Common sense at work here; it's perfectly OK to talk about your work and have a dialog with the community, but it's not OK to publish the recipe for one of our secret sauces. There's an official policy on protecting Sun's proprietary and confidential information, but there are still going to be judgment calls.
If the judgment call is tough-on secrets or one of the other issues discussed here-it's never a bad idea to get management sign-off before you publish.
Be Interesting Writing is hard work. There's no point doing it if people don't read it. Fortunately, if you're writing about a product that a lot of people are using, or are waiting for, and you know what you're talking about, you're probably going to be interesting. And because of the magic of hyperlinking and the Web, if you're interesting, you're going to be popular, at least among the people who understand your specialty.
Another way to be interesting is to expose your personality; almost all of the successful bloggers write about themselves, about families or movies or books or games; or they post pictures. People like to know what kind of a person is writing what they're reading. Once again, balance is called for; a blog is a public place and you should try to avoid embarrassing your readers or the company.
Write What You Know The best way to be interesting, stay out of trouble, and have fun is to write about what you know. If you have a deep understanding of some chunk of Solaris or a hot JSR, it's hard to get into too much trouble, or be boring, talking about the issues and challenges around that.
On the other hand, a Solaris architect who publishes rants on marketing strategy, or whether Java should be open-sourced, has a good chance of being embarrassed by a real expert, or of being boring.
Financial Rules There are all sorts of laws about what we can and can't say, business-wise. Talking about revenue, future product ship dates, roadmaps, or our share price is apt to get you, or the company, or both, into legal trouble.
Quality Matters Use a spell-checker. If you're not design-oriented, ask someone who is whether your blog looks decent, and take their advice on how to improve it.
You don't have to be a great or even a good writer to succeed at this, but you do have to make an effort to be clear, complete, and concise. Of course, "complete" and "concise" are to some degree in conflict; that's just the way life is. There are very few first drafts that can't be shortened, and usually improved in the process.
Think About Consequences The worst thing that can happen is that a Sun sales pro is in a meeting with a hot prospect, and someone on the customer's side pulls out a print-out of your blog and says "This person at Sun says that product sucks."
In general, "XXX sucks" is not only risky but unsubtle. Saying "Netbeans needs to have an easier learning curve for the first-time user" is fine; saying "Visual Development Environments for Java sucks" is just amateurish.
Once again, it's all about judgment: using your weblog to trash or embarrass the company, our customers, or your co-workers, is not only dangerous but stupid.
Disclaimers Many bloggers put a disclaimer on their front page saying who they work for, but that they're not speaking officially. This is good practice, but don't count on it to avoid trouble; it may not have much legal effect.
Tools We're starting to develop tools to make it easy for anyone to start publishing, but if you feel the urge, don't wait for us; there are lots of decent blogging tools and hosts out there.
This site contains blogs written by Sun employees and is governed by company policies, including Sun's Blogging Guidelines. When employees leave Sun, blogs written during their employment normally remain in place here and are subject to the same policies. Sun Alumni are invited to continue blogging on the friends.sun.com/blogs site, where additional terms and conditions apply.
Sun's Blogging Guidelines
Speaking to the world in public has potential risks for you and for Sun and you need to understand
them. Here are the big-picture risks.
Posting the wrong thing on your blog could:
? Lose Sun its right to export technology outside the U.S.
? Get Sun and you in legal trouble with U.S. and other government agencies.
? Lose Sun its trademark on key terms like Java and Solaris.
? Cost us the ability to get patents.
? Cost you your job at Sun.
Most of these risks can be avoided by just being careful and responsible. Here is a summary of the
important rules to follow to avoid getting in trouble. There is an applicable company policy for each of
the items listed. Links to these policies are included in the internal version of this document located at
https://akula.sfbay.sun.com:8443/blogs-admin/ Violation of any applicable company policy may result
in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Summary of the important rules:
1. Do not disclose or speculate on non-public financial or operational information. The legal
consequences could be swift and severe for you and Sun.
2. Do not disclose non-public technical information (for example, code) without approval. Sun
could instantly lose its right to export its products and technology to most of the world or to
protect its intellectual property.
3. Do not disclose personal information about other individuals.
4. Do not disclose confidential information, Sun's or anyone else's.
5. Do not discuss work-related legal proceedings or controversies, including communications with
Sun attorneys.
6. Always refer to Sun's trademarked names properly. For example, never use a trademark as a
noun, since this could result in a loss of our trademark rights.
7. Do not post others' material, for example photographs, articles, or music, without ensuring
they've granted appropriate permission to do this.
8. Follow Sun's Standards of Business Conduct and uphold Sun's reputation for integrity. In
particular, ensure that your comments about companies and products are truthful, accurate, and
fair and can be substantiated, and avoid disparaging comments about individuals.
Corporate Blogging Policies - Blogging policy at Harvard Law
We think that adding a corporate policy published by a not typical "business-oriented" entity what is Harvard Law will only benefit the visitors and customers of the WordFrame Community Platform Blog. Please take a closer look at what the guys and girls at Harvard follow while blogging.
Link to the Original Document:
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/terms
__________
Terms of Use
Welcome to Weblogs at Harvard Law!
We don’t mean to turn you off from blogging by immediately inundating you with legalese, but we need to make clear our respective rights and responsibilities related to this service. So, the President and Fellows of Harvard College (“Harvard”) offer these blogging services (the “Services”) to you subject to the terms and conditions of use (“Terms”) contained herein. By accessing, creating or contributing to any blogs hosted at http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/, and in consideration for the Services we provide to you, you agree to abide by these Terms. Please read them carefully before posting to or creating any blog.
1. Rights in the Content You Submit
Default Creative Commons Public License
Unless you specify otherwise, any and all works of authorship copyrightable by you and posted by you to any blog (“Content”) are submitted under the terms of an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons Public License. Under this license, you permit anyone to copy, distribute, display and perform your Content, royalty-free, on the condition that they credit your authorship each time they do so. You also permit others to distribute derivative works of your Content, but only if they do so under the same Attribution-ShareAlike license that governs your original Content.
Please read the full text of the Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons Public License.
Amongst other things, this license permits RSS aggregators to copy, distribute, display and perform any Content on your blog that you syndicate using RSS. All Content on your blog is syndicated for RSS aggregation unless you change your settings to indicate otherwise.
Option for More Restrictive License Terms
If you prefer to offer your Content on more restrictive terms, you may do so as follows:
For Content you submit to your own blog, remove the Creative Commons logo from your blog template (contact us if you require instructions).
For Content you submit to a blog other than your own, label your submission with a full copyright notice, i.e., your name, the word “copyright” or symbol “©” and the year of first publication.
By posting your Content using the Services, you are granting Harvard a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and worldwide license to use your Content in connection with the operation of the Services, including, without limitation, the license rights to copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate and reformat your Content, and/or to incorporate it into a collective work.
Attribution
When publicly displaying, publicly performing, reproducing or distributing copies of your Content, or Content as incorporated into a collective work, Harvard will make best efforts to credit your authorship. You grant Harvard permission to use your name for such attribution purposes. You, likewise, agree to represent yourself accurately. You acknowledge that misrepresentation may lead us, in our sole discretion, to cancel your use of the Services and delete any of your Content.
2. Conduct
Posting
Those of us who are coordinating this research project believe deeply in free speech. Given our role in offering this service and our presence together as part of the extended university community, however, we must reserve the right to remove certain content that you may post. As a general matter, you may post content freely to your blog and to those of others, so long as the content is not illegal, obscene, defamatory, threatening, infringing of intellectual property rights, invasive of privacy or otherwise injurious or objectionable.
You may not use the Harvard name to endorse or promote any product, opinion, cause or political candidate. Representation of your personal opinions as institutionally endorsed by Harvard University or any of its Schools or organizations is strictly prohibited.
By posting content to any blog, you warrant and represent that you either own or otherwise control all of the rights to that content, including, without limitation, all the rights necessary for you to provide, post, upload, input or submit the content, or that your use of the content is a protected fair use. You agree that you will not knowingly and with intent to defraud provide material and misleading false information. You represent and warrant also that the content you supply does not violate these Terms, and that you will indemnify and hold Harvard harmless for any and all claims resulting from content you supply.
You acknowledge that Harvard does not pre-screen or regularly review posted content, but that it shall have the right to remove in its sole discretion any content that it considers to violate these Terms or the terms of any other campus user agreements that may govern your use of the campus networks.
Accessing
You understand that all content posted to http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ is the sole responsibility of the individual who originally posted the content. You understand, also, that all opinions expressed by users of this site are expressed strictly in their individual capacities, and not as representatives of any Harvard institution.
You agree that Harvard will not be liable, under any circumstances and in any way, for any errors or omissions, loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of use of any content posted on this site. You agree that you must evaluate and bear all risks associated with the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content.
Children
Collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 is prohibited. No Content should be directed toward such children without the express written permission of the Executive Director, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School.
3. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability
This site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Harvard makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the site’s operation or the information, content or materials included on this site. To the full extent permissible by applicable law, Harvard hereby disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose. Harvard will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of or inability to use this site. You expressly agree that you use this site solely at your own risk.
4. Privacy Policy
Please be sure to read our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.
5. Modification of These Terms of Use
Harvard reserves the right to change, at any time, at our sole discretion, the Terms under which these Services are offered. You are responsible for regularly reviewing these Terms. Your continued use of the Services constitutes your agreement to all such Terms.
6. Copyright Complaints
Harvard respects the intellectual property of others, and requires that our users do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied and is accessible on this site in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or that your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, please follow our instructions for reporting copyright infringements.
By clicking on the link below, you acknowledge that you have read and are bound by this agreement, as well as any other Harvard network usage agreements that may govern your conduct. Thank you for participating in the Weblogs At Harvard Law initiative. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
Link to the Original Document:
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/terms
__________
Terms of Use
Welcome to Weblogs at Harvard Law!
We don’t mean to turn you off from blogging by immediately inundating you with legalese, but we need to make clear our respective rights and responsibilities related to this service. So, the President and Fellows of Harvard College (“Harvard”) offer these blogging services (the “Services”) to you subject to the terms and conditions of use (“Terms”) contained herein. By accessing, creating or contributing to any blogs hosted at http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/, and in consideration for the Services we provide to you, you agree to abide by these Terms. Please read them carefully before posting to or creating any blog.
1. Rights in the Content You Submit
Default Creative Commons Public License
Unless you specify otherwise, any and all works of authorship copyrightable by you and posted by you to any blog (“Content”) are submitted under the terms of an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons Public License. Under this license, you permit anyone to copy, distribute, display and perform your Content, royalty-free, on the condition that they credit your authorship each time they do so. You also permit others to distribute derivative works of your Content, but only if they do so under the same Attribution-ShareAlike license that governs your original Content.
Please read the full text of the Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons Public License.
Amongst other things, this license permits RSS aggregators to copy, distribute, display and perform any Content on your blog that you syndicate using RSS. All Content on your blog is syndicated for RSS aggregation unless you change your settings to indicate otherwise.
Option for More Restrictive License Terms
If you prefer to offer your Content on more restrictive terms, you may do so as follows:
For Content you submit to your own blog, remove the Creative Commons logo from your blog template (contact us if you require instructions).
For Content you submit to a blog other than your own, label your submission with a full copyright notice, i.e., your name, the word “copyright” or symbol “©” and the year of first publication.
By posting your Content using the Services, you are granting Harvard a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and worldwide license to use your Content in connection with the operation of the Services, including, without limitation, the license rights to copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate and reformat your Content, and/or to incorporate it into a collective work.
Attribution
When publicly displaying, publicly performing, reproducing or distributing copies of your Content, or Content as incorporated into a collective work, Harvard will make best efforts to credit your authorship. You grant Harvard permission to use your name for such attribution purposes. You, likewise, agree to represent yourself accurately. You acknowledge that misrepresentation may lead us, in our sole discretion, to cancel your use of the Services and delete any of your Content.
2. Conduct
Posting
Those of us who are coordinating this research project believe deeply in free speech. Given our role in offering this service and our presence together as part of the extended university community, however, we must reserve the right to remove certain content that you may post. As a general matter, you may post content freely to your blog and to those of others, so long as the content is not illegal, obscene, defamatory, threatening, infringing of intellectual property rights, invasive of privacy or otherwise injurious or objectionable.
You may not use the Harvard name to endorse or promote any product, opinion, cause or political candidate. Representation of your personal opinions as institutionally endorsed by Harvard University or any of its Schools or organizations is strictly prohibited.
By posting content to any blog, you warrant and represent that you either own or otherwise control all of the rights to that content, including, without limitation, all the rights necessary for you to provide, post, upload, input or submit the content, or that your use of the content is a protected fair use. You agree that you will not knowingly and with intent to defraud provide material and misleading false information. You represent and warrant also that the content you supply does not violate these Terms, and that you will indemnify and hold Harvard harmless for any and all claims resulting from content you supply.
You acknowledge that Harvard does not pre-screen or regularly review posted content, but that it shall have the right to remove in its sole discretion any content that it considers to violate these Terms or the terms of any other campus user agreements that may govern your use of the campus networks.
Accessing
You understand that all content posted to http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ is the sole responsibility of the individual who originally posted the content. You understand, also, that all opinions expressed by users of this site are expressed strictly in their individual capacities, and not as representatives of any Harvard institution.
You agree that Harvard will not be liable, under any circumstances and in any way, for any errors or omissions, loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of use of any content posted on this site. You agree that you must evaluate and bear all risks associated with the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content.
Children
Collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 is prohibited. No Content should be directed toward such children without the express written permission of the Executive Director, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School.
3. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability
This site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Harvard makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the site’s operation or the information, content or materials included on this site. To the full extent permissible by applicable law, Harvard hereby disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose. Harvard will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of or inability to use this site. You expressly agree that you use this site solely at your own risk.
4. Privacy Policy
Please be sure to read our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.
5. Modification of These Terms of Use
Harvard reserves the right to change, at any time, at our sole discretion, the Terms under which these Services are offered. You are responsible for regularly reviewing these Terms. Your continued use of the Services constitutes your agreement to all such Terms.
6. Copyright Complaints
Harvard respects the intellectual property of others, and requires that our users do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied and is accessible on this site in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or that your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, please follow our instructions for reporting copyright infringements.
By clicking on the link below, you acknowledge that you have read and are bound by this agreement, as well as any other Harvard network usage agreements that may govern your conduct. Thank you for participating in the Weblogs At Harvard Law initiative. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
Corporate Blogging Policies - BBC GUIDELINES ON EMPLOYEES WEBLOGS AND WEBSITES
The BBC Blogging Guidelines is an interesting document regarding some specific issues connected mainly to the type of the business and industry type in which The BBC is into. We already received a small note from a prospect customer how helpful the materials regarding the corporate policies we posted yesterday on the WordFrame blog are so we are continuing in that direction. Please note that we will be updating this section of our WordFrame blog site constantly.
Original document available on the BBC site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/assets/advice/guidelin
esonemployeesweblogsandwebsites.doc
____________________
BBC GUIDELINES ON EMPLOYEES WEBLOGS AND WEBSITES
These Guidelines apply to personal blogs and all other personal webcontent (e.g. personal podcasts). Official BBC content which uses blogging formats must be signed off by the relevant divisional interactive head.
Principles
Blogging is a form of public conversation on the internet, in which BBC people may wish to take part.
When a blogger clearly identifies themselves as a BBC person and/or discusses their work, the BBC expects them to behave well when blogging, and in ways that are consistent with the BBC’s Editorial Values and policies.
Many bloggers, particularly in technical areas, use their personal blogs to discuss their BBC work in ways that benefit the BBC, and add to the “industry conversation”. These guidelines are not intended to restrict this, as long as confidential information is not revealed.
Blogs or websites which do not identify the blogger as a BBC employee, do not discuss the BBC and are purely about personal matters would normally fall outside these guidelines.
These guidelines complement the BBC’s Conflict of Interest guidelines.
Editorial Policy can give advice on these Guidelines.
Guidelines For Bloggers
If you already have a personal blog or website which indicates in any way that you work at the BBC you should tell your manager.
If you want to start blogging, and your blog/website will say that you work for the BBC you should tell your manager.
If your blog makes it clear that you work for the BBC, it should include a simple and visible disclaimer such as “these are my personal views and not those of the BBC”.
Unless there are specific concerns about the nature of your job, you are free to talk about BBC programmes and content on your blog. Consult your manager if in any doubt.
Don’t reveal confidential information. This might include aspects of BBC policy or details of internal BBC discussions. Again, consult your manager if you are unclear about what might be confidential.
You should not use your blogs to attack or abuse colleagues. You should respect the privacy and the feelings of others. Remember that if you break the law on your blog (for example by posting something defamatory), you will be personally responsible.
If you think something on your blog or website gives rise to concerns about a conflict of interest and in particular concerns about impartiality or confidentiality this must be discussed with your manager.
If someone offers to pay you for blogging this could constitute a conflict of interest and you must consult your manager.
If someone from the media or press contacts you about posts on your blog that relate to the BBC you should talk to your manager before responding. The relevant BBC press office must be consulted.
You are allowed to update your personal blog from a BBC computer at work, under the BBC’s Acceptable Use Policy.
Guidelines For Managers
Under these guidelines managers in each area will decide what is appropriate. They should not adopt an unnecessarily restrictive approach. Managers should ensure that any special instructions on blogging are reasonable and explained clearly to staff.
Managers should bear in mind concerns about impartiality, confidentiality, conflicts of interest or commercial sensitivity. In some cases individuals may be dealing with matters which are so sensitive that rules may have to be set on what they can and cannot talk about on their personal blog.
Those involved in editorial or production areas must take particular care to ensure that they do not undermine the integrity or impartiality of the BBC or its output on their blogs. For example those involved in factual areas should not advocate a particular position on high profile controversial subjects relevant to their areas.
Managers can consult the BBC’s Conflicts of Interest Guidelines and the BBC’s Acceptable Use Policy For Internet and Email.
News and Current Affairs
Impartiality is a particular concern for those working in news and current affairs. Nothing should appear on their personal blogs which undermines the integrity or impartiality of the BBC. For example, news and current affairs people should not:
• advocate support for a particular political party
• express views for or against any policy which is a matter of current party political debate
• advocate any particular position on an issue of current public controversy or debate
If news and current affairs people are in doubt they should refer immediately to their line manager.
If news and current affairs people are asked to blog for commercial gain this could constitute a conflict of interest. Managers should consult the Off Air Activities Guidance Note for News and Current Affairs Presenters and Editorial Staff in BBC News, BBC Nations and Regions and BBC Global News.
Original document available on the BBC site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/assets/advice/guidelin
esonemployeesweblogsandwebsites.doc
____________________
BBC GUIDELINES ON EMPLOYEES WEBLOGS AND WEBSITES
These Guidelines apply to personal blogs and all other personal webcontent (e.g. personal podcasts). Official BBC content which uses blogging formats must be signed off by the relevant divisional interactive head.
Principles
Blogging is a form of public conversation on the internet, in which BBC people may wish to take part.
When a blogger clearly identifies themselves as a BBC person and/or discusses their work, the BBC expects them to behave well when blogging, and in ways that are consistent with the BBC’s Editorial Values and policies.
Many bloggers, particularly in technical areas, use their personal blogs to discuss their BBC work in ways that benefit the BBC, and add to the “industry conversation”. These guidelines are not intended to restrict this, as long as confidential information is not revealed.
Blogs or websites which do not identify the blogger as a BBC employee, do not discuss the BBC and are purely about personal matters would normally fall outside these guidelines.
These guidelines complement the BBC’s Conflict of Interest guidelines.
Editorial Policy can give advice on these Guidelines.
Guidelines For Bloggers
If you already have a personal blog or website which indicates in any way that you work at the BBC you should tell your manager.
If you want to start blogging, and your blog/website will say that you work for the BBC you should tell your manager.
If your blog makes it clear that you work for the BBC, it should include a simple and visible disclaimer such as “these are my personal views and not those of the BBC”.
Unless there are specific concerns about the nature of your job, you are free to talk about BBC programmes and content on your blog. Consult your manager if in any doubt.
Don’t reveal confidential information. This might include aspects of BBC policy or details of internal BBC discussions. Again, consult your manager if you are unclear about what might be confidential.
You should not use your blogs to attack or abuse colleagues. You should respect the privacy and the feelings of others. Remember that if you break the law on your blog (for example by posting something defamatory), you will be personally responsible.
If you think something on your blog or website gives rise to concerns about a conflict of interest and in particular concerns about impartiality or confidentiality this must be discussed with your manager.
If someone offers to pay you for blogging this could constitute a conflict of interest and you must consult your manager.
If someone from the media or press contacts you about posts on your blog that relate to the BBC you should talk to your manager before responding. The relevant BBC press office must be consulted.
You are allowed to update your personal blog from a BBC computer at work, under the BBC’s Acceptable Use Policy.
Guidelines For Managers
Under these guidelines managers in each area will decide what is appropriate. They should not adopt an unnecessarily restrictive approach. Managers should ensure that any special instructions on blogging are reasonable and explained clearly to staff.
Managers should bear in mind concerns about impartiality, confidentiality, conflicts of interest or commercial sensitivity. In some cases individuals may be dealing with matters which are so sensitive that rules may have to be set on what they can and cannot talk about on their personal blog.
Those involved in editorial or production areas must take particular care to ensure that they do not undermine the integrity or impartiality of the BBC or its output on their blogs. For example those involved in factual areas should not advocate a particular position on high profile controversial subjects relevant to their areas.
Managers can consult the BBC’s Conflicts of Interest Guidelines and the BBC’s Acceptable Use Policy For Internet and Email.
News and Current Affairs
Impartiality is a particular concern for those working in news and current affairs. Nothing should appear on their personal blogs which undermines the integrity or impartiality of the BBC. For example, news and current affairs people should not:
• advocate support for a particular political party
• express views for or against any policy which is a matter of current party political debate
• advocate any particular position on an issue of current public controversy or debate
If news and current affairs people are in doubt they should refer immediately to their line manager.
If news and current affairs people are asked to blog for commercial gain this could constitute a conflict of interest. Managers should consult the Off Air Activities Guidance Note for News and Current Affairs Presenters and Editorial Staff in BBC News, BBC Nations and Regions and BBC Global News.
Corporate Blogging Policies - Groove Weblog Policy
This is the Groove Corporate Blogging Policy. It took us some time to dig it but we really wanted WordFrame blog site to have all the needed materials that can help our customers.
Original Document available at:
http://rayozzie.spaces.live.com/editorial/rayozzie/old/blog/catego
ries/organizations/2002/08/24.html
_________________
Weblog Policy: A number of people at Groove have started blogs, and I'm really trying to encourage more to do the same. The more we live it, the more that we'll learn from it, and the more that we'll learn through it as we're engaged in conversations with our customers. And thus, the sooner that we'll be able to improve our products and services based upon what we learn. Of course, there are many questions that arise when an employer encourages employees to operate more "in the open", and so our counsel, Jeff Seul, has taken a first pass at creating a "blog policy". Check it out.
As an employer, this gives me many things to consider. About a year ago, many of us witnessed as an employee of one company lost his job because he allegedly disparaged the company and some of its employees online. But it doesn't seem appropriate or possible to mandate and codify "reasonable behavior" in a policy. On the other hand, people will be increasingly challeneged to be aware of what they should or shouldn't say online - particularly with regard to intellectual property - and maybe reminding them to be aware of this is a good thing.
Furthermore, consider things like this. Jeff says, "I've added a paragraph about limitation or suspension of website/weblog activity during SEC-mandated quiet periods. You may recall that the SEC postponed Webvan's IPO because it considered certain activity on Webvan's website to be a violation of the pre-IPO quiet period. Although we view employee weblogs as a personal activity, the SEC could potentially impose a cooling-off period on us if it considered employee weblog activity to be sanctioned by the company or something we've turned a blind eye toward. There's a risk that they could view employee weblogs to which we link (or have linked in the past) as company-sanctioned." Fascinating.
Perhaps we can learn from one another: are there any other companies that have done similar things? Can you provide links or stories?
Personal Website and Weblog Guidelines
Some employees who maintain personal websites or weblogs, or who are considering beginning one, have asked about the company�s perspective regarding them. In general, the company views personal websites and weblogs positively, and it respects the right of employees to use them as a medium of self-expression.
If you choose to identify yourself as a company employee or to discuss matters related to the company�s technology or business on your website or weblog, please bear in mind that, although you and we view your website or weblog as a personal project and a medium of personal expression, some readers may nonetheless view you as a de facto spokesperson for the company. In light of this possibility, we ask that you observe the following guidelines:
• Please make it clear to your readers that the views you express are yours alone and that they do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. To help reduce the potential for confusion, we would appreciate it if you put the following notice � or something similar � in a reasonably prominent place on your site (e.g., at the bottom of your �about me� page):
The views expressed on this website/weblog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
If you do put a notice on your site, you needn�t put it on every page, but please use reasonable efforts to draw attention to it � if at all possible, from the home page of your site.
• Take care not to disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to the company or to any third party that has disclosed information to us. Consult the company�s confidentiality policy for guidance about what constitutes confidential information.
• Please remember that your employment documents give the company certain rights with respect to concepts and developments you produce that are related to the company�s business. Please consult your manager if you have questions about the appropriateness of publishing such concepts or developments related to the company�s business on your site.
• Since your site is a public space, we hope you will be as respectful to the company, our employees, our customers, our partners and affiliates, and others (including our competitors) as the company itself endeavors to be.
• You may provide a link from your site to the company�s website, if you wish. The web design group has created a graphic for links to the company�s site, which you may use for this purpose during the term of your employment (subject to discontinuation in the company�s discretion). Contact a member of the web design group for details. Please do not use other company trademarks on your site or reproduce company material without first obtaining permission.
Finally, please be aware that the company may request that you temporarily confine your website or weblog commentary to topics unrelated to the company (or, in rare cases, that you temporarily suspend your website or weblog activity altogether) if it believes this is necessary or advisable to ensure compliance with securities regulations or other laws.
If you have any questions about these guidelines or any matter related to your site that these guidelines do not address, please direct them to the company's Vice President of Communications or its General Counsel, as appropriate.
Original Document available at:
http://rayozzie.spaces.live.com/editorial/rayozzie/old/blog/catego
ries/organizations/2002/08/24.html
_________________
Weblog Policy: A number of people at Groove have started blogs, and I'm really trying to encourage more to do the same. The more we live it, the more that we'll learn from it, and the more that we'll learn through it as we're engaged in conversations with our customers. And thus, the sooner that we'll be able to improve our products and services based upon what we learn. Of course, there are many questions that arise when an employer encourages employees to operate more "in the open", and so our counsel, Jeff Seul, has taken a first pass at creating a "blog policy". Check it out.
As an employer, this gives me many things to consider. About a year ago, many of us witnessed as an employee of one company lost his job because he allegedly disparaged the company and some of its employees online. But it doesn't seem appropriate or possible to mandate and codify "reasonable behavior" in a policy. On the other hand, people will be increasingly challeneged to be aware of what they should or shouldn't say online - particularly with regard to intellectual property - and maybe reminding them to be aware of this is a good thing.
Furthermore, consider things like this. Jeff says, "I've added a paragraph about limitation or suspension of website/weblog activity during SEC-mandated quiet periods. You may recall that the SEC postponed Webvan's IPO because it considered certain activity on Webvan's website to be a violation of the pre-IPO quiet period. Although we view employee weblogs as a personal activity, the SEC could potentially impose a cooling-off period on us if it considered employee weblog activity to be sanctioned by the company or something we've turned a blind eye toward. There's a risk that they could view employee weblogs to which we link (or have linked in the past) as company-sanctioned." Fascinating.
Perhaps we can learn from one another: are there any other companies that have done similar things? Can you provide links or stories?
Personal Website and Weblog Guidelines
Some employees who maintain personal websites or weblogs, or who are considering beginning one, have asked about the company�s perspective regarding them. In general, the company views personal websites and weblogs positively, and it respects the right of employees to use them as a medium of self-expression.
If you choose to identify yourself as a company employee or to discuss matters related to the company�s technology or business on your website or weblog, please bear in mind that, although you and we view your website or weblog as a personal project and a medium of personal expression, some readers may nonetheless view you as a de facto spokesperson for the company. In light of this possibility, we ask that you observe the following guidelines:
• Please make it clear to your readers that the views you express are yours alone and that they do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. To help reduce the potential for confusion, we would appreciate it if you put the following notice � or something similar � in a reasonably prominent place on your site (e.g., at the bottom of your �about me� page):
The views expressed on this website/weblog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
If you do put a notice on your site, you needn�t put it on every page, but please use reasonable efforts to draw attention to it � if at all possible, from the home page of your site.
• Take care not to disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to the company or to any third party that has disclosed information to us. Consult the company�s confidentiality policy for guidance about what constitutes confidential information.
• Please remember that your employment documents give the company certain rights with respect to concepts and developments you produce that are related to the company�s business. Please consult your manager if you have questions about the appropriateness of publishing such concepts or developments related to the company�s business on your site.
• Since your site is a public space, we hope you will be as respectful to the company, our employees, our customers, our partners and affiliates, and others (including our competitors) as the company itself endeavors to be.
• You may provide a link from your site to the company�s website, if you wish. The web design group has created a graphic for links to the company�s site, which you may use for this purpose during the term of your employment (subject to discontinuation in the company�s discretion). Contact a member of the web design group for details. Please do not use other company trademarks on your site or reproduce company material without first obtaining permission.
Finally, please be aware that the company may request that you temporarily confine your website or weblog commentary to topics unrelated to the company (or, in rare cases, that you temporarily suspend your website or weblog activity altogether) if it believes this is necessary or advisable to ensure compliance with securities regulations or other laws.
If you have any questions about these guidelines or any matter related to your site that these guidelines do not address, please direct them to the company's Vice President of Communications or its General Counsel, as appropriate.
Corporate Blogging Policies - FOX Interactive Media Forums Rules of Discussion
This material is very interesting and we, at WordFrame, are happy to put it as one of the example Corporate Blogging Policies.
The Original document is on the Fox websites. Here is a direct link to these FOX Rules on one of the sites that you can find these:
http://community.myfoxdc.com/blogs/blogrules.aspx
_____________
FOX Interactive Media Forums Rules of Discussion
You are welcome to post, transmit or submit messages and other materials (to bulletin boards, chat rooms, blogs or other public areas within this Site ("Forums"). In order to keep these Forums enjoyable and suitable for all our users, we ask you to follow the rules listed below. By participating in any of our Forums you are consenting to, and agreeing to abide by, these rules.
1. You agree that you are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree to limit the content you post to the subject matter for which the Forums are intended. You will not post content that violates the copyright, trademark or other intellectual property rights of any other person. You will not post content that is libelous, an invasion or privacy or publicity rights, defamatory, obscene, profane or indecent, abusive or threatening. You will not post content that constitutes a criminal offense, that gives rise to any civil liability or that otherwise violates any local, state, national or international law.
You will indemnify Fox Interactive Media, Inc. (FIM), its parents and affiliates together with their respective employees, agents, directors, officers and shareholders, from and against any claims, liabilities, damages and expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys' fees) related to or arising out of any content you have posted.
2. You understand and agree that FIM is not responsible for any content posted by you or any other third party. You further understand that FIM does not endorse and has no control over the content posted in the Forums by third parties, and cannot vouch for its accuracy or reliability. You also understand that FIM has no responsibility to monitor the Forums for inappropriate content posted by users. Even if FIM chooses, in its sole discretion, to monitor the Forums, we nonetheless assume no responsibility for the content of the postings. However, FIM reserves the right to prevent you from posting content to the Forums and to edit, restrict or remove your content for any reason at any time.
3. You agree not to post content that contains advertising, is for commercial purposes, or solicits a person to buy or sell products and services or to make donations.
4. You agree that any content you post becomes the property of FIM. You understand and agree that FIM and its parent and affiliated companies may use, publish, copy, sublicense, adapt, edit, distribute, publicly perform, display and delete the content you post as they see fit. This right will terminate at the time you remove such content from the Site. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a back-up or residual copy of the content posted by you to the Site may remain on the FIM servers after you have removed such content from the Site, and FIM retains the rights to those copies.
The Original document is on the Fox websites. Here is a direct link to these FOX Rules on one of the sites that you can find these:
http://community.myfoxdc.com/blogs/blogrules.aspx
_____________
FOX Interactive Media Forums Rules of Discussion
You are welcome to post, transmit or submit messages and other materials (to bulletin boards, chat rooms, blogs or other public areas within this Site ("Forums"). In order to keep these Forums enjoyable and suitable for all our users, we ask you to follow the rules listed below. By participating in any of our Forums you are consenting to, and agreeing to abide by, these rules.
1. You agree that you are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree to limit the content you post to the subject matter for which the Forums are intended. You will not post content that violates the copyright, trademark or other intellectual property rights of any other person. You will not post content that is libelous, an invasion or privacy or publicity rights, defamatory, obscene, profane or indecent, abusive or threatening. You will not post content that constitutes a criminal offense, that gives rise to any civil liability or that otherwise violates any local, state, national or international law.
You will indemnify Fox Interactive Media, Inc. (FIM), its parents and affiliates together with their respective employees, agents, directors, officers and shareholders, from and against any claims, liabilities, damages and expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys' fees) related to or arising out of any content you have posted.
2. You understand and agree that FIM is not responsible for any content posted by you or any other third party. You further understand that FIM does not endorse and has no control over the content posted in the Forums by third parties, and cannot vouch for its accuracy or reliability. You also understand that FIM has no responsibility to monitor the Forums for inappropriate content posted by users. Even if FIM chooses, in its sole discretion, to monitor the Forums, we nonetheless assume no responsibility for the content of the postings. However, FIM reserves the right to prevent you from posting content to the Forums and to edit, restrict or remove your content for any reason at any time.
3. You agree not to post content that contains advertising, is for commercial purposes, or solicits a person to buy or sell products and services or to make donations.
4. You agree that any content you post becomes the property of FIM. You understand and agree that FIM and its parent and affiliated companies may use, publish, copy, sublicense, adapt, edit, distribute, publicly perform, display and delete the content you post as they see fit. This right will terminate at the time you remove such content from the Site. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a back-up or residual copy of the content posted by you to the Site may remain on the FIM servers after you have removed such content from the Site, and FIM retains the rights to those copies.
Corporate Blogging Policies - IBM blogging policy and guidelines
This article is continuation of our Corporate Blogging Policy examples series posted on the WordFrame Community blog. We constantly surf the net so we can always present the best materials and information for all customers.
These are the IBM Blogging Policies. The original material with some changes is available at:
http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html
The text bellow contains some additional text that was recently removed form the IBM guys but I have decided to show you all the materials available at some points on the IBM site. Please always check the sites of those companies to get the latest versions of those documents
__________________________________________
IBM blogging policy and guidelines
Introduction
Guidelines for IBM Bloggers: Executive Summary
1. Know and follow IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines.
2. Blogs, wikis and other forms of online discourse are individual interactions, not corporate communications. IBMers are personally responsible for their posts. Be mindful that what you write will be public for a long time -- protect your privacy.
3. Identify yourself -- name and, when relevant, role at IBM -- when you blog about IBM or IBM-related matters. And write in the first person. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM.
4. If you publish a blog or post to a blog and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with IBM, use a disclaimer such as this: "The postings on this site are my own and don?t necessarily represent IBM?s positions, strategies or opinions."
5. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
6. Don?t provide IBM?s or another?s confidential or other proprietary information.
7. Don't cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval.
8. Respect your audience. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc., and show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory -- such as politics and religion.
9. Find out who else is blogging on the topic, and cite them.
10. Don't pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes, and don't alter previous posts without indicating that you have done so.
11. Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective.
Guidelines for IBM Bloggers: Detailed Discussion
1. The IBM Business Conduct Guidelines and laws provide the foundation for IBM's policies and guidelines on Web logs (blogs).
The same principles and guidelines that apply to IBMers' activities in general, as codified in the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines, apply to IBMers' activities online. This includes forms of online publishing and discussion, such as Web logs (blogs) and Wikis.
As outlined in the Business Conduct Guidelines, IBM fully respects the legal rights of our employees in all countries in which we operate. In general, what you do on your own time is your affair. However, activities in or outside of work that affect your IBM job performance, the performance of others, or IBM's business interests are a proper focus for company policy.
2. IBM supports open dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
IBM regards blogs as primarily a form of communication and relationship among individuals. When the company wishes to communicate publicly as a company -- whether to the marketplace or to the general public -- it has well established means to do so. Only those officially designated by IBM have the authorization to speak on behalf of the company.
However, IBM believes in dialogue among IBMers and with our partners, clients, members of the many communities in which we participate and the general public. Such dialogue is inherent in our business model of innovation, and in our commitment to the development of open standards. We believe that IBMers can both derive and provide important benefits from exchanges of perspective.
One of IBMers' core values is "trust and personal responsibility in all relationships." As a company, IBM trusts -- and expects -- IBMers to exercise personal responsibility whenever they blog. This includes not violating the trust of those with whom they are engaging. IBMers should not use this medium for covert marketing or public relations. If and when members of IBM's Communications, Marketing, Sales or other functions engaged in advocacy for the company have the authorization to participate in blogs, they should identify themselves as such.
3. What does an IBMer's personal responsibility mean when blogging?
A blog is a tool individuals can use to share their insights, express their opinions and communicate within the context of a globally distributed conversation. As with all tools, it has proper and improper uses. While IBM encourages all of its employees to join a global conversation, it is important for IBMers who choose to do so to understand what is recommended, expected and required when they discuss IBM-related topics, whether at work or on their own time.
Know the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines. If you have any confusion about whether you ought to post something on your blog, chances are the BCGs will resolve it. Pay particular attention to what the BCGs have to say about proprietary information, about avoiding misrepresentation and about competing in the field. If, after checking the BCG's, you are still unclear as to the propriety of a post, it is best to refrain and seek the advice of management.
Be who you are. Some bloggers work anonymously, using pseudonyms or false screen names. IBM discourages that in blogs, wikis or other forms of online participation that relate to IBM, our business or issues with which the company is engaged. We believe in transparency and honesty. If you are blogging about your work for IBM, we encourage you to use your real name, be clear who you are, and identify that you work for IBM. Nothing gains you notice in the "blogosphere" more than honesty -- or dishonesty. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, be the first to point it out. But also be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy. What you publish will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully and also be judicious in disclosing personal details.
Speak in the first person. Use your own voice; bring your own personality to the forefront; say what is on your mind.
Use a disclaimer. Whether you publish a blog or participate in someone else's, make it clear that what you say there is representative of your views and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of IBM. At a minimum in your own blog, you should include the following standard legal disclaimer language: "The postings on this site are my own and don?t necessarily represent IBM?s positions, strategies or opinions."
Managers and executives take note: This standard disclaimer does not by itself exempt IBM managers and executives from a special responsibility when blogging. By virtue of their position, they must consider whether personal thoughts they publish may be misunderstood as expressing IBM positions. And a manager should assume that his or her team will read what is written. A blog is not the place to communicate IBM policies to IBM employees
Respect copyright and fair use laws. For IBM's protection and well as your own, it is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material owned by others, including IBM's own copyrights and brands. You should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else?s work. And it is good general blogging practice to link to others' work. Keep in mind that laws will be different depending on where you live and work.
Protecting confidential and proprietary information. You must make sure you do not disclose or use IBM confidential or proprietary information or that of any other person or company on any blog. For example, ask permission to publish someone?s picture or a conversation that was meant to be private.
IBM's business performance. You must not comment on confidential IBM financial information such as IBM's future business performance, business plans, or prospects anywhere in world. This includes statements about an upcoming quarter or future periods or information about alliances, and applies to anyone including conversations with Wall Street analysts, press or other third parties (including friends). IBM policy is not to comment on rumors in any way. Do not deny or affirm them -- or suggest either denial or affirmation in subtle ways.
Protect IBM's clients, business partners and suppliers. Clients, partners or suppliers should not be cited or obviously referenced without their approval. On your blog, never identify a client, partner or supplier by name without permission and never discuss confidential details of a client engagement. It is acceptable to discuss general details about kinds of projects and to use non-identifying pseudonyms for a client (e.g., Client 123) so long as the information provided does not violate any non-disclosure agreements that may be in place with the client or make it easy for someone to identfy the client. Furthermore, your blog is not the place to "conduct business" with a client.
Respect your audience and your coworkers. Remember that IBM is a global organization whose employees and clients reflect a diverse set of customs, values and points of view. Don't be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory -- such as politics and religion. If your blog is hosted on an IBM owned property, avoid these topics and focus on subjects that are business-related. If your blog is self-hosted, use your best judgment and be sure to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed are yours alone and do not represent the official views of IBM. Further, blogs hosted outside of IBM's protected Intranet environment must never be used for internal communications among fellow employees. It is fine for IBMers to disagree, but please don't use your external blog to air your differences in an inappropriate manner.
Add value. Blogs that are hosted on IBM-owned domains should be used in a way that adds value to IBM's business. If it helps you, your coworkers, our clients or our partners to do their jobs and solve problems; if it helps to improve knowledge or skills; if it contributes directly or indirectly to the improvement of IBM's products, processes and policies; or if it helps to promote IBM's Values, then it is adding value. Though not directly business-related, background information you choose to share about yourself, such as information about your family or personal interests, may be useful in helping establish a relationship between you and your readers, but it is entirely your choice whether to share this information.
Apply the skills and values learned from participation in IBM jams, IBM forums and other kinds of online collaboration. Although a relatively small percentage of the IBM population has thus far participated actively in blogs, we have a deep well of experience in online collaboration -- perhaps deeper than any other company in the world. Starting with the VM Fora in the 1980s, and extending up to our emeetings, teamrooms and companywide jams on w3 today, IBMers have honed skills, wisdom and creativity in many forms of online collaboration and engagement.
We should bring this experience to bear in blogs and wikis.
For instance, think about constructive forms of facilitation you've seen in jams or the IBM Forums. What did those IBMers do that helped develop the discussion, moved it forward, brought people together who were making complementary points, encouraged others to express themselves -- or to push themselves? Blogs aren't restricted to expressing opinions, or disputing opinions, or discussing products or services or one's personal life. They can also be a forum for genuine public discussion and learning -- and IBMers can play a fruitful, mature and constructive role in helping that happen.
Know your fellow bloggers. The most successful bloggers are those who pay attention to what others are saying about the topic they want to write about, and generously reference and link to them. Who?s blogging on the topics that most interest you? On the Internet, a quick way to find out who?s saying what is to use the search tools on Technorati, DayPop or Blogdigger. Drop your fellow bloggers a note to introduce yourself and your blog. There is also an informal community of IBM bloggers, so you can quickly find out which of your peers are part of the conversation.
Don't pick fights. When you see misrepresentations made about IBM in the media, by analysts or by other bloggers, you may certainly use your blog -- or join someone else's -- to point that out. Always do so with respect and with the facts. Also, if you speak about a competitor, you must make sure that what you say is factual and that it does not disparage the competitor. You should avoid arguments. Brawls may earn traffic, but nobody wins in the end. Don?t try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into inflammatory debates. Here and in other areas of public discussion, make sure that what you are saying is factually correct.
Be the first to respond to your own mistakes. If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. If you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear that you have done so.
Use your best judgment. Remember that there are always consequences to what you write. If you?re about to post something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, review the suggestions above and think about why that is. If you?re still unsure, and the post is about IBM business, feel free to discuss your proposed post with your manager. Ultimately, however, you have sole responsibility for what you choose to post to your blog.
Don't forget your day job. You should make sure that blogging does not interfere with your job or commitments to customers
These are the IBM Blogging Policies. The original material with some changes is available at:
http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html
The text bellow contains some additional text that was recently removed form the IBM guys but I have decided to show you all the materials available at some points on the IBM site. Please always check the sites of those companies to get the latest versions of those documents
__________________________________________
IBM blogging policy and guidelines
Introduction
Guidelines for IBM Bloggers: Executive Summary
1. Know and follow IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines.
2. Blogs, wikis and other forms of online discourse are individual interactions, not corporate communications. IBMers are personally responsible for their posts. Be mindful that what you write will be public for a long time -- protect your privacy.
3. Identify yourself -- name and, when relevant, role at IBM -- when you blog about IBM or IBM-related matters. And write in the first person. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM.
4. If you publish a blog or post to a blog and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with IBM, use a disclaimer such as this: "The postings on this site are my own and don?t necessarily represent IBM?s positions, strategies or opinions."
5. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
6. Don?t provide IBM?s or another?s confidential or other proprietary information.
7. Don't cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval.
8. Respect your audience. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc., and show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory -- such as politics and religion.
9. Find out who else is blogging on the topic, and cite them.
10. Don't pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes, and don't alter previous posts without indicating that you have done so.
11. Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective.
Guidelines for IBM Bloggers: Detailed Discussion
1. The IBM Business Conduct Guidelines and laws provide the foundation for IBM's policies and guidelines on Web logs (blogs).
The same principles and guidelines that apply to IBMers' activities in general, as codified in the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines, apply to IBMers' activities online. This includes forms of online publishing and discussion, such as Web logs (blogs) and Wikis.
As outlined in the Business Conduct Guidelines, IBM fully respects the legal rights of our employees in all countries in which we operate. In general, what you do on your own time is your affair. However, activities in or outside of work that affect your IBM job performance, the performance of others, or IBM's business interests are a proper focus for company policy.
2. IBM supports open dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
IBM regards blogs as primarily a form of communication and relationship among individuals. When the company wishes to communicate publicly as a company -- whether to the marketplace or to the general public -- it has well established means to do so. Only those officially designated by IBM have the authorization to speak on behalf of the company.
However, IBM believes in dialogue among IBMers and with our partners, clients, members of the many communities in which we participate and the general public. Such dialogue is inherent in our business model of innovation, and in our commitment to the development of open standards. We believe that IBMers can both derive and provide important benefits from exchanges of perspective.
One of IBMers' core values is "trust and personal responsibility in all relationships." As a company, IBM trusts -- and expects -- IBMers to exercise personal responsibility whenever they blog. This includes not violating the trust of those with whom they are engaging. IBMers should not use this medium for covert marketing or public relations. If and when members of IBM's Communications, Marketing, Sales or other functions engaged in advocacy for the company have the authorization to participate in blogs, they should identify themselves as such.
3. What does an IBMer's personal responsibility mean when blogging?
A blog is a tool individuals can use to share their insights, express their opinions and communicate within the context of a globally distributed conversation. As with all tools, it has proper and improper uses. While IBM encourages all of its employees to join a global conversation, it is important for IBMers who choose to do so to understand what is recommended, expected and required when they discuss IBM-related topics, whether at work or on their own time.
Know the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines. If you have any confusion about whether you ought to post something on your blog, chances are the BCGs will resolve it. Pay particular attention to what the BCGs have to say about proprietary information, about avoiding misrepresentation and about competing in the field. If, after checking the BCG's, you are still unclear as to the propriety of a post, it is best to refrain and seek the advice of management.
Be who you are. Some bloggers work anonymously, using pseudonyms or false screen names. IBM discourages that in blogs, wikis or other forms of online participation that relate to IBM, our business or issues with which the company is engaged. We believe in transparency and honesty. If you are blogging about your work for IBM, we encourage you to use your real name, be clear who you are, and identify that you work for IBM. Nothing gains you notice in the "blogosphere" more than honesty -- or dishonesty. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, be the first to point it out. But also be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy. What you publish will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully and also be judicious in disclosing personal details.
Speak in the first person. Use your own voice; bring your own personality to the forefront; say what is on your mind.
Use a disclaimer. Whether you publish a blog or participate in someone else's, make it clear that what you say there is representative of your views and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of IBM. At a minimum in your own blog, you should include the following standard legal disclaimer language: "The postings on this site are my own and don?t necessarily represent IBM?s positions, strategies or opinions."
Managers and executives take note: This standard disclaimer does not by itself exempt IBM managers and executives from a special responsibility when blogging. By virtue of their position, they must consider whether personal thoughts they publish may be misunderstood as expressing IBM positions. And a manager should assume that his or her team will read what is written. A blog is not the place to communicate IBM policies to IBM employees
Respect copyright and fair use laws. For IBM's protection and well as your own, it is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material owned by others, including IBM's own copyrights and brands. You should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else?s work. And it is good general blogging practice to link to others' work. Keep in mind that laws will be different depending on where you live and work.
Protecting confidential and proprietary information. You must make sure you do not disclose or use IBM confidential or proprietary information or that of any other person or company on any blog. For example, ask permission to publish someone?s picture or a conversation that was meant to be private.
IBM's business performance. You must not comment on confidential IBM financial information such as IBM's future business performance, business plans, or prospects anywhere in world. This includes statements about an upcoming quarter or future periods or information about alliances, and applies to anyone including conversations with Wall Street analysts, press or other third parties (including friends). IBM policy is not to comment on rumors in any way. Do not deny or affirm them -- or suggest either denial or affirmation in subtle ways.
Protect IBM's clients, business partners and suppliers. Clients, partners or suppliers should not be cited or obviously referenced without their approval. On your blog, never identify a client, partner or supplier by name without permission and never discuss confidential details of a client engagement. It is acceptable to discuss general details about kinds of projects and to use non-identifying pseudonyms for a client (e.g., Client 123) so long as the information provided does not violate any non-disclosure agreements that may be in place with the client or make it easy for someone to identfy the client. Furthermore, your blog is not the place to "conduct business" with a client.
Respect your audience and your coworkers. Remember that IBM is a global organization whose employees and clients reflect a diverse set of customs, values and points of view. Don't be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory -- such as politics and religion. If your blog is hosted on an IBM owned property, avoid these topics and focus on subjects that are business-related. If your blog is self-hosted, use your best judgment and be sure to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed are yours alone and do not represent the official views of IBM. Further, blogs hosted outside of IBM's protected Intranet environment must never be used for internal communications among fellow employees. It is fine for IBMers to disagree, but please don't use your external blog to air your differences in an inappropriate manner.
Add value. Blogs that are hosted on IBM-owned domains should be used in a way that adds value to IBM's business. If it helps you, your coworkers, our clients or our partners to do their jobs and solve problems; if it helps to improve knowledge or skills; if it contributes directly or indirectly to the improvement of IBM's products, processes and policies; or if it helps to promote IBM's Values, then it is adding value. Though not directly business-related, background information you choose to share about yourself, such as information about your family or personal interests, may be useful in helping establish a relationship between you and your readers, but it is entirely your choice whether to share this information.
Apply the skills and values learned from participation in IBM jams, IBM forums and other kinds of online collaboration. Although a relatively small percentage of the IBM population has thus far participated actively in blogs, we have a deep well of experience in online collaboration -- perhaps deeper than any other company in the world. Starting with the VM Fora in the 1980s, and extending up to our emeetings, teamrooms and companywide jams on w3 today, IBMers have honed skills, wisdom and creativity in many forms of online collaboration and engagement.
We should bring this experience to bear in blogs and wikis.
For instance, think about constructive forms of facilitation you've seen in jams or the IBM Forums. What did those IBMers do that helped develop the discussion, moved it forward, brought people together who were making complementary points, encouraged others to express themselves -- or to push themselves? Blogs aren't restricted to expressing opinions, or disputing opinions, or discussing products or services or one's personal life. They can also be a forum for genuine public discussion and learning -- and IBMers can play a fruitful, mature and constructive role in helping that happen.
Know your fellow bloggers. The most successful bloggers are those who pay attention to what others are saying about the topic they want to write about, and generously reference and link to them. Who?s blogging on the topics that most interest you? On the Internet, a quick way to find out who?s saying what is to use the search tools on Technorati, DayPop or Blogdigger. Drop your fellow bloggers a note to introduce yourself and your blog. There is also an informal community of IBM bloggers, so you can quickly find out which of your peers are part of the conversation.
Don't pick fights. When you see misrepresentations made about IBM in the media, by analysts or by other bloggers, you may certainly use your blog -- or join someone else's -- to point that out. Always do so with respect and with the facts. Also, if you speak about a competitor, you must make sure that what you say is factual and that it does not disparage the competitor. You should avoid arguments. Brawls may earn traffic, but nobody wins in the end. Don?t try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into inflammatory debates. Here and in other areas of public discussion, make sure that what you are saying is factually correct.
Be the first to respond to your own mistakes. If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. If you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear that you have done so.
Use your best judgment. Remember that there are always consequences to what you write. If you?re about to post something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, review the suggestions above and think about why that is. If you?re still unsure, and the post is about IBM business, feel free to discuss your proposed post with your manager. Ultimately, however, you have sole responsibility for what you choose to post to your blog.
Don't forget your day job. You should make sure that blogging does not interfere with your job or commitments to customers
Corporate Blogging Policies - Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines: 1.0
WordFrame Community Platform is committed to its visitors, prospects and customers. We are continuing with the presentation of a list of Corporate Blogging Policy Examples.
This is a direct link to the original of the document setting the Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines:
http://jeremy.zawodny.com/yahoo/yahoo-blog-guidelines.pdf
Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines: 1.0
Yahoo! believes in fostering a thriving online community and supports blogging as a valuable component of shared media. The Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines have been developed for Yahoos who maintain personal blogs that contain postings about Yahoo!’s business, products, or fellow Yahoos and the work they do. They are also applicable to Yahoos who post about the company on the blogs of others. The guidelines outline the legal implications of blogging about the company and also include recommended best practices to consider when posting about Yahoo!.
LEGAL PARAMETERS: The following two bullets cover your legal responsibilities and non-disclosure obligations. Failure to abide by these two guidelines can result in serious ramifications for individual bloggers and/or individuals who post on the blogs of others.
Legal Liability
When you choose to go public with your opinions via a blog, you are legally responsible for your commentary. Individual bloggers can be held personally liable for any commentary deemed to be defamatory, obscene (not swear words, but rather the legal definition of "obscene"), proprietary, or libelous (whether pertaining to Yahoo, individuals, or any other company for that matter). For these reasons, bloggers should exercise caution with regards to exaggeration, colorful language, guesswork, obscenity, copyrighted materials, legal conclusions, and derogatory remarks or characterizations. In essence, you blog (or post on the blogs of others) at your own risk. Outside parties actually can pursue legal action against you (not Yahoo!) for postings.
Company Privileged Information
Any confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information is obviously off-limits for your blog per the Proprietary Information Agreement you have signed with Yahoo!. To obtain a copy of your agreement, please contact your HR manager. The Yahoo! logo and trademarks are also off-limits per our brand guidelines. Anything related to Yahoo! policy, inventions, strategy, financials, products, etc. that has not been made public cannot appear in your blog under any circumstances. see Yahoo! Guides 2. Disclosing confidential or proprietary information can negatively impact our business and may result in regulatory violations for the company.
Press Inquiries
Blog postings may generate media coverage. If a member of the media contacts you about a Yahoo!-related blog posting or requests Yahoo! information of any kind, contact PR (pr-corp@yahoo-inc.com or 415-318-4120 ) You should also reach out for PR for clarification on whether specific information has been publicly disclosed before you blog about it.
BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES: These four recommendations provide a roadmap for constructive, respectful, and productive dialogue between bloggers and their fellow Yahoos. These are not "rules" and thus they can’t be broken. There is no hidden meaning or agenda. We consider these to be "best practices guidelines" that are in the spirit of our culture and the best interest of all Yahoos, whether they blog or not. We encourage Yahoos to follow these guidelines, but it is not mandatory to do so. It’s your choice. We really mean that.
Be Respectful of Your Colleagues
Be thoughtful and accurate in your posts, and be respectful of how other Yahoos may be affected. All Yahoo! employees can be viewed (correctly or incorrectly) as representative of the company, which can add significance to your public reflections on the organization (whether you intend to or not). Yahoos who identify themselves as Yahoo! employees in their blogs and comment on the company at any time, should notify their manager of the existence of their blog just to avoid any surprises. To be clear, you are not being asked to alert your manager of your posts, just to consider letting them know you have a blog where you may write about Yahoo!. Whether your manager chooses to occasionally read your blog or not, the courtesy head’s up is always appreciated.
Get Your Facts Straight
As a Yahoo! employee with intranet access, you have the opportunity to contact the Yahoos who are responsible for the products, services, or other initiatives that you may want to write about. To ensure you are not misrepresenting your fellow Yahoos or their work, consider reaching out to a member of the relevant team before posting. This courtesy will help you provide your readers with accurate insights, especially when you are blogging outside your area of expertise. If there is someone at Yahoo! who knows more about the topic than you, check with them to make sure you have your facts straight.
Provide Context to Your Argument
Please be sure to provide enough support in your posting to help Yahoos understand your reasoning, be it positive or negative. We appreciate the value of multiple perspectives, so help us to understand yours by providing context to your opinion. Whether you are posting in praise or criticism of Yahoo!, you are encouraged to develop a thoughtful argument that extends well beyond "(insert) is cool" or "(insert) sucks".
Engage in Private Feedback:
Not everyone who is reading your blog will feel comfortable approaching you if they are concerned their feedback will become public. In order to maintain an open dialogue that everyone can comfortably engage in, Yahoo! bloggers are asked to welcome "off-blog" feedback from their colleagues who would like to privately respond, make suggestions, or report errors without having their comments appear your blog.
Bloggers want to know what you think. If you have an opinion, correction or criticism regarding a posting, reach out for the blogger directly. Whether privately or on their blog, let the blogger know your thoughts.
SOME WORDS FROM THE WISE: As you may know, Yahoo! has some talented and experienced bloggers who are very active in the social media circles. We’ve asked them to share their wisdom and they have provided the following insights for those who are new to blogging:
Jeremy Zawodny
Jeff Boulter
JR Conlin
Russell Beattie
This is a direct link to the original of the document setting the Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines:
http://jeremy.zawodny.com/yahoo/yahoo-blog-guidelines.pdf
Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines: 1.0
Yahoo! believes in fostering a thriving online community and supports blogging as a valuable component of shared media. The Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines have been developed for Yahoos who maintain personal blogs that contain postings about Yahoo!’s business, products, or fellow Yahoos and the work they do. They are also applicable to Yahoos who post about the company on the blogs of others. The guidelines outline the legal implications of blogging about the company and also include recommended best practices to consider when posting about Yahoo!.
LEGAL PARAMETERS: The following two bullets cover your legal responsibilities and non-disclosure obligations. Failure to abide by these two guidelines can result in serious ramifications for individual bloggers and/or individuals who post on the blogs of others.
Legal Liability
When you choose to go public with your opinions via a blog, you are legally responsible for your commentary. Individual bloggers can be held personally liable for any commentary deemed to be defamatory, obscene (not swear words, but rather the legal definition of "obscene"), proprietary, or libelous (whether pertaining to Yahoo, individuals, or any other company for that matter). For these reasons, bloggers should exercise caution with regards to exaggeration, colorful language, guesswork, obscenity, copyrighted materials, legal conclusions, and derogatory remarks or characterizations. In essence, you blog (or post on the blogs of others) at your own risk. Outside parties actually can pursue legal action against you (not Yahoo!) for postings.
Company Privileged Information
Any confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information is obviously off-limits for your blog per the Proprietary Information Agreement you have signed with Yahoo!. To obtain a copy of your agreement, please contact your HR manager. The Yahoo! logo and trademarks are also off-limits per our brand guidelines. Anything related to Yahoo! policy, inventions, strategy, financials, products, etc. that has not been made public cannot appear in your blog under any circumstances. see Yahoo! Guides 2. Disclosing confidential or proprietary information can negatively impact our business and may result in regulatory violations for the company.
Press Inquiries
Blog postings may generate media coverage. If a member of the media contacts you about a Yahoo!-related blog posting or requests Yahoo! information of any kind, contact PR (pr-corp@yahoo-inc.com or 415-318-4120 ) You should also reach out for PR for clarification on whether specific information has been publicly disclosed before you blog about it.
BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES: These four recommendations provide a roadmap for constructive, respectful, and productive dialogue between bloggers and their fellow Yahoos. These are not "rules" and thus they can’t be broken. There is no hidden meaning or agenda. We consider these to be "best practices guidelines" that are in the spirit of our culture and the best interest of all Yahoos, whether they blog or not. We encourage Yahoos to follow these guidelines, but it is not mandatory to do so. It’s your choice. We really mean that.
Be Respectful of Your Colleagues
Be thoughtful and accurate in your posts, and be respectful of how other Yahoos may be affected. All Yahoo! employees can be viewed (correctly or incorrectly) as representative of the company, which can add significance to your public reflections on the organization (whether you intend to or not). Yahoos who identify themselves as Yahoo! employees in their blogs and comment on the company at any time, should notify their manager of the existence of their blog just to avoid any surprises. To be clear, you are not being asked to alert your manager of your posts, just to consider letting them know you have a blog where you may write about Yahoo!. Whether your manager chooses to occasionally read your blog or not, the courtesy head’s up is always appreciated.
Get Your Facts Straight
As a Yahoo! employee with intranet access, you have the opportunity to contact the Yahoos who are responsible for the products, services, or other initiatives that you may want to write about. To ensure you are not misrepresenting your fellow Yahoos or their work, consider reaching out to a member of the relevant team before posting. This courtesy will help you provide your readers with accurate insights, especially when you are blogging outside your area of expertise. If there is someone at Yahoo! who knows more about the topic than you, check with them to make sure you have your facts straight.
Provide Context to Your Argument
Please be sure to provide enough support in your posting to help Yahoos understand your reasoning, be it positive or negative. We appreciate the value of multiple perspectives, so help us to understand yours by providing context to your opinion. Whether you are posting in praise or criticism of Yahoo!, you are encouraged to develop a thoughtful argument that extends well beyond "(insert) is cool" or "(insert) sucks".
Engage in Private Feedback:
Not everyone who is reading your blog will feel comfortable approaching you if they are concerned their feedback will become public. In order to maintain an open dialogue that everyone can comfortably engage in, Yahoo! bloggers are asked to welcome "off-blog" feedback from their colleagues who would like to privately respond, make suggestions, or report errors without having their comments appear your blog.
Bloggers want to know what you think. If you have an opinion, correction or criticism regarding a posting, reach out for the blogger directly. Whether privately or on their blog, let the blogger know your thoughts.
SOME WORDS FROM THE WISE: As you may know, Yahoo! has some talented and experienced bloggers who are very active in the social media circles. We’ve asked them to share their wisdom and they have provided the following insights for those who are new to blogging:
Jeremy Zawodny
Jeff Boulter
JR Conlin
Russell Beattie
Corporate Blogging Policies - Hill & Knowlton blogging policy and guidelines
This is the Corporate Blogging policy of Hill & Knowlton. Please read it carefully as there some elements int his document that are still not available in similar documents originating from much larger enterprises. WordFrame Community platform resource bank will continue to be of any and all the help possible so you guys, can build the proper social networks and social media oriented online systems.
The Original document is created and published by Naill Cook on May 19th, 2005.
Please follow the link if you want to see the original of this document: http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/blogs/niallcook/archive/2005/05/19/279.aspx
Blogging policies and guidelines
Following a collaborative effort by existing bloggers in our company, we've just had our guidelines for personal weblogs approved and published to all our staff. I'm reproducing the key extracts here for the reference of others. Hill & Knowlton views personal websites and weblogs (blogs) positively. Blogs are powerful tools that are already influencing reputation. They form part of some much wider changes taking place in online media that will increasingly affect our business and our clients’ brands. By experimenting with the medium – personally or on behalf of the company – our staff will learn more and be able to advise our clients better and more credibly. In connection with any blogging, please be mindful of the following:
• Most weblogs publish RSS feeds that others can subscribe to, so remember that others, including your colleagues, may be actively reading what you write.
• Think of what you say in your weblog in the same way as statements you might make to the media, or emails you might send to people you don’t know. If you wouldn’t include it in those, don’t post it on your weblog.
• Never disclose any information – including textual or visual material – that is confidential or proprietary to Hill & Knowlton, or any third party that has disclosed information to us (e.g. clients, journalists, suppliers, etc.). Your existing contract in any case prohibits this.
• There are many things that we cannot mention as a publicly-owned company. Talking about our revenue, future plans, or the WPP share price will get you and Hill & Knowlton in legal trouble, even if it is just your own personal view, and whether or not you directly identify yourself as an employee of Hill & Knowlton.
• You should make it clear that the views you express are yours alone. You may want to use the following form of words on your weblog, weblog posting, or website: The views expressed on this [blog; website] are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer In addition, we include some advice on best practice:
• Link, link, link The web is all about links. When you find something interesting and relevant, link to it. You’ll be helping your readers, and you’ll generate links back to your blog.
• Be interesting If you write interesting things on your blog, it will be popular. Expose your personality – write about yourself, your family, movies, books and games; post pictures. But remember that your blog is a public place so try to avoid embarrassing your readers or others.
• Check your facts Even though your blog postings will be primarily made up of personal opinion, do your research well and check that your facts are accurate. Make sure you have permission to post any copyrighted items (e.g. images) to your blog, and be careful about posting or linking to items that may contain viruses.
• Write about what you know The best way to be interesting is to write about what you know. If you have a deep understanding of something, talk about the challenges and issues around it. Try not to rant about things you don’t understand, as you’re more likely to get embarrassed by a real expert.
• Quality matters Use a spell-checker and keep things clear and concise. Ask people whether your blog looks good, design-wise, and take their advice to improve it. The most interesting thing about the whole process has not been creating the guidelines themselves, but the connected issues raised by staff such as ghost writing blogs for clients, monitoring and commenting on blogs, pitching stories to bloggers, and blogging on behalf of the company. So with the personal guidelines under our belt, we're making a start on addressing some of these other issues.
Published 19 May 2005 09:30 by Niall Cook
Corporate Weblog Manifesto by Robert Scoble
This document was created by Robert Scoble in January and February 2003. The actual publishing date is February 26, 2003. At that point Robert Scoble is still the Microsoft Geek Blogger. I personally met Robert about 30 months later while I was participating at an Event organized by Blog Business Summit / Parnassus Ventures guys and gall ( at that point Teresa Valdez Klein was the only girl in the team but that is not the case now). Parnassus Ventures are one of the WordFrame partners now and we are very happy with everything we do together. Anyway, I met Robert in late 2005 and i did tell him how I first heard about him – through his Corporate Blogging Manifesto.
Here is the link to the Original Document .
For those that the link may not work for some reason I am also attaching the entire URL for reference:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2003/02/26.html#a2357
The Corporate Weblog Manifesto.
Thinking of doing a weblog about your product or your company? Here's my ideas of things to consider before you start.
1) Tell the truth. The whole truth. Nothing but the truth. If your competitor has a product that's better than yours, link to it. You might as well. We'll find it anyway.
2) Post fast on good news or bad. Someone say something bad about your product? Link to it -- before the second or third site does -- and answer its claims as best you can. Same if something good comes out about you. It's all about building long-term trust. The trick to building trust is to show up! If people are saying things about your product and you don't answer them, that distrust builds. Plus, if people are saying good things about your product, why not help Google find those pages as well?
3) Use a human voice. Don't get corporate lawyers and PR professionals to cleanse your speech. We can tell, believe me. Plus, you'll be too slow. If you're the last one to post, the joke is on you!
4) Make sure you support the latest software/web/human standards. If you don't know what the W3C is, find out. If you don't know what RSS feeds are, find out. If you don't know what weblogs.com is, find out. If you don't know how Google works, find out.
5) Have a thick skin. Even if you have Bill Gates' favorite product people will say bad things about it. That's part of the process. Don't try to write a corporate weblog unless you can answer all questions -- good and bad -- professionally, quickly, and nicely.
6) Don't ignore Slashdot.
7) Talk to the grassroots first. Why? Because the main-stream press is cruising weblogs looking for stories and looking for people to use in quotes. If a mainstream reporter can't find anyone who knows anything about a story, he/she will write a story that looks like a press release instead of something trustworthy. People trust stories that have quotes from many sources. They don't trust press releases.
8) If you screw up, acknowledge it. Fast. And give us a plan for how you'll unscrew things. Then deliver on your promises.
9) Underpromise and over deliver. If you're going to ship on March 1, say you won't ship until March 15. Folks will start to trust you if you behave this way. Look at Disneyland. When you're standing in line you trust their signs. Why? Because the line always goes faster than its says it will (their signs are engineered to say that a line will take about 15% longer than it really will).
10) If Doc Searls says it or writes it, believe it. Live it. Enough said.
11) Know the information gatekeepers. If you don't realize that Sue Mosher reaches more Outlook users than nearly everyone else, you shouldn't be on the PR team for Outlook. If you don't know all of her phone numbers and IM addresses, you should be fired. If you can't call on the gatekeepers during a crisis, you shouldn't try to keep a corporate weblog (oh, and they better know how to get ahold of you since they know when you're under attack before you do -- for instance, why hasn't anyone from the Hotmail team called me yet to tell me what's going on with Hotmail and why it's unreachable as I write this?).
12) Never change the URL of your weblog. I've done it once and I lost much of my readership and it took several months to build up the same reader patterns and trust.
13) If your life is in turmoil and/or you're unhappy, don't write. When I was going through my divorce, it affected my writing in subtle ways. Lately I've been feeling a lot better, and I notice my writing and readership quality has been going up too.
14) If you don't have the answers, say so. Not having the answers is human. But, get them and exceed expectations. If you say you'll know by tomorrow afternoon, make sure you know in the morning.
15) Never lie. You'll get caught and you'll lose credibility that you'll never get back.
16) Never hide information. Just like the space shuttle engineers, your information will get out and then you'll lose credibility.
17) If you have information that might get you in a lawsuit, see a lawyer before posting, but do it fast. Speed is key here. If it takes you two weeks to answer what's going on in the marketplace because you're scared of what your legal hit will be, then you're screwed anyway. Your competitors will figure it out and outmaneuver you.
18) Link to your competitors and say nice things about them. Remember, you're part of an industry and if the entire industry gets bigger, you'll probably win more than your fair share of business and you'll get bigger too. Be better than your competitors -- people remember that. I remember sending lots of customers over to the camera shop that competed with me and many of those folks came back to me and said "I'd rather buy it from you, can you get me that?" Remember how Bill Gates got DOS? He sent IBM to get it from DRI Research. They weren't all that helpful, so IBM said "hey, why don't you get us an OS?"
19) BOGU. This means "Bend Over and Grease Up." I believe the term originated at Microsoft. It means that when a big fish comes over (like IBM, or Bill Gates) you do whatever you have to do to keep him happy. Personally, I believe in BOGU'ing for EVERYONE, not just the big fish. You never know when the janitor will go to school, get an MBA, and start a company. I've seen it happen. Translation for weblog world: treat Gnome-Girl as good as you'd treat Dave Winer or Glenn Reynolds. You never know who'll get promoted. I've learned this lesson the hard way over the years.
20) Be the authority on your product/company. You should know more about your product than anyone else alive, if you're writing a weblog about it. If there's someone alive who knows more, you damn well better have links to them (and you should send some goodies to them to thank them for being such great advocates).
Any others? Disagree with any of these? Sorry my comments are down. Now Hotmail is down too. Grr. Where's the "Hotmail weblog" where I can read about what's going on at Hotmail? So, write about this and link to it from your weblog. I watch my referer links like a hawk. Oh, is that #21? Yes it is. Know who is talking about you.
Here is the link to the Original Document .
For those that the link may not work for some reason I am also attaching the entire URL for reference:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2003/02/26.html#a2357
The Corporate Weblog Manifesto.
Thinking of doing a weblog about your product or your company? Here's my ideas of things to consider before you start.
1) Tell the truth. The whole truth. Nothing but the truth. If your competitor has a product that's better than yours, link to it. You might as well. We'll find it anyway.
2) Post fast on good news or bad. Someone say something bad about your product? Link to it -- before the second or third site does -- and answer its claims as best you can. Same if something good comes out about you. It's all about building long-term trust. The trick to building trust is to show up! If people are saying things about your product and you don't answer them, that distrust builds. Plus, if people are saying good things about your product, why not help Google find those pages as well?
3) Use a human voice. Don't get corporate lawyers and PR professionals to cleanse your speech. We can tell, believe me. Plus, you'll be too slow. If you're the last one to post, the joke is on you!
4) Make sure you support the latest software/web/human standards. If you don't know what the W3C is, find out. If you don't know what RSS feeds are, find out. If you don't know what weblogs.com is, find out. If you don't know how Google works, find out.
5) Have a thick skin. Even if you have Bill Gates' favorite product people will say bad things about it. That's part of the process. Don't try to write a corporate weblog unless you can answer all questions -- good and bad -- professionally, quickly, and nicely.
6) Don't ignore Slashdot.
7) Talk to the grassroots first. Why? Because the main-stream press is cruising weblogs looking for stories and looking for people to use in quotes. If a mainstream reporter can't find anyone who knows anything about a story, he/she will write a story that looks like a press release instead of something trustworthy. People trust stories that have quotes from many sources. They don't trust press releases.
8) If you screw up, acknowledge it. Fast. And give us a plan for how you'll unscrew things. Then deliver on your promises.
9) Underpromise and over deliver. If you're going to ship on March 1, say you won't ship until March 15. Folks will start to trust you if you behave this way. Look at Disneyland. When you're standing in line you trust their signs. Why? Because the line always goes faster than its says it will (their signs are engineered to say that a line will take about 15% longer than it really will).
10) If Doc Searls says it or writes it, believe it. Live it. Enough said.
11) Know the information gatekeepers. If you don't realize that Sue Mosher reaches more Outlook users than nearly everyone else, you shouldn't be on the PR team for Outlook. If you don't know all of her phone numbers and IM addresses, you should be fired. If you can't call on the gatekeepers during a crisis, you shouldn't try to keep a corporate weblog (oh, and they better know how to get ahold of you since they know when you're under attack before you do -- for instance, why hasn't anyone from the Hotmail team called me yet to tell me what's going on with Hotmail and why it's unreachable as I write this?).
12) Never change the URL of your weblog. I've done it once and I lost much of my readership and it took several months to build up the same reader patterns and trust.
13) If your life is in turmoil and/or you're unhappy, don't write. When I was going through my divorce, it affected my writing in subtle ways. Lately I've been feeling a lot better, and I notice my writing and readership quality has been going up too.
14) If you don't have the answers, say so. Not having the answers is human. But, get them and exceed expectations. If you say you'll know by tomorrow afternoon, make sure you know in the morning.
15) Never lie. You'll get caught and you'll lose credibility that you'll never get back.
16) Never hide information. Just like the space shuttle engineers, your information will get out and then you'll lose credibility.
17) If you have information that might get you in a lawsuit, see a lawyer before posting, but do it fast. Speed is key here. If it takes you two weeks to answer what's going on in the marketplace because you're scared of what your legal hit will be, then you're screwed anyway. Your competitors will figure it out and outmaneuver you.
18) Link to your competitors and say nice things about them. Remember, you're part of an industry and if the entire industry gets bigger, you'll probably win more than your fair share of business and you'll get bigger too. Be better than your competitors -- people remember that. I remember sending lots of customers over to the camera shop that competed with me and many of those folks came back to me and said "I'd rather buy it from you, can you get me that?" Remember how Bill Gates got DOS? He sent IBM to get it from DRI Research. They weren't all that helpful, so IBM said "hey, why don't you get us an OS?"
19) BOGU. This means "Bend Over and Grease Up." I believe the term originated at Microsoft. It means that when a big fish comes over (like IBM, or Bill Gates) you do whatever you have to do to keep him happy. Personally, I believe in BOGU'ing for EVERYONE, not just the big fish. You never know when the janitor will go to school, get an MBA, and start a company. I've seen it happen. Translation for weblog world: treat Gnome-Girl as good as you'd treat Dave Winer or Glenn Reynolds. You never know who'll get promoted. I've learned this lesson the hard way over the years.
20) Be the authority on your product/company. You should know more about your product than anyone else alive, if you're writing a weblog about it. If there's someone alive who knows more, you damn well better have links to them (and you should send some goodies to them to thank them for being such great advocates).
Any others? Disagree with any of these? Sorry my comments are down. Now Hotmail is down too. Grr. Where's the "Hotmail weblog" where I can read about what's going on at Hotmail? So, write about this and link to it from your weblog. I watch my referer links like a hawk. Oh, is that #21? Yes it is. Know who is talking about you.
Corporate Blogging Resources
Ever since we started doing collaboration and publishing social networking software in 2000 with our NewzSpread project, our CMS software and our web publishing tools we were interested in and obliged to follow what the big corporations set as rules for their internal and external communication platforms or blogging tools.
Although the Blogging tools actually started to be more modern and functional and to include more than just article posted after 2003, there were some companies with advance thinking that even then published very serious materials and set the boundaries for their employees and consultants. Those set of rules were for all the boys and girls who had the guts and the abilities at that time to say out loud what they really think.
I have gathered a good collection of corporate publishing and blogging policies through the years since 2001 that I personally used to consult all our clients that were planning to have publishing and open discussion tools like that. The initial project that we used some of the materials that I have was for a Texas company out of Fort Worth called Street Advisor at that point and it was later acquired by a UK based consulting company.
I will post all the materials I have in regards to the existing at that time Corporate practices and Policies combined with what is available as documents at the moment out there so all WordFrame users and visitors can benefit from these type of documents. I will be including each company’s info and website so the people interested can actually find more or additional materials on these sites.
Please note that the materials that I will be posting are property of each respective document owner strictly mentioned in each of the articles I am going to post on the WordFrame Blog site
Although the Blogging tools actually started to be more modern and functional and to include more than just article posted after 2003, there were some companies with advance thinking that even then published very serious materials and set the boundaries for their employees and consultants. Those set of rules were for all the boys and girls who had the guts and the abilities at that time to say out loud what they really think.
I have gathered a good collection of corporate publishing and blogging policies through the years since 2001 that I personally used to consult all our clients that were planning to have publishing and open discussion tools like that. The initial project that we used some of the materials that I have was for a Texas company out of Fort Worth called Street Advisor at that point and it was later acquired by a UK based consulting company.
I will post all the materials I have in regards to the existing at that time Corporate practices and Policies combined with what is available as documents at the moment out there so all WordFrame users and visitors can benefit from these type of documents. I will be including each company’s info and website so the people interested can actually find more or additional materials on these sites.
Please note that the materials that I will be posting are property of each respective document owner strictly mentioned in each of the articles I am going to post on the WordFrame Blog site
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