Article in yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle talks about the evolving phenomenon of corporate blogging guidelines. As always, the key is to “be smart.” Yahoo has just published its blogging guidelines, available for download here (3-page PDF). The #1 rule:
“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…”
Also noted: “If a member of the media contacts you about a Yahoo!-related blog posting or requests Yahoo! information of any kind, contact PR.”
Thanks to Fredrik Wackå for the link to the SF Chronicle article (in which he’s quoted). Take a look at his useful comparison of corporate blogging guidelines. He reviews common points in the guidelines published thus far by IBM, Yahoo, Hill & Knowlton, Plaxo, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Feedster, Groove (dated 2002; the oldest) and Sun. Interestingly, only two companies (Plaxo and Thomas Nelson) specifically address the question of whether it’s OK to blog on company time – they say yes.
Useful Link