Blog Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policy, Public Relations, and Legal Issues

240 Pages·2006·3.607 MB·English

by  Nancy Flynn

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B l o g R u l e s
A Business Guide to Managing Policy,
Public Relations, and Legal Issues
Nancy Flynn
American Management Association
New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco
Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington,D.C.
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SpecialdiscountsonbulkquantitiesofAMACOMbooksare
availabletocorporations,professionalassociations,andother
organizations.Fordetails,contactSpecialSalesDepartment,
AMACOM,adivisionofAmericanManagementAssociation,
1601Broadway,NewYork,NY10019.
Tel.:[phone].Fax:[phone].
Website:www.amacombooks.org
Thispublicationisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritative
informationinregardtothesubjectmattercovered.Itissoldwiththe
understandingthatthepublisherisnotengagedinrenderinglegal,
accounting,orotherprofessionalservice.Iflegaladviceorotherexpert
assistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetentprofessionalperson
shouldbesought.
Althoughthisbookisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritative
informationinregardtothesubjectmattercovered,itissoldwiththe
understandingthatthepublisherandauthorarenotengagedinrendering
legal,regulatory,technology,orotherprofessionalservice.Thebookis
presentedasageneraloverviewandguideanddoesnotprovidelegal,
regulatory,compliance,technology,communications,orsecurityadviceor
opiniononanytopiccontainedwithin.TheauthorofBlogRulesdid
notandcouldnotcontemplateeverysituation,problem,orissuethat
mayarisewhenblogging,andthisbookdoesnotpurporttobeexhaustive
ofallsituationsthatmayarisewhenusing,implementing,orrelyingon
blogtoolsandtechnologies.Iflegaladviceorotherexpertassistanceis
required,theservicesofacompetentprofessionalpersonshouldbesought.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Flynn,Nancy,1956–
Blogrules:abusinessguidetomanagingpolicy,publicrelations,andlegalissues/
NancyFlynn.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-10:0-8144-7355-5
ISBN-13:978-0-8144-7355-9
1. Businesscommunication—Blogs. 2. Customerrelations—Technological
innovations. 3. Blogs. 4. Corporateculture. I. Title.
HD30.37.F59 2006
659.2—dc22 2006002362
(cid:2)2006NancyFlynn.
Allrightsreserved.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Thispublicationmaynotbereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinwholeorinpart,
inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,without
thepriorwrittenpermissionofAMACOM,adivisionofAmericanManagementAssociation,1601
Broadway,NewYork,NY10019.
Printingnumber
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To Paul, Bridget, and Tim.
Thank you, as always, for your patience and support.
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CONTENTS
Part1 TheCaseforStrategicBlogManagement 1
Chapter1 WhyBlogRules? 3
Chapter2 BlogsPoseUnprecedentedRiskstoBusiness 13
Chapter3 StartwithaClearObjective:WhyBlog? 20
Chapter4 ProceedwithCaution:Self-AssessmentforWould-Be
BusinessBloggers 26
Part2 LegalRisksandRegulatoryRulesintheBlogosphere:
WhyEvery EmployerMustEstablishBlogPolicies
andProcedures 37
Chapter5 TreatBlogPostsasBusinessRecords 39
Chapter6 BlogsCreateMillion-Dollar(SometimesBillion-
Dollar)LegalHeadachesforEmployers 47
Chapter7 Shhh!BlogsPutTradeSecretsandConfidential
InformationatRisk 54
Chapter8 BlogBestPracticesforPublicCompaniesand
RegulatedFirms 58
Part3 DesigningandImplementingEffectiveBlogRules
andPolicies 65
Chapter9 UseWrittenBlogRulesandPolicytoControl
Content,MaximizeCompliance,andReduce
Liabilities 67
Chapter10 CommunicationIsKeytoCompliance:Train,Train,
andTrainSomeMore 77
Part4 TheBlogIsAllAboutContent 83
Chapter11 ContentCanMake—orBreak—YourBlogandYour
Business 85
vii
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viii CONTENTS
Chapter12 ManagingandEditingWriters’ PostsandReaders’
Comments 91
Chapter13 BlogEtiquette,orNetiquette:Twelve TipstoHelp
MaximizeCivilDiscourse 96
Chapter14 BattlingCommentSpamandSplog 103
Part 5 BlogBacklash:EmployersFightBackwithLawsuits
andPinkSlips 109
Chapter15 Employee-BloggersBeware1:BloggingCanGetYou
Fired! 111
Chapter16 Employee-BloggersBeware2:BloggingCanGetYou
Sued! 116
Chapter17 HowtoBlogWithoutGettingFired:EightTipsfor
BloggersWho WanttoKeepTheirJobsandStayout
ofCourt 120
Part 6 PublicRelationsintheBlogosphere:Telling Your
Story,RecruitingCustomerEvangelists,Positioning
CEOBloggers 125
Chapter18 TheRulesofEngagementHaveChanged:Blogs
MakeItHardertoControlYourMessageandYour
Brand 127
Chapter19 SpreadingtheWordandSellingtheBrandThrough
CustomerEvangelistsandBrandBloggers 133
Chapter20 PositioningtheCEO-Blogger asOpinionLeader 139
Part 7 ManagingYourReputationintheBlogosphere 149
Chapter21 You’veBeenBlogged:HowtoPreparefor—and
Respond to—AnAttackintheBlogosphere 151
Chapter22 BestPracticesHelpKeepBlogstormsatBay 158
Part 8 PuttingBusinessBlogstoWork:IBMandEdelman
ShareBlogSecrets,Strategies,andSuccessStories 163
Chapter23 Q&AwithIBM:BlogCentralKeepsIBMEmployees
attheForefrontofTechnology 165
Chapter24 IBMBloggingPolicyandGuidelines 171
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CONTENTS ix
Chapter25 Q&AwithEdelman 179
Chapter26 Edelman’sPrinciplesandCodeofConduct:
MaintainingaWeblog 184
AppendixA: Thirty-SixBlogRules:BestPracticestoKeepYou
out ofCourtwithYourCorporateReputationIntact 187
AppendixB: SampleBlogPolicies 191
Notes 199
GlossaryofBlogLegalandTechnicalTerms 215
Index 221
AbouttheAuthor 227
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