USA Today has an article about how blogging can get an employee fired. It’s old news of course but it amazes me how people lack common sense and forethought, hence it needs repeating.

They mention Peter Whitney who was fired for his blog:

Like a growing number of employees, Peter Whitney decided to launch a blog on the Internet to chronicle his life, his friends and his job at a division of Wells Fargo.

Then he began taking jabs at a few people he worked with.

Lesson : I never write about anyone or say anything I wouldn’t say to the person’s face. I always let people know when I write about them, even if I mask their identity. This simply lesson keeps me out of trouble.

Peter is quoted in the article:

“Right now, it’s too gray. There needs to be clearer guidelines,” says Whitney, who has found another job. “Some people go to a bar and complain about workers, I decided to do it online. Some people say I deserve what happened, but it was really harsh. It was unfair.”

Lesson: Never compare what is said privately to a group of people to what is published online for all to read. That’s like comparing apples to oranges.

One point mentioned in the article is IBM’s blogging policy:

The guidelines state that employees should identify themselves (and, when relevant, their roles at IBM) when blogging about IBM.

“You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM,” the guidelines state. They also say bloggers should not use “ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc.” and that they should “show proper consideration” for “topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory – such as politics and religion.”

I think that’s fair if a blogger must blog about work. The part that interests me is the point where the blogger should idenify themselves. Will IBM fire an employee who writes about IBM anonymously? See, I’d change that to must identify themselves and their position if the blogger must talk about their job. If an employee was anonymously writing about work once found, they’d be fired.

That sounds harsh doesn’t it? Perhaps it is but is easier to do something stupid when your name isn’t attached to it. When a blogger’s name is attached to every word written it makes a blogger think twice, perhaps three times before pressing the submit button. This isn’t a bad thing. Once a blogger publishes something it’s out there. Someone has a copy of it, guaranteed. Most bloggers don’t realize this. A large number of bloggers honestly believe their words will not be read…and that is what gets them into trouble.

Lesson: Before publishing anything to a blog read it over with the forethought that anyone (and I mean anyone) can read it. The boss, the wife, the kids, the next door neighbors, the potential future boss – anyone. If it passes that test, usually it won’t get a blogger into trouble. All the people who I know of that have been fired (and there are unfortunately hundreds now) failed that one lesson. If they thought “what if my boss or my co-workers read this?” they may have still published it but it wouldn’t have been a shock they were fired.