Blogging Can Be Dangerous to Your JOB

The BBC reports “How to blog - and keep your job” and tells us of instances where bloggers have been fired for bringing their employers into “disrepute”.

Bloggers like Delta Air Lines attendant Ellen Simonetti (aka Queen of the Sky) who sued her former employer after losing her job for posting “inappropriate” images of herself wearing the company uniform.

To this end, bloggers must avoid defamation, respect copyright and take care not to spill trade secrets. According to Struan Robertson, a technology lawyer for Pinsent Masons and editor of Out-Law.com, “a blogger could unwittingly knock millions off a company’s value by making a market announcement in a blog exchange.”One problem is that bloggers writing personal journals, as opposed to blogging on their company’s site, often believe using a pseudonym will be enough to protect their own - and their employer’s - anonymity.

However, many firms take the view that a member of staff recognizable in any way will be seen by readers as representing the company.

That’s a stretch and will have to be tested in the courts. Then again, if it can be proven that an anonymous blogger/employee has damaged the company reputation and they know who it is… well then I guess it’s a good thing the Blog Bloke is self-employed.

You can read more @ BBC News for tips on how you can blog and keep your job at the same time.