Guidelines for Using Blogs and Forums

Blogging is an open and transparent process between a blogger and their audience; the process of blogging is really all about interacting with an audience, and entering into a conversation. Remembering the basic guidlines will get you far in the blogging community.


1. Respecting copyright, fair use, and financial disclosure laws-

If quoting material from other sources, don't quote more than short exerts from copyright material, and link to quoted web material. Be aware of another company's confidential or other proprietary information and do not disclose such information. Don't cite or reference clients, partners, or suppliers without their prior agreement and approval. If you are ever unsure about the accuracy of the information on your blog, check on the accuracy of your information with your manager, other department, or even an external blogger before the post is published.


2. Respect your audience-

Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc., and show proper consideration for their privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory.


3. Correcting mistakes-

Be the first to correct your own mistakes, and don't alter previous posts without indicating that you have done so....



4. Disclosing private information-

Be careful in disclosing your own private information. What you reveal may remain on the web for a very long time. You are welcome to disclose your personal information on the blog to build a better relationship with your audience, but it's important to be aware of the dangers of revealing too much private information. Ask someone else's permission if you are disclosing another person's private information.


5. Consider the level of interaction-

Will you allow comments and trackbacks onto your blog? You don't have to accept obscene statements but if someone writes a thoughtful critical statement, it is good to allow the comment or trackback and respond to any critical statements quickly. Do not delete comments unless they are spam or off the topic of the original post. If you do moderate posts it's important to quickly post comments within one business day, as a quick response is one of the most important aspects of blogging culture.