Employee blogging - problems

Terrible title for this post but bear with me.

I am reading Kevin O'Keefe's Real Lawyers Have Blogs when I reach the post How to stop a disgruntled ex-employee blogger. Kevin O'Keefe comments on a post, How do you stop a disgruntled employee blogger?, from Itbusiness.ca. Frankly, I found Kevin's comment a bit more important than the points of the earlier article.

One thing Vawn doesn't mention is the necessity of an effective Internet presence. An effective corporate Internet presence is not a Web site or press releases issued across the net. It means having a trusted and reliable voice or, better yet, multiple voices on the blogosphere. An effective Internet presence requires corporate employees to be blogging.

Without an Internet presence, I am not sure that a disgruntled employee's badmouthing of the company will mean much. I may be a bit more sensitive about this as I continue to blog about legal issues. I will admit that my marketing of this blog is probably cack-handed at best but I draw very little attention from my local area or even Indiana. Yet, I am online and I do keep an eye out on what, if anything, is said about me out here on the Net. I still skeptical how much the Internet has penetrated some parts of this country (like, say, Indiana).

I am also interested because I see the possibility of problems that fall under the more standard headings of trade secrets and non-disclosure. Without proper preventive measures in place, the business may face more than mere bad publicity. One may be looking at losing one's business.

I think tow types of businesses need to read these posts:

1. Those without an Internet presence; and
2. Those with an Internet presence.
   

The first group needs to decide on an employee policy which takes into account the Internet. Yes, talk to your lawyer about this. The second group needs to consider whether their current policy is sufficient.

Again, from Kevin O'Keefe:

A blog, as a means of handling disgruntled employees on the net, may be a bit frightening for corporate heads and PR/communications professionals. But times are changing. Practicality requires doing things differently than they've been done in the past.