Don't Get Fired For Expressing Your Point Of View: 10 Media Tips For Bloggers

Blogs are much more than discussion forums. They’re a form of media. They’re monitored by more audiences than you may be intending to reach. And they can get you fired, if you don’t follow some simple steps.

Just yesterday, "Burger King Corporation terminated two employees who participated in activity on public Web sites which did not reflect the company's views and which were in violation of company policy." n
Last month, “A Washington Post staffer who had been blogging at a sports-themed Web site apparently lost his job after editors came across some profane-laden postings that also identified him as a Post scribe.”

Last year, Jessica Zenner of Nintendo was fired “because her bosses discovered her personal blog.”

Several months ago, Miami area real estate blogger Lucas Lechuga’s broker “severed ties with him, after he and the firm were hit with a $25 million defamation lawsuit by one of the city's most prominent developers over a blog post he wrote before landing his new job.”

A couple of months ago, TechcCunch guru Michael Arrington announced he was suing Facebook for $25 million in statutory damages because of “unendorsed photos of himself that implied he allow advertisers to post ads using my picture and name to endorse their products without my explicit permission.”

So how can you take advantage of a valuable media tool without jeopardizing your career? These top ten tips won’t guarantee you’ll keep your job, but they offer some guidelines to think about before you pen that next thought outloud.

1. Respect your position. Know your company policies. Consider your reputation. Don’t create your own crisis.
2. Remember your audience. You’re not just talking to a bunch of buddies at the bar. The whole world can read what you’re writing. And if they recognize themselves in your innuendos – even if you don’t name names – they might decide to sue.
3. Know your legal limitations. If someone takes offense at what you’re writing, it could cost you more than your job – it can cost you everything you’ve ever earned. Forever.
4. Just because it’s not spelled out doesn’t mean you’re not vulnerable. Keep track of what’s happening in the rest of the world – if it happened somewhere else, it could happen to you – even if your firm never said you couldn’t do that.
4. Any email you send can be traced – especially if you’re using your company-hosted connections – even if you’re using personal email. There’s no such thing as anonymity on the web. Blogs are media. They’re public, they’re visible, and they’re traceable.
5. Pretending to be someone else doesn’t make you invisible. Getting a swipe at a competitor by pretending to be someone else is a common mistake made by bloggers who find themselves exposed, embarrassed and out of work. See number four.
6. Opinions are not facts. Be careful how you represent the people, places and things you’re writing about. Develop your messages carefully.
7. Make sure you know what you're talking about. Your perception of people, places or events may be totally twisted. Make sure you do your research - and that it's not based on bias.
8. Examine your intentions. Why are you writing a blog? To inform, or to vent? What you’re doing may seem private, personal and open-minded to you, but if what you’re out for is vengeance, it may come back to haunt you.
9. Visualize yourself on the news. Is what you’re writing about something you’d want to see yourself saying on the evening news? If it’s controversial, that may be where it all ends up. If it goes there, consider media training – you’re going to need some professional help.

If you don't have 25 million dollars (plus atto
ey fees, time in court and your reputation) to fight your blog with, you might want to consider using some common sense. And make sure you understand what the media's all about - and how blogging is a part of it. n nn