One of the things one needs to keep in mind when one writes a blog, is the fact that it is a PUBLIC journal. Anyone can stop by to see what you’ve had to say. It’s common to see a blogger comment on their standing at Google for a specific word or subject.
\nYet, a number of people have forgotten that blogs are public, and have lost their jobs.
\nMy first response, when I heard the promo on ABC nightly news, was “What about the right to free speech?” I waited to hear the story.<\/p>\n
\nI had to concede that the employers had cause to let the bloggers go. One had divulged private corporation information. Another was writing a sexual blog. She worked for a political candidate who felt her image reflected badly on his campaign. Another political insider blogged negatively about her candidate’s opponent, and that could have been misconstrued as her candidate’s opinion. A flight attendant posted cheesecake pictures of herself taken in uniform, in an airplane…not porn, but a lot of leg, and the airline sacked her for failing to project the appropriate image for their company.
\nAs these cases have gone to court there has been little compassion for the blogger. If the judge felt the blogger’s comments harmed the company in any way, they upheld the firing.
\nSo, we have the right to say what we please, but it behooves us to keep in mind that our blog is a very public forum.
\nBloggers, Beware!
\nUPDATE:
\nI was talking with Dear Husband about this situation, and it’s his perception that a blog is similar to the Op\/Ed page of a newspaper. He feels that you need to be as discrete on a blog as you would be if you were writing for a newspaper. If each of these people had used his analogy as they wrote their blogs, they’d still be employed.
\nI’m sure there will continue to be a hue and cry over the right to free speech. Blogging is comparatively new and ungoverned. It will take time for guidelines to be established.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the things one needs to keep in mind when one writes a blog, is the fact that it is a PUBLIC journal. Anyone can stop by to see what you’ve had to say. It’s common to see a … Continue reading