employer is reading his blog, and if there's anything he feels his employer would not feel comfortable about, (then) it shouldn't be written."
Mind the penalties
According to Sreenivasan, employees who do not follow requirements set out by their companies, such as keeping sensitive company data confidential, can face potential dismissal.
Employees who are fired as a result of comments made on their blog--also known as "dooced", in blog speak--are not uncommon. Delta Air Lines, Google and social network portal Friendster, have all dismissed workers over contentious blog postings.
Hop Studios' Gardner argued it is unclear if companies that do not have corporate blogging policies, can take action against employees who are deemed to have crossed acceptable boundaries. Calling it an "unresolved issue", she noted that there are currently ongoing lawsuits in the United States involving such circumstances, and it is not clear yet how the judges will rule.
With the increasing prominence given to blogs, Gardner said companies need to think about what they should do when someone breaks the "rules" or does not follow the suggestion.
"You have to have a policy in place that allows you to deal with disciplinary issues… before they happen," she said.
Sun Microsystems, for example, is one company that has put a set of basic guidelines on public disclosure. Yahoo's blogging guidelines also include best practices, such as being respectful of other colleagues and being open to off-blog--or offline--feedback.
Tan Kin Lian, CEO of Singapore-owned insurer NTUC Income, runs a blog which he uses to discuss various topics including issues related to the company's products and services. But Tan told ZDNet Asia, in an e-mail interview, that his blog clearly states all views expressed are his personal opinions, and do not necessarily reflect that of the company's position.
He also makes it a point not to "express views that are offensive, seditious or defamatory", but to instead take a "helpful and positive" approach.
Paul Chaney, president of the Professional Bloggers Association, said: "Blogging as an activity is maturing." Chaney is also president of the Radiant Marketing Group, a business blogging consulting firm.
Companies could learn along the way as blogging, and the issues around it, continue to evolve, he said. "Surely from time to time, there's going to be missteps, but that's part of the learning process."
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