Six Tips for Blogging

1. Write as yourself. In other words use your real name. We don't want people writing anonymously or under a pseudonym. Your name should be prominently displayed on your blog's title or subtitle. This will add credibility with your readers and promote accountability within our company.

Own your content. Employee blog sites are not Company communications. Therefore, your blog entries legally belong to you. They represent your thoughts and opinions. We think that it is important that you remind your readers of this fact by including the following disclaimer on your site: "The posts on this blog are provided "as is" with no warranties and confer no rights. The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer." You assume full responsibility and liability for all actions arising from your posts. We also encourage you to put a copyright notice on your site in your name.

Write relevant. Write often. Whether you know it or not, you're an expert. You have a unique perspective on our company based on your talents, skills, and current responsibilities. People want to hear about that perspective. Also, in order to develop an consistent readership, you should try to write on a regular basis. For some, this will be daily; for others, it may be weekly. The important thing is consistent posting. New content is what keeps readers coming back. You may also write during company time, provided that it doesn't become excessive and doesn't interfere with your job assignments and responsibilities.

Advertise-If you wish. While their is no requirement to run ads on your blog, you are free to do this if you wish. Some of the free blog services run ads as a way to offset their costs.

Be nice. Avoid attacking other persons or companies. This includes fellow employees, authors, customers, vendors, competitors, or shareholders. You are welcome to disagree with the Company's leaders, provided your tone is respectful. If in doubt, we suggest you "sleep on it".

Keep secrets. Do not disclose sensitive, propriety, private, or financial information about a company. This includes revenues, profits, forecasts, and other financial information related to specific authors, brands, products, product lines, customers, operating units, etc.