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Blogging as a potential career ender

Rod Boothby posts about potential effect of blogging on career development. Rod writes:I think that any business person who has long term career objectives in mind should be concerned about what they write in blogs.
Written by Dan Farber, Inactive

Rod Boothby posts about potential effect of blogging on career development. Rod writes:

I think that any business person who has long term career objectives in mind should be concerned about what they write in blogs.

The stakes get higher when people connect you with your employer.

When you apply for a job, your blog acts like an extended cover letter.  Employers can and will search your name on Google.  If the first thing that pops up is a blog entry about how smashed you got at a Frat party, it won't help you get hired.

He points to the work of Intuit blog wrangler Scott K. Wilder, who provides guidelines and brief training classes to bring internal bloggers into the blogosphere, more aware of how their career and reputation can be impacted by a few misguided sentences.

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Here are some of the useful guidelines, such avoid flaming esteemed colleagues if possible...

Take ownership – A blog is a communication tool, a reputation management tool and a knowledge sharing system. It can be used as a very effective way of demonstrating your expertise and sharing the technical topics you are most interested it.

Link to internal content – Help your colleagues find useful information. Try to add at least 2 links per post. You can link to other posts, other web sites and Lotus Notes DBs.
 
Do tell people about the work we have done that you cannot post – You should not post sensitive client information, but you can let your colleagues know how we have helped our clients solve business challenges. You should also let your colleagues know that they can contact you with specific questions.

Remember your post might be seen by everyone in the company – This is a double-edged sword.   On the one hand, you can be widely recognized for your insight and expertise. On the other hand, you need to be confident that what you are posting is useful, vetted, proofed and correct.

Do not post confidential client data – Do not post client data, client model weights, customer records from a client, social security numbers, confidential business plans or confidential client intellectual property.

Do not ‘overpost’ in an unstructured fashion… large volumes of unorganized information are not helpful – The Enterprise Blogging system is a knowledge sharing tool and you are encouraged to post lots of relevant content, but think about what people need to read most and help them navigate through information.

Do not flame your colleagues – Be nice and be constructive. Remember that some things are better resolved using a face-to-face conversation. The company encourages diversity of thought and positive debate. Remember also that the company’s anti harassment policies apply on the web just as much as on email or in person.

  

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