While it would be great if all companies had no internal problems and everything ran smoothly, this does not always happen. There will be times that your corporate blog can turn into a mess if you do not get control of internal fighting and issues that can get out of hand. If you are letting several employees run their own blogs, there is a big temptation out there for them to use this as a forum to vent their frustration. Here’s how to handle that if it happens.

First, you will need to find out which employees are actively discussing company issues with the public. Then, it is a good idea to take them aside and calmly remind them that a corporate blog is not an appropriate forum for their grievances. If they have an issue with the company itself, or the employees, handle it as well as you can. There is a bit of a fine line to walk here. You don’t want to give the employee the impression that you are muzzling them, but you do need them to stop.

The best possible way to handle this and to make sure it never happens is to have a manager, or yourself vet every blog before it goes live. This takes a little longer and may require a few more minutes of your day, but in the long run, it is a lot better than finding out ex post facto that your company’s dirty laundry has been hung up in public, for everyone to see.

Whenever you need to let a blogger go from your employment, it is also a good idea to be prepared for some backlash, especially if you do not revoke their blogging privileges before you let them know they will no longer be working for you. This is absolutely vital, even if you have known that employee for years and never expected that they would do anything to wrong your company.

Another big issue with corporate blogging is having employees that release company secrets, either intentionally or through ignorance. This has led to many people being fired in the past and has harmed some companies greatly. If you are a public company, the risks are even higher that your shareholders could be put at risk by a blogger on your staff.

Blogging is a great way to promote your company, and achieve a stronger brand, but there is a lot of responsibility that comes with that. You will need to be prepared to handle any employee issues – before they happen. Set up a strategy for dealing with the issues that we’ve mentioned above. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure in this case and you can avoid having your company put at risk if you go into this with the right mindset and the right information.

Your blog is the place to promote your company, and your employees need to understand and respect that.

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Originally posted 2008-08-13 05:51:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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