A Los Angeles Times reporter was suspended from his job for anonymous blogging on his company’s blogsite.  It’s alleged that he insulted colleagues and public figures.  This minor controversy will devolve into a freedom of speech issue pretty darn fast.

Blogging as a whole is a youthful trend, started by those born in the 1980s, and there are thoughtful posts out there, but because it is the message of the post-disco era, there are some built-on misconceptions.  The most prevalent error is that it is free speech.  Don’t misunderstand me: it is protected under the First Amendment, but it is also governed by public safety laws, and folks can be sued for libel for what they put up on the internet.  The other big misconception is your boss cannot touch you if you blog against the company.  Folks with an ounce of common sense know better.

Should there be rules for blogging?  Doing so would probably be a waste of time as hopefully this company found out.  Me personally, I hope the government stays out of the blogsphere.  I like the energy and originality that can be found out here, but if I were a god, here’s some general guidelines that would save folks a lot of pain:

- You are responsible for what you write.  Forever.  Act accordingly.

- If you’re going to write about someone, even if it an anonymous post or locked with a password, they’re going to find out eventually and they’re going to know who did it.  Be safe: don’t hurt folks.  Write about them as if you were talking to their face.

- Never, ever write about work and your stupid boss unless you’re ready to be unemployed for a long time.  Supervisors talk to each other.

- Identify your sources of information.  Doing so makes you appear well-read; failing to give credit where credit is due makes you look like an idiot.

Take care of yourself, eh?