Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Praise for Nancy Flynn’s Previous Books
E-Mail Rules
""A handy e-risk management tool for companies...Good advice abounds for executives, managers, and line employees... Recommended for all business collections. ""
-- Library Journal
The E-Policy Handbook
""This new book on the risk management of electronic communications is what every business book should be: easy to understand, full of practical tips, and provocative... You might not find a more useful business book this year, or next, than this one. ""
-- Training
""...an eye-opening book.""
-- BookPage
""If your company has an online presence -- even one employee online -- then buy this book...This nice, concise book explains the ins-and-outs of making your workforce Net savvy.""
-- The Toronto Star"
Review
“This book is a must-read for any manager of blogs who wants an overview of important policy and legal issues.”
-Choice
Review
"... an essential guide….In a world where technology outpaces us all, this very tactile book will come in handy.”
-Niche Magazine
Review
"... an essential guide….In a world where technology outpaces us all, this very tactile book will come in handy.”
-Niche Magazine
Review
"... the one guide readers need to help ensure that their organizations are helped and not hindered by this revolutionary tool.”
-Business Times
Review
“If blogging is something your company is considering, this book should be studied carefully long before the first word is posted.”
-Security Management
Synopsis
"From the millions of people with a conviction or cause they're eager to share with like-minded readers, to the thousands of corporations looking for a more effective and reliable way to build trust-based relationships with their customers, it's no wonder that an astonishing 80,000 new web logs -- -- or ""blogs"" -- are appearing daily. Unfortunately, this includes employees who might reveal confidential company information, and even official corporate blogs that could potentially misrepresent company finances. Everyone, it seems, is blogging, and any organization that fails to take advantage of this exciting new platform, while also protecting itself from legal liabilities as well as critical or defamatory remarks, is sure to suffer the consequences.
Blog Rules is a best-practices guide to establishing the blog-related policies and procedures your business needs. You'll learn how to:
* Legally and ethically regulate employees' personal blogs that mention the company
* Protect trade secrets and other proprietary information
* Manage the legal and business exposure associated with corporate blogs
* Respond swiftly and effectively to blog assaults against the company -- and much more.
The book helps you control your message and your brand, showing you how to train and familiarize your people with the rules you've established, and how to protect your reputation from both internal and external sources. Featuring secrets, strategies, and success stories from real-life companies, including IBM and Stonyfield Farms, Blog Rules is the one guide you need to ensure that your organization is helped and not hindered by this revolutionary tool."
About the Author
Nancy Flynn is founder and executive director of The ePolicy Institute™, a leading source of e-mail-related products and services. She is regularly quoted in major media including The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, NPR and CNN. She is the author of The E-Policy Handbook and E-mail Rules. Ms. Flynn lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Table of Contents
"Part 1
The Case for Strategic Blog Management
1
Chapter 1
Why Blog Rules?
3
Chapter 2
Blogs Pose Unprecedented Risks to Business
13
Chapter 3
Start with a Clear Objective: Why Blog?
20
Chapter 4
Proceed with Caution: Self-Assessment for Would-Be Business Bloggers
26
Part 2
Legal Risks and Regulatory Rules in the Blogosphere: Why Every Employer Must Establish Blog Policies and Procedures
37
Chapter 5
Treat Blog Posts as Business Records
39
Chapter 6
Blogs Create Million-Dollar (Sometimes Billion-Dollar) Legal Headaches for Employers
47
Chapter 7
Shhh! Blogs Put Trade Secrets and Confidential Information at Risk
54
Chapter 8
Blog Best Practices for Public Companies and Regulated Firms
58
Part 3
Designing and Implementing Effective Blog Rules and Policies
65
Chapter 9
Use Written Blog Rules and Policy to Control Content, Maximize Compliance, and Reduce Liabilities
67
Chapter 10
Communication Is Key to Compliance: Train, Train, and Train Some More
77
Part 4
The Blog Is All About Content
83
Chapter 11
Content Can Make -- or Break -- Your Blog and Your Business
85
Chapter 12
Managing and Editing Writers' Posts and Readers' Comments
91
Chapter 13
Blog Etiquette, or Netiquette: Twelve Tips to Help Maximize Civil Discourse
96
Chapter 14
Battling Comment Spam and Splog
103
Part 5
Blog Backlash: Employers Fight Back with Lawsuits and Pink Slips
109
Chapter 15
Employee-Bloggers Beware 1: Blogging Can Get You Fired!
111
Chapter 16
Employee-Bloggers Beware 2: Blogging Can Get You Sued!
116
Chapter 17
How to Blog Without Getting Fired: Eight Tips for Bloggers Who Want to Keep Their Jobs and Stay out of Court
120
Part 6
Public Relations in the Blogosphere: Telling Your Story, Recruiting Customer Evangelists, Positioning CEO Bloggers
125
Chapter 18
The Rules of Engagement Have Changed: Blogs Make It Harder to Control Your Message and Your Brand
127
Chapter 19
Spreading the Word and Selling the Brand Through Customer Evangelists and Brand Bloggers
133
Chapter 20
Positioning the CEO-Blogger as Opinion Leader
139
Part 7
Managing Your Reputation in the Blogosphere
149
Chapter 21
You've Been Blogged: How to Prepare for -- and Respond to -- An Attack in the Blogosphere
151
Chapter 22
Best Practices Help Keep Blogstorms at Bay
158
Part 8
Putting Business Blogs to Work: IBM and Edelman Share Blog Secrets, Strategies, and Success Stories
163
Chapter 23
Q&A with IBM: Blog Central Keeps IBM Employees at the Forefront of Technology
165
Chapter 24
IBM Blogging Policy and Guidelines
171
Chapter 25
Q&A with Edelman
179
Chapter 26
Edelman's Principles and Code of Conduct: Maintaining a Weblog
184
Appendix A: Thirty-Six Blog Rules: Best Practices to Keep You out of Court with Your Corporate Reputation Intact
187
Appendix B: Sample Blog Policies
191
Notes
199
Glossary of Blog Legal and Technical Terms
215
Index
221
About the Author
227"