Your Blog or Your Job

A blog (short for Web log, of course) entry like that may seem innocent and harmless now, but it could one day affect your career. As blogging has become more popular, some companies have taken action against employees who post job-related information on their personal blogs.

Mark Jen was an associate product manager for Google who kept a daily blog. Jen says, "I was really trying to keep in touch with family and friends since moving, and blogging seemed the most logical way." Google, however, wasn't happy with Jen's blog, which the company felt crossed a line between personal and professional. Jen was fired from his job.

Paula Brantner, a program director at Workplace Fairness, says the number of instances of people reporting they were fired because of blogs has risen. To stay on the safe side, Brantner suggests, "one must anticipate someone from work will see the blog, so it would be best not to discuss work in your blog." And though you may think what you say on your blog constitutes free speech, that is not the case. "If you're in a private workplace--meaning not employed by the government--you have no First Amendment rights," she says. Employers are free to monitor entries and even fire an employee for what is said on a blog--especially if it affects the company's image.

Several companies encourage communication through blogs. Today, Jen is working with his new employer, Plaxo, to facilitate a healthy blog atmosphere. "This company is really supportive of its employees' opinions," Jen says. "You are free to express disagreement, but we also encourage employees to address an issue with management first." If you write a blog and think it might affect your job, Jen suggests asking your manager whether the company has a blog policy and if your blog is OK.