Know-How Exchange : Strategy

You can be wholly assured that no one working for Microsoft blogs about anything Microsoft-related without knowing that it had darn well better pass the sniff test or there will be consequences.

This is likely true for any large company.

There's a lot of discussion on this topic. Maybe this thread will get you started:

https://www.corporateblogging.info/2005/05/ibm-blogging-policy-guidelines.a...

this is a thin line. Too much marketing involvement stifles creativity and limits the ability for workers to communicate with the outside. Too little destroys brand recognition and message.

All in all I would put together a guideline and certainly have the right to do periodic review.

I agree with Frank. I would be all for marketing taking a back seat and letting the other team take the lead.

That said, marketing could be a source of inspiration on things such as best ways to choose and register a domain name, tips for successful blogging, how to promote it, whether it goes on the main site too...The other department would do well to make marketing their ally and not treat them as an enemy.

As for Microsoft, I'm sure marketing keeps an eye on it. However, from my experience, it's the legal team that gets the last word. That was certainly the case when I left in 2005 and I'll bet it's the same today as MSFT faces a tremendous amount of legal scrutiny.

Good luck with your debate!

Melissa

Dear Dboulter,

I've worked on both sides of the Atlantic in organizations with fairly rigid policies on this kind of thing.

Now, I'm all in favour of people being creative and so on. But there comes a time when people have to stop mucking about and take some responsibility for their actions, particularly when those actions impact the name or products/services and so on of their employer.

It's been my experience that in situations of needing to contact—or of "feeling" the need to contact—or communicate with the outside world on some real or imagined burning issue, UNLESS it's a matter of public safety or connected with some kind of corporate malfeasance that is illegal in some way, if one values one's role within an organization, or if one is AT ALL in doubt, one checks with whoever is in charge of communications before one blabs.

With me?

When it comes to your discussion with your colleague, one of you is right and that the other is a halfwit. See if you can guess who's who?

Having given your question careful thought my conclusion is that VP or not (and HOW did this person BECOME a VP one wonders?), your colleague is dangerous and is probably heading for a fall.

There are numerous accounts of unauthorized corporate communications to the outside world that have brought (or been deemed to have brought) the name of a company (or a high up individual) down a notch or two.

The practical upshot of incidents like this is often that the culprit (or culprits) find themselves being escorted out of the building with their possessions in a cardboard box.

Don't become one of them.

Were I in your shoes, I'd take steps to cover my ass.

If that means make a note of what's happened, (a note you date, sign, and keep outside work) then do it. Meanwhile, I'd suggest you be cordial with the VP person but that you give them a wide berth.

If this VP person goes down, make sure there's a major barrier or some kind of paper trail between you and whoever this person is. If you don't do this, it's possible they'll try and take you down with them.

Don't let that happen. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA