« Hey Blogger, You're Fired! | Main | Who owns blog comments? »
February 14, 2005
Fired for Blogging: Public, Persistent & Viral
Techdirt points out that bloggers are not getting fired for blogging per se. Rather they are getting fired for what they say on their blogs.
This point is well-taken -- bloggers are not getting fired simply because they are blogging. They are getting canned because their blog posts contains a) sensitive company information or b) comments that damage the company's image.
However, it is important to point out the firings are happening precisely because these statements are made on blogs - which are highly public, persistent and viral.
Had the same statements been made in traditional pencil and paper journals, the employees would still be working for their respective companies. Furthermore, had the same statements been made verbally - at the water cooler, or even to a company manager, these employees would likely still have their jobs.
A statement made on a blog is fundamentally different than a statement made through other channels. First, a blog post is a very public statement - meaning that anybody with a computer + internet can access it. Second, the statement is persistent -- meaning that it is available for viewing in its raw, undiluted state forever (or at least until it is deleted from a weblog). Third, the viral nature of weblogs means that a blog post can be viewed/reviewed by thousands of people in a very short period of time.
Yes, people are being fired for what they say on blogs, not because they are blogging per se. However, it is the public, persistent and viral nature of weblogs that makes companies especially edgy and sensitive about what their employees are blogging.
Posted by charles at February 14, 2005 01:00 PM