Blogging is Company Policy (from: Kevin A. Burton)
http://www.peerfear.org/rss/permalink/2005/02/10/BloggingIsCompanyPolicy
Early on at Rojo I wanted to encourage future employees to blog. As long asthere are clear rules about what you can and can’t blog its not really a problemis it? Blog about what you love about Rojo ! Blog about what you think is coolin the industry! Just don’t blog about anything we haven’t released yet(without permission).
The running joke is that its company policy that you must have a blog. OurCEO has a blog and of course I have a blog (you’re reading it right now!).I’d link to all of the blogs of our Engineers but I don’t want anyone to hirethem away!
After hearing about Google firing an employee for blogging I was a bitupset. I love Google. They’re a pretty good company and I have a lot offriends that work there.
I also love their products (yay Google maps!)
That said I think its a mistake for them not to encourage blogging. Its good PRand good karma. It was really bad PR to hear that they fired a guy. Just notcool.
Now I know that Google is sort of a closed culture. I mean if 2/3rds of thesmartest people in the industry worked for Rojo I’m sure we’d be the same way.I’m just not sure that Google realizes how it looks from an externalperspective.
They don’t contribute much back to the industry. I mean their products aregreat but you never really hear much about Google engineers working or leadinggreat OSS projects. I mean I know they exist but they sure don’t come right outand say it.
… so if anyone at Google is actually listen go ahead and let your employeesblog. Its just good clean fun and you’ll make even more of your customershappy. In the end isn’t that what its all about?