Online Public Relations Thoughts

The US military has effectively killed blogging among soldiers with new regulations that require permission for each entry. The military's concern for security is overblown, but the idea behind restricting speech will be adapted by corporations in various forms, if it hasn't been already. The reasoning is simple. Corporations don't want their affairs aired to the world any more than the military does. They too are concerned about what bloggers might say. It seems to me that policies will run along the following line. One may blog as long as one doesn't talk about the company, its activities, its people or its policies. Blogging becomes a personal hobby outside of work, even if one discusses work-related issues.

That is the practice followed in this blog. I rarely refer to anything related to work because of the confidential nature of much of what we do and because of client relationships. It's too risky. On the other hand, lessons from client counseling do find their way into this blog. The military's rules are so restrictive that a soldier isn't even allowed to comment on what he or she has learned on the battlefield. That is extreme. On the other hand, there are businesses where that policy makes sense because of the sensitive nature of what they do.