Introduction
I am writing this memo to inform everyone that there will be changes in policies regarding the use of the company’s corporate blog which will involve the tightening of controls and regulation on the information posted. This is a result of the realization by the Public relations team, that there is a need to control what is posted on the company’s blog to avoid potential controversies and risk of liability in the case of lawsuits. It is important to note that a corporate blog is an important marketing tool that helps get information to customers efficiently and effectively. This online presence however presents serious legal risks to the company if it is not handled well (Savell, 2007).
Risks exposures
There are several legal risks associated with corporate blogging and these include:
- The risk of defamation- this is a false statement that can cause injury or damage to the reputation of another person or company. It is important to evaluate whether a statement posted on the blog might defame a product, person, or another company. If such a statement is discovered on the blog, it should be removed and clarification made to reduce the damages caused (Savell, 2007).
- Copyright infringement- it is important to ensure that only material that belongs to the company is used or posted on the blog. The company should also make sure that it has the right to use the information or materials posted on the blog to avoid the risk of legal liability. This can be done by acknowledging the author(s) of such information through the policy of fair usage of information (Savell, 2007).
- Trademark infringement- it is important to be careful when using brand names or any other trademarks that belong to other companies or individuals. This should be done only with the permission of such owners (Savell, 2007).
- Employee postings- a company is responsible for what its employees post on the corporate blog within the scope of their employment. The sentiments and opinions of individual employees may not represent those of the company and may therefore pose the risk of liability in case the information posted is not appropriate (Savell, 2007).
- Comments or postings by third parties- comments by third parties may pose serious legal risks to the company and this can be avoided by simply not allowing them. Third parties may post incorrect information on the blog and this becomes the responsibility of the company and not the individual third party (Savell, 2007).
Guidelines
The Public relations team has therefore come up with various guidelines to ensure that the company does not get into legal issues with anyone as a result of the postings on the corporate blog. These guidelines include:
- From the beginning of next month, the legal department will assign a legal professional to the social media team. The lawyer will be responsible for approving the information intended for the corporate blog by analyzing the legal consequences of such information.
- In cases where the information posted provides external links, the social media team and the assigned lawyer will ensure that the link is accompanied by a disclaimer statement saying that any information accessed on such links does not represent the opinion of the company.
- All employees will be required to sensitize themselves to the major legal issues of posting information on the corporate blog to ensure that they only post information that is in the best interest of the company.
Closing remarks
It is expected that team members may feel that the proposed changes and guidelines may affect the creativity of employees in terms of the information that they post on the blog. It should be noted that employees will be allowed to post anything they want as long as this information does not put the company in an awkward legal position. These guidelines do not therefore mean that employees will be prohibited from posting on the blog.
Thank you very much.
Annotated bibliography
Savell, L. (2007), Blogger Beware: The Legal Risks of Corporate Blogging, Computer World, 41(39): 32-34.
In this article on the legal risks of corporate blogging, Savell tries to present the risks that face corporations due to the use of corporate blogging. The author has presented these risks and also the various ways that companies seeking to use blogging can use to avoid them. Through the use of legal counsel, evaluating the sources of information posted, only using information that the company has permission to use, and ensuring that defamatory statements are not posted on the blog are some of the guidelines to safe blogging that the author has presented.
The author has presented these risks and guidelines in point form to make it easy for the reader to understand the information. Savell’s article is therefore an important source of information to companies who wish to pursue corporate blogging. Where the guidelines presented in the article are followed, corporate blogging can be used to the benefit of the company and will be accompanied by very low legal risks.
Reference
Savell, L. (2007), Blogger Beware: The Legal Risks of Corporate Blogging, Computer World, 41(39): 32-34.