A couple of weeks ago, I attended my first CLO Breakfast Club here in the Windy City. Through the discussion, I found that most companies don’t have a formal blogging policy. The chief dilemma in developing this policy is founded on one simple but difficult-to-answer question: How much control can we give up?
A blog thrives on independence and the availability of information, but in reality, no company can give up total control or the end result could be chaos. So, how do you cultivate a culture in which people feel secure in posting honest commentary, but you still have loose control over the reins? The key is in setting guidelines that reflect the nature of your workforce and your company’s environment.!@!
One of the many values in blogging is the ability to find out what’s working and what’s not. At the end of the day, learning professionals have to learn from those who are actually out in the field. To have a blog where employees feel comfortable saying: “Hey this new program isn’t working. Here’s how it’s really playing out,” there has to be a level of candidness.
There’s no one right answer as to how to nurture this candidness. But to start, you should answer the following questions: How much control can we afford to give up? How much information should be made available? From there, you need to develop a policy that works within your environment and with your employees.
Please share any questions or success stories you might have in the comments section below this blog.
