Core Dump

There have been several cases of bloggers being fired for either having a blog or blogging about work. The latest example is a CNN news producer who was fired for strong views he expressed on his blog. Tom Johnson writes about this and looks at how this affects him personally in this post.

Although technical writing is a safe haven for topics, at times I’ve wanted to elaborate with more personal detail, but have held back for fear I was moving into dangerous waters. Exactly where is that line? When you have a blog on a professional topic, it’s hard not to include professional stories and experiences. Every once in a while, details of the experiences seep through my blog, but I try to leave them out. Yet in my recent survey, most readers say they want more sharing of personal experiences. Does a good blog have to be dangerously revealing to ignite readership? I don’t think so. At the same time, removing the personal also removes the interest.

I should state here that my workplace does have a blogging policy which prohibits blogging from work, which is why you don't see lunchtime posts here any more. I also am not supposed to divulge confidential or proprietary information, which I wouldn't do anyway. So to some degree, I have to self-censor my posts here, when I'm writing about technical communication. That self sensorship may also run into other posts, as I do know that co-workers read my blog, as well as friends and family.

Labels: technical communication