Anonymous blogging days, numbered?
Perhaps it was all just fun and games. Slandering previous coworkers, ex boyfriends/girlfriends, or just anyone in general that annoyed you. This latest ruling opens the door for a former model to begin legal action against her hate mongering anonymous blogger. On the one hand you have people arguing freedom of speech, on the other hand you have anti hate laws (in some states/countries). And then of course you have gun toting extremists showing up at an Obama rally.
Breaking corporate policy by blogging
Many companies have corporate policies in place to cover potential liabilities. However many employees are breaking these restriction inadvertently by blogging. Perhaps you don’t understand the risks think the policies aren’t realistic but the fact is that you might be liable for blogging. Whether you mentioned your companies latest product code name or took a picture of yourself with a prototype in the background mistakes happen. Just because it’s a personal blog doesn’t make the repercussions any less significant.
The point is that corporate polices are made to cover butts, not yours but the your manager’s and their manager’s. Increasingly restrictive and increasingly annoying often bringing productivity to a stand still. But when the shit hits the fan just make sure your real name isn’t on that blog.
So you want to be a pro blogger?
Techcrunch made an interesting post about the state of blogging. It’s got lots of stats and pretty pie charts. Bottom line is if you want to be a pro blogger you gotta spend a lot of time at it. If the numbers are accurate the number of times you post a day is a good way to start. Over 40% of the top bloggers are posting 10 times a day! 10 times! For me finding 10 interesting articles to read a day is an achievement in itself. There’s so much clog in the Internet today most of the time you’re sorting through the crap.
Another interesting number is the time spent blogging. Hours per week. Male to female ratio of bloggers. Is it possible to make $75,000 a year blogging? I guess if you can get 100,000 visitors a month.
Blogger jailed in Malaysia
Blogging on the Internet is not safe in some countries. Whether you’re reporting on the unrest in Tibet, criticizing the government can get you in trouble. In Malaysia offending Islam can get you jailed without trial. When the government is controlled by religion very few liberties can be taken when expressing opinion on a blog. Despite being a thorny issue criticizing a government can force change but often ends up sacrificing the ones on the leading edge. However change is never easy in developing countries. Just remember to weigh the risk versus the reward and be prepared for the consequences.
