The recent controversy surrounding Donovan McNabb’s blog post, Let’s Add Some Weapons, on yardbarker.com points to a larger issue that all bloggers face – where to draw the line between personal opinions related to professional matters. I completely admire McNabb for not hiding behind any organizational figures or policies and being real with his audience, but his role as a public figure and professional athlete dictates that dirty laundry should at least be febreezed before aired to the public.
Our work lives comprise a huge part of who we are and certainly create opportunities for exceptional blog content, and yet most companies aren’t ready to be confronted with the problem of handling personal blog content related to company matters. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way, through trial and error, and would like to share what has stuck with me after the bruises healed.
- Any post related to work will be read by someone at work. Given this, it’s extremely important to remove all statements of judgment. State the facts only, don’t include names (even though those at work will be able to see through this), and leave all personal judgments to yourself.
- Tone is everything. I find the tone of my post changes when I have time to reflect. Have a glass wine, take a walk, read a book, do whatever it takes to get to a place of peace and reflection. If you come from a perspective of learning, your tone will be more conversational and less controversial.
- Generalize the situation. Remove all elements of time and location. Something like, “A current situation at work…” could be replaced with, “In my career I’ve been presented with situations…” Make the post about knowledge and less about an existing problem. It will give your perspective credibility and spare yourself the fallout from saying too much.
- Coworkers are People. It’s like the Allstate commercial with the message that all drivers are people and we should treat them as such when we’re on the road. This logic is so simple and yet we all seem to forget it as soon as there is a heated argument or a co-worker becomes an obstacle on an important project. My rule of thumb here would be to read the post from the human perspective of every person mentioned in the post. If it could cause even the slightest offense, take it out. The benefit gained by being overly transparent in this scenario isn’t worth the cost.
- Don’t do it at all. This goes against my own personal beliefs, but the truth is that if you need your job to pay your bills then your priority should be to pay the bills and not take chances with questionable content related to work.
How do you mitigate this challenge? What are your tips and tricks for traversing the gray area between personal and professional blog entries.
