Legal and Ethical Issues of the Corporate Blogosphere

Judith B. Strother Florida Institute of Technology ; Zohra Fazal Florida Institute of Technology ; Melinda Millsap Florida Institute of Technology

Abstract

In the increasingly competitive global economy, corporations throughout the world must take advantage of all the marketing and communication tools available to them, including blogging. Blogs allow corporations to connect with their stakeholders in a more personal way and, thus, strengthen their image, brand, and customer loyalty. Instant feedback is available through comments posted on the corporate blog, saving organizations large sums of money otherwise spent on market research. However, entering the blogosphere poses a number of risks for a corporation, such as potential damage to the corporate reputation and customer loyalty as well as legal liability. Conflicts still exist between the rights of bloggers and a corporation's interests. Blogs may be restricted by legal and ethical boundaries, which may differ across countries. This paper presents the benefits and risks associated with corporate blogging around the world and provides some interesting success stories as well as lessons learned. It also offers a compilation of guidelines for effective blogging and suggests topics for future research.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2009-09-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2009.2025307
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

References (58)

  1. malaysian government proposes classification of web bloggers.
    Sabahan com
  2. (2007 Apr 11) Registration of bloggers not being considered says prime minister
  3. navigating asia's minefields in corporate blogging.
  4. Urban Dictionary (2008)
  5. corporate blogging policy primer.
Show all 58 →
  1. When the blogger blogs can the employer intervene?
  2. freedoms found & lost
    Russian Life
  3. A declaration of the independence of cyberspace
  4. don't be evil: google faces the chinese internet market and the global online freedom act…
    Minnesota J Law Sci Technol
  5. Viewpoints Blogs and freedom of speech
  6. problems and solutions to corporate blogging: model corporate blogging guidelines
    High Technology Law Journal
  7. corporate blogging: beyond the water cooler.
  8. Sun's CIO backs blogs despite lawyer worries
  9. State of the blogosphere part 1 On blogosphere growth
  10. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  11. Peupe beta and changing the techie mindset in Africa
  12. Technology and marketing law blog Employee blogging risks
  13. 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610242
  14. Case summaries O'Grady v Superior Court of Santa Clara County no H028579 2006 Cal App LEXIS 802 (Cal Ct App 2006)
  15. Why I think the blog council is a good idea Direct2Dell
  16. Addressing blogging by employees
  17. Apple pays $700 000 for bloggers' legal fees
  18. wal-mart's jim and laura: the real story.
  19. IBM Social Computing Guidelines
  20. Naked Conversations Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers
  21. The New Rules of Marketing and PR How to Use News Releases Blogs Podcasting Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly
  22. What No One Ever Tells You about Blogging and Podcasting Real-Life Advice from 101 People Who Successfully Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere
  23. ProfitBrand How to Increase the Profitability Accountability and Sustainability of Brands
  24. corporate bloggingpitfalls and guidelines.
    eZineArticles com
  25. executive life: the corporate blog is catching on.
  26. Edelman principles & code of conduct
  27. Blogs becoming regular reading for business travelers
  28. Blogging for Business
  29. malaysia censors blog after poor poll results.
  30. Corporate Blogging Book Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right
  31. Blog Rules A Business Guide to Managing Policy Public Relations and Legal Issues
  32. A comparison of the blogging practices of UK and US bloggers
  33. the state of the live web.
    Sifry's Alerts
  34. Business blogging Hills to climb in Europe
  35. Blogs go corporate
  36. Indian firms enter the blogosphere
  37. Corporate blog development
  38. Interview Jonathan Schwartz
  39. Blogs & wikis Technologies for enterprise applications?
  40. (2007 Dec ) Fortune 500 business blogging wiki
  41. Net dynasty Corporate blogs? (2007)
  42. Bernina corporate website
  43. RubbermaidA corporate blog that organizes the world
  44. edelman apologizes for wal-mart flog.
    MediaPost Publications
  45. Kodak corporate website
  46. Commercial bloggingfloggingbecomes an offence in Europe
  47. Unfair commercial practices directive
  48. whole foods boss rumbled for anonymous postings.
    Econsultancy com
  49. whole foods to execs: stay off chat boards. (2007, nov. 7).
    Austin Bus J
  50. all speech isn't free.
  51. blogger faces lawsuit over comments posted by readers.
  52. corporate blogs take on an edge.
  53. 10.1109/CCA.1992.269905