Presentation Overviews

Emily Oster gives a compelling presentation called "What Do We Really Know About the Spread of AIDS?". It was one of the first lectures I watched on TED. Honestly, the one thing that I took from the lecture was the graphs and charts that Mrs. Oster used while compiling her research for her points of view in the ongoing argument with the fight against AIDS in Africa. There could have been more pictures I thought in the presentation to show actual people in the country and the conditions they are living in that inhabit this terrible virus, but she mostly stayed very technical in her presentation and let the facts, charts, and research speak for themselves. Check out this video if you have need some ideas how to make a clear, precise graph speak in your presentations.


Moshe Safdie, world famous architect, gave a presentation "What Makes A Building Unique?" in another video I watched. It captivated me all the way through because he is a very good storyteller, added humor, and gave very thorough and detailed pictures of 4 of his major projects, including a Children's Holocaust Memorial and the Institute of Peace being built in our nation's capitol. It was a remarkable presentation that presented a great thinker's works of creative and construction, and the pictures added tons to the presentation - very much worth watching!

Underwater Astonishments

The presentation that I watched was from David Gallo. I watched two of his presentations and both were quite interesting. The one that I picked was Underwater Astonishments. This was only a five minute video, but it was so neat to watch! Usually I would be bored watching an online presentation, but this was a good experience for me. Gallo used video and a few written words on the video to convey what he was trying to say. The presentation was filmed so that the only the video is shown, and you can hear him speaking. However, this did not take away from his presentation at all. In fact in a presentation like this the video is the essential element and he is there to explain what is going on to us. This also appeared to be a timed presentation because the video matched perfectly with what he was saying and it was constantly changing. It worked perfectly together and it held my attention the entire time. The footage was clear and beautiful. The underwater astonishments were how certain animals can change their patterns, skin texture and use camouflage for protection. Gallo is a good speaker. He was loud and clear and change his tone for enhancement. In the other video I watched he used impressive graphics of the earth and sea. This was an interesting video and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to use video in presentations or has an interest in sea life.

"Thirsty"

The thing that caught my attention about the slideshow, Thirsty was the opening slide. The first thought that came to my mind is HOME! This summer I did an internship at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and for all you who don't Memphis, TN has the BEST drinking water in the country (and that's tap water, you should try it!) so I thought this should be interesting because while interning I learned a lot about where the water comes from and the water treatment process. It was all very interesting and complicated but in the end the water is GREAT! I love the fact that the author jbrenman put what seem like little information on each slide but with big impact on the readers. I didn't know that water was that scarce or will become in the near future which is extremely scary because I love water and we as humans depend on water to live. I liked the way he gave the viewer an alternative way of looking at the situation by making it more realistic and how it will affect every one of us. Also the images added more life to the presentation. I think that this slideshow should be use to show Americans the importance of conserving water because I think this privilege of having clean, good tasting water is taken for granted everyday when other countries struggle or make it a priority to conserve in their homes. Everyone should take a look at it; it's very informational!

Mushrooms to the Rescue

I watched Paul Stamets: 6 ways mushrooms can save the world. This was a very interesting presentation that I thought would have been really boring, but it was actually very good. Paul Stamets did a great job on presenting something that would have been very complicated if not brought down to an average persons knowledge. He walked us through several experiments he did and his conclusions of the value of mushrooms. Quick synopsis of his presentation was that mushrooms can revitalize polluted soils, provide medications, provide food, restore forests, usable to populate a new planet, and is a revolutionary insecticide. He was very proficient at speaking clearly and slowly allowing the audience to absorb the material. The pictures in the presentation were very descriptive and professional looking and needed no text to explain. I was very impressed with this presentation and I would suggest anyone who would like to see a great presentation on something that would seem really boring.

"Why we know less than ever about the world"

Alisa Miller is the CEO of Public Radio International and her presentation is about “why we know less than ever about the world.” The U.S. media is showing less news even though the public wants more. Her first graphic is a world land mass map that represents the news coverage Americans see; the U.S. and Iraq are huge. It represents the number of seconds cable news dedicated to news stories by country for February 2007. When she removed one story from the news the size of the U.S. was divided in half. That story was the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Miller stated that it is cheaper for news organizations to cover Britney Spears and other celebrities. News organizations have cut their foreign bureaus in half. There are no network news bureaus in Africa, India, or South America home to 2 billion people. Most Americans get their news via the local news only 12% of that is world news. I think this is disturbing, college graduates today know less than their counterparts 20 years ago. I believe it is important to pay attention to where your news comes from. Everything is not being covered and if you truly want to be informed you have to go out and find the news. It’s sad that the number one news stories are those about celebrities having babies or partying. I liked the presentation because I realized that the news state was in disarray but I didn’t realize how distorted things really are. Her graphics weren’t as outstanding as some I have seen on Ted.com but they got the point across.

Be Remarkable!

Mr. Seth Godin made a presentation entitled Seth Godin: Sliced bread and other marketing delights in California in 2003 at a Marketing conference. His main topic was advertising schemes and principles. He talked about how advertising spends so much money on marketing to people who don't listen. He suggested marketing to a different audience because they will listen! They care about what you say and tell them to buy. He suggests selling to people who are listening, and maybe those people will tell their friends! Be remarkable! He kept saying be remarkable. You want people to remember your product. For example, Silk (the milk product) didn't advertise their product. They just placed it in the milk section. People who shopped were interested because all they saw was milk, milk, milk and then some thing new! They did something remarkable. Building a building that is world renowned for it's beauty and architecture in a city that is suffering economically is remarkable. I really enjoyed watching this presentation because Seth was very enticing. He had passion about what he was saying and he was very funny to listen to. His pictures corresponded with what he was saying. The timing was perfect. He showed examples of brands he mentioned and visuals to help explain ideals. I felt like I learned a lot just watching it! It didn't feel like a lecture but a laid back atmosphere where people were talking about life! He did well and left a really good impression on me.

Team Leader

Not to my surprise, the survey said that I am a team leader. I have such a passion for working with people, but I also like the feeling of getting things accomplished and accomplished right. I grew up with a retail car sales manager father that taught me at a young age that "if you're going to half a** something, don't start it to begin with." That's something that I live by, which drives my work ethic. I never leave a job incomplete, nor do I leave people scratching their head with confusion or feeling unappreciated. I'm not sure if "team leader" is what people strive for on this grid or not, but it suites me just fine :]

LEADERSHIP QUESTIONAIRE

Before taking the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid, I figured I would be a team leader. After answering several question my assumption proved to be correct. I had a people total of 33 and a task total of 40. I much prefer to work alone than have group activities, and I prefer to come up with my own ideas over others. It may come across as selfish; however, I just do not like to be told what to do I would rather have more say so my self.

Ashley Brown is a Team Leader

I figured before I took the test that I would be a team leader; however, I expected to score much higher on the task end than the people end, and I did not. The quiz showed that I was slightly higher on the people scale (.64) than on the task scale (.62). So while the results were not quite what I expected, I did find out that I am a little more patient with people than I thought, and a little less disciplined in task-oriented goals than I thought.

Team Leader

We studied this leadership grid last year in a leadership class, but never actually took the test to determine where I was located at in it. I figured Team leadership, maybe leaning to wards authoritarian, but I was actually high team leadership. This does fit me well, but I would like to see my score if rated by someone else in an organization I am a part of. Being a team leader I do try to make tasks a top priority but not loose the spirit of the team. One of my biggest focuses is trying to involve people in processes and recognizing the strengths of team members in order to fully capitalize on the teams capabilities.

The Questionaire

After the results of the Questionaire I was considered a Team Leader. I know I would be a good Team Leader if I was able to devote a good amount of time to 1 thing. I am a hard worker that does my job efficiently, but I do better if I am able to focus on one thing. But over all I agree.

After taking the Blake and Mouton Managerial Questionnaire, I found that I was in between two different styles. When I calculated my scores I fell directly between Country Club style and Team Style. After reading the descriptions I agree totally with this assessment. The obvious fact is that I have a high concern for people. However, sometimes getting the job done doesn't take precedent. I tend to believe that if I treat the people I am leading in a positive way that it will increase his or her overall performance. I also prefer team management over individual management. I would much rather collaborate with a team that be the authoritative answer for all the decisions. Getting the job done is something that I should work on in order to improve my overall managerial skills. I think that it is important to have a concern for people and a concern for getting the job done. I realize that my concern for production could improve and I will continually re-evaluate my leadership style in order to become the best leader possible.

Team Leader or Theory Y?

I always enjoy taking an assesment of myself and the Blake and Mouton managerial grid was no exception. I readily grabbed my pencil and paper and plotted the answers as honestly as possible. I have to admit that when I tallyed up the scores, I was surprised to find that I was a Team Leader. I guess I work with people better than I think I do... Nonetheless it was interesting to gauge the questions that I had to answer. I tried not to give answers that were conflicting with each other.

When I read about my results it occurred to me that Theory Y was quite similar to the quadrant of Team Leader. What does that mean? Team Leaders balance people and task in a way that is beneficial and practical. I admit my scale was 6.4 People and 5.8 Task, a far cry from a perfect 9. I think that this is a general ideal model, even if a person had a perfect score he or she would still have a diffucult time in this work-a-day world we all live in.

Managerial Grid

I have taken many tests and surveys that measure leadership and personality styles. I have frequently found that some of my main leadership and personality traits are responsible, hard-working, and personable. I enjoy being around people but I know when there is a task that needs to be completed, I usually am the one to take charge in seeing that it is completed. I am very goal oriented and thrive in stressful situations when there is a time line and defined boundaries. I enjoy getting others around me to help out or even take over a task.

After taking this quiz, my leadership and managerial skills were defined as being a team leader. I am very high task as well as high relationship. I am not very good with confrontation but if there is something to be done, I don't mind asking help!

Managerial Grid Results

When I looked at the possible results for the test I assumed I would probably be “Country Club”. I like to try and be friends with people, but at the same time I am a loner. I am usually the kind of person who prefers to work with someone on a technology project. Technology is one of my weaknesses and I tend to feel unsure about what I am doing. I also like working with others while I am working on a project at work. However, if it is a personal project or a paper I would rather work alone because I try to get things done in advance. This way I am able to plan out what needs to be done first and I make a list of what I need to get done each day. I also do this with class work, I write out a list so that I will stay organized and I know what needs to be done first.

I was somewhat surprised that my result was in the upper left hand corner of the “authoritarian” grid. However, now that I think about it that probably suits me. It seems so bad when I looked up the exact definition in the dictionary, but I was fairly close to being out of that grid. I am not one who would be against individual freedom, but I do like to operate with rules and in some ways be told what to do, for example, the teacher giving the class a topic for a project as opposed to picking my own. I think that I would make a good manager somewhere someday because I have good people skills and try to treat others how I would want to be treated and I have seen too many people mess the job up, but I would not take away personal freedom. I would just try and follow the rules and balance everything to where my coworkers would want to follow them as well.

Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid

Before taking the leadership test I tried thinking of myself in third person. Do I like interacting with people on a regular basis? Do I feel more comfortable in the leader role or as a team member? What are my goals or expectations while holding this position? So after I have answered my own questions about myself I also thought what are my strengths, weaknesses and most importantly my work ethic. After the test and analyzing my results I fell in the area that I thought I would; authority and obedience. I know I possess characteristics of being results oriented and task oriented. Even though I do work well with others my strengths are perfection and results. For example, this summer during my internships I realized that after completing different projects the feeling that I receive when people enjoy my work is great. Perfection is what I strive for in everything I do. Overall the area I fell in was not surprising and the test was interesting but I think that it doesn't reflect everyone's leadership skills and abilities.

Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid

This was a very interesting questionaire for me because I would label myself as a team leader from the four differing sections. I would say this because I enjoy working with others and can still focus on the task at hand and work to accomplish it to the best of my abilities.

After I took this quiz, it appears that I was correct and did indeed get labeled as a team leader. As I was saying I mostly expected that because as much a hard worker as I am, I can't help but worry about others. In this realization I decided I am a large percentage of a people person. On the other hand when given a task I prioritize and organize the most suitable path to finish it. I enjoy getting places on time and fulfilling tasks but I also enjoy other coworkers and company while working. I believe to have a good blend of both team leader and authoritarian to combine both a sincerity with others, yet the ability to manage and accomplish.

Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid

First off, I will link the Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid leadership questionnaire for those who couldn't find it in the old post easily.

I considered myself to be a task oriented person because I tend to be an introvert in my personality at first until I really get to know people. Therefore, if the task is laid out before me I would just as soon get it done the way I feel it needs to.

However, the managerial grid had me slightly over in the team leader section of the matrix grid. This makes sense to me now because I have had more practice and time to develop these styles of managing style in the way I function by the various parts of life. I am highly involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry where I took on the roles as President and Missions Coordinator for the past couple years, I have worked jobs in the past several summers that have put me in charge of a team below me, and many leadership theories and character building activities in the classes I have had on APSU's campus stresses team management skills. I think my flexibility and willingness to lead a team has brought this end of the spectrum up on my managerial grid in the past several years, but I was split even down the middle when I added up the scores of "people" and "task."

Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid

After taking the quiz, I was determined as Team Management. I find this to be very fitting. As a pool manager this summer, I had a staff of 25 lifeguards. One of my main concerns and focuses was to ensure that my employees were happy. I knew if they were happy with their job, they would work hard and enjoy being at work. Even though I strived to have happy employees, I never let the goals for the summer get out of sight. I found this type of managerial style worked for me. It was a successful summer and my higher management was thoroughly pleased and asked for me to return next summer.

I also had my roommate take this test. It was just as accurate on him as it was on me.

Battle.net Blogging and Forum Guidelines

Battle.net is a company that holds its roots in online gaming. This company has created several popular games and is often looked at as a major contributor to what online gaming has become today.

In thier policy they explain that their intent was to set up a forum for customers and fans to discuss and enjoy the finer points of their games in an ethical way. Their forums strictly prohibit vulgar language and explicit content. Aside from verbal and visual restrictions there are also rules against hacking or inserting malicous codes or trojan horse viruses. There are also the normal legalities of the government for example "no unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable content. " If any of these guidelines or rules are broken the person will then be permenantly banned from battle.net and other associations.

For more information on their guidlines and policies you can visit their site.

DELL: Online Communication Program

"Dell’s Code of Conduct sets forth a standard of personal responsibility for employees both inside and in some cases, outside the workplace."

In the policy, it says first and foremost, all Dell employees must disclose their employment with the company. Upon doing so, the employee must then present only truthful facts, and not mislead the customer. While speaking with these potential customers, employees must not disobey the employee code of conduct or do anything illegal. When talking to the customers, it's also important that not only do employees not lie to the customer, but also that they don't disclose personal business information. The policy is concluded saying that any employee that does not comply to the details of the above noted company online blogging policy, is subject to punishment and possibly losing their job.

The Policy can be reviewed on Dell's website. You can also view the company's Code of Conduct on their website.

International Olympic Committee Blogging Guidelines

IOC Blogging Guidelines
For persons accredited at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008.

In light of the recent Olympic games in Beijing, China, I discovered there are guidelines for the athletes, trainers, coaches, etc. that participated in the events. The span of time that these guidelines cover is 8 days before the Opening Ceremony and 3 days after the Closing Ceremony. The guidelines are for those who put up personal blogs for the general public about their experiences at and/or participating in the games. Also, any person who posts Olympic content on another website is held accountable.

First off, the IOC wants blogging to remain a personal form of expression apart from journalism. Under the Olympic Charter, paragraph 3 of Bye-law Rule 49, states "Only those persons accredited as media may act as journalist, reporters or in any othemedia capacity."

The Olympic Charter is a set of guidelines that accredited persons at the games most abide to.

1. Definition of a Blog

The Definition of a blog to the IOC "is a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), usually displayed in reverse chronological order."

2. Personal Information

The personal information shared about theOlympic games should be solely based on personal experiences and stories. The blogs should not contain interviews, adn any information that compromises the security, staging,or organization of the Olympic Games is strictly prohibited.

3. No Sound or Moving Images

One should not postany sound clips or video clips of the games (including still shots of photographs in a sequence that suggests movements) of the Olympic contests, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and Medal Ceremonies.

4. Still Pictures

"Accredited zones" (ie: Olympic Village and the Main Press Centre) may not have any still pictuers taken frm persons outside select media unless specified times have been given when these zones are available for photographs.

5. Olympic Marks

The Olympic symbol and any words accredited to the Olympic Games (ie: Olympian, Olympic etc) may not be associated with any thrid party or organization.

6. Advertising and Sponsorship

No person can post any commercial reference next to the Olympic content in his or her posts. Pop-up ads and any fom of advertisement, marketing, etc. cannot take up more than 15% of the screen.

7. No Exclusivity

No accredited person can make an agreement with any company to post certain content concerning the Olympic Games.

8. Domain Names/URLs/Page Naming

Domain names including the words "Olympic" or "Olympian" (ie: [my name]Olympic.com would not be allowed, [my name].com/Olympics would be allowed).

9. Links

Accredited persons with a blog are encouraged to link important Olympic information with official Olympic websites, including:

The Official Site of the Olympic Movement
The Official Website of the Beijing Olympic Games

10. Liability

Everyone is responsible for his or her own statements about the Olympic Games. Bloggers can be held personally responsible for any comments deemed to be obscene or defamatory. Bloggers express ideas at their own risk and should make sure it is their own.

11. Responsibility & Further Restrictions

The BOCOG, the National Olympic Committees, and the International Federations have a responsibility to uphold their own delegations and may impose tier own personal guidelines of restrictive blogging concerning the Olympic Games.

12. Prior or Subsequent Agreements Entered into by the IOC

Noting may be added or taken away in interpreting or amending nay one of these guidelines to supersede them.

13. Infringement of Guidelines

Violation of these guidelines by an accredited person may lead to a withdrawal of their identity and accreditation card as stated in the Olympic Charter. The IOC reserves the right to take legal action deemed necessary for any monetary loss and damages.

For more info read the IOC Blogging Guideline (pdf format)

Hill and Knowlton Blogging Policy

Hill & Knowlton is a public relations firm that is known for its pr campaigns for the US government and connections to many other governments around the world. It was founded amidst the depression and has grown to to being in the top five PR firms. They have a fairly large blogging platform for their employees and have four requirements to blog on their site.
"1.You must be an employee of a wholly-owned Hill & Knowlton office
2. You must assess your own suitability using our self-assessment questionnaire
3. You must agree to the code of practice we expect all our bloggers to follow
4. You must complete a short training module that explains how to use our blogging software."
These rules can be found at their page to sign up to blog.

The code of practice is Hill & Knowlton's guidelines for people wishing to participate in the blog. It consists of being respectful and not criticizing other peoples blogs. One is also expected to write professionally and accurately while also respecting the terms of employement. They stress accuracy and citing your sources. The last point they state is to not delete other peoples comments or blogs unless it interferes with the code of conduct.

The rules for this blog are very fair, not limiting its employees to talking about problems within the organization, which you do not find many other places. The one downside to their blog page is that others who are not apart of the community can interact with them.

Cisco Systems, Inc. Blogging Policy

Cisco Systems, Inc. has established rules and regulations that apply to all of their employees who use multimedia and social networking websites (MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc.). The new technology that Cisco has created is for the sole purpose of its employees to communicate and collaborate. Basically Cisco states that "common sense" is the best guide that they suggest for the users of the blog. If the employee is unsure about information Cisco states that they consult Cisco "internet postings". Also disclosing any information that is considered confidential is a violation of the company's policy. Overall there are several guidelines that need to be taken into consideration when posting personal opinions on the company's blog website.

After reading Cisco's policy about blogging, I came to the conclusion that any negative press or information that doesn't comply with the company will not be taken lightly. The company wishes to uphold a positive image for the public while giving their employees the opportunity of free speech. With that said, Cisco strongly suggest that if an employee does wish to post personal opinions they should state these opinions does not reflect Cisco, but reflect their personal point of view. Since the employees are legally responsible for their postings they may be subject to liability if the postings are in violation of any other applicable law. Employees aren't allow to use the Cisco's logo, trademark, etc. in their postings. From the beginning Cisco Systems, Inc. states clearly that if any of these rules are in violation it can result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

To be honest, I don't think I have ever heard of Cisco Systems, Inc. but after reviewing their website and the type of technology they possess it is impressive. I am sure the employees would have some interesting ideas to share regarding the company and their duties in the company.

BBC Blog Guidelines

BBC is the largest broadcasting company in the world. It's purpose is to educate, entertain and inform its public. It is funded by the United Kingdom community through what is called a liscense fee. It is also involved in operating many businesses around the world such as publishing and sales companies. It is stated in their values that they intend to be the "most creative organisation in the world." They value their audience and take pride in the product that is produced daily. BBC is a community that respects on another.

There is also a divison that broadcasts world wide on radio, TV, and internet. It provides news and information in 32 different languages.

As far as the BBC blogging policy goes, it is very simple. The employees are not to associate their personal blogs with BBC at anytime. They must not reveal confidential information or even reveal the fact that they are an employee of BBC. If they do mention their employement, there must be a disclaimer stating that their views do not reflect the views of BBC. Their blogs should not be used to attack colleaques. In addition, if the blogger is approached by the press regarding their personal blog, they must see their manager before giving a statement.

NCAA Blogging Policy

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) serves as a voluntary governing body for colleges and universities to register their sports teams. The NCAA creates policies and guide lines that teams and coaches and reporters must abide by. One policy that must be followed is the NCAA Blogging Policy.

The NCAA blogging policy states that anyone, who chooses to blog on a NCAA event must follow certain regulations. When blogging on a NCAA sport, the writer must include the ncaasports.com URL in the blog and if it is a media writer, they must place the NCAA logo on their website. In each blog, the game conditions (score, time remaining on the clock, etc.) at the time of the post must be posted in the blog. The following amount of blogs are allowed during each sport. These amounts apply to both male and female sports, when applicable.

Fall Sports
Soccer: Five times per half; one at halftime
Field Hockey: Five times per half; one at halftime
Volleyball: Three per Competition; one in between Competitions
Football: Three per quarter; one at halftime
Cross Country: Ten per day/session
Men’s Water Polo: Three per quarter; one at the halftime
Winter Sports
Ice Hockey: Three per period – one in between (includes overtime)
Basketball: Five times per half; one at halftime; two times per overtime period
Wrestling: Ten per session
Indoor Track and Field: Ten per day/session
Swimming and Diving: Ten per day/session
Bowling: Ten per day/session
Gymnastics: Ten per session

Spring Sports
Baseball and Softball: one every inning (includes extra innings)
Women’s Water Polo: Three per quarter – one at halftime
Lacrosse: Three per quarter; one at halftime
Outdoor Track and Field: Ten per day/session
Golf: Ten per day/session
Tennis: Ten per day/session
Rowing: Ten per day/session
Fencing: Ten per day/session
Skiing: Ten per day/session
Rifle:Ten per day/session

Any media affiliate who blogs on an NCAA event is prohibited from releasing any information, concerning the event, to any other form of media without written consent from the NCAA. The blogger must understand that when following the NCAA blogging policy, he or she is releasing the NCAA, and essentially anyone else involved with the NCAA event, from all forms of liability that could potentially arise from the posted blog. The NCAA and their championship affiliates hold the power to decide whether a blogger is abiding the NCAA blogging policy or not.

Yahoo! and personal blog guidelines

Yahoo! an online company which upholds blogging as a valuable component of shared media. Their blogging guidelines outline the legal procedures and best procedures when it comes to blogging. Everything from legal liablity under what circumstances, and what is the correct procedure when approached by the media about your blog is included in the Yahoo! policy:

Legal Parameters

• Legal Liablity: If or when you decide to go public with your opinions or commentary you are legally held liable for anything said.
• For that reason you should be cautious when blogging. "Blog at your own risk!"
• Company Priviledged information: At no time are you allowed to disclose anything deemed private by Yahoo!-- All employees have signed an agreement to these procedures.
• Press Inquiries: At anytime if you are approached by the Media asking questions about Yahoo! or any of it's employees you must direct them to the PR Director.
• You must also ask about information being disclosed to the public by the PR dept. before you decide to blog about it.

Best Practice Guidelines

• Be respectful to your colleagues: Be thoughtful and accurate about the postings of fellow Yahoos ( employees of Yahoo!). Yahoo! employees are viewed as representatives of the company.
• If you post anything stating that you are an employee of Yahoo! and post anything about the company you should inform your Managers to avoid surprises.
• Get your facts straight: Make sure what you post is correct.
• Provide context to your argument: Make sure you are able to back up anything posted in your blogs with proof.
• Engage in private feedback: Have an option where your readers can privately respond to you.
  

All above are things that are included in the guidelines and after being involved with many company's they are rules that most company's have.

Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems began in 1982 with just four employees. Today, the company has grown to over 34,000 employees and a Fortune 500 rank of 184. Sun Microsystems can be easliy recognized by the company's NYSE letters JAVA. The company also has several blogs available to employees. The Sun Guidelines to Public Discourse are the blogging tenants that attempt to guide employee blogging in a more meaningful direction of conversation.

• Blogging is a two way street
• Don't tell secrets
• No comment
• Policies apply
• Be respectful, interesting, and honest
• Write what you know
• Don't write annonymously
• Business outlook rules
• Think about consequences
• Other peoples information

These tenants attempt to cover a wide ground of blogging topics. Blogging is a two way street emphasizes reading and linking other peoples blogs. If the information is good, pass it along. The policy also follows the "golden rule" be respectful, keep personal information private, write what you know, and so on. This policy also has several components that are meant to guard company privacy such as, do not comment unless you are the spokesperson for that issue. Other company policies apply such as Standards of Business Conduct, export compliance, trademark guidelines, privacy requirements, confidential information protection, and anti-discrimination.

Sun Microsystems does not want to micro manage its employees. I feel they wish to create an interesting online community with its employees to facilitate many kinds of communication.

Thomas Nelson Publishers

Thomas Nelson Publishers is the World's largest publisher of Christian books and materials. Founded in Scotland in the late 1700's, Thomas Nelson is currently headquartered in Nashville, TN. Its President and CEO Michael Hyatt was on the forefront of the blogging phenomenon. As Michael began to blog and see its potential for his company.

He promoted blogging for his 675 employee company by creating a blog index on Thomas Nelson's website. The purpose of the index was to create interest and traffic for the employees' blogs. Hyatt encouraged employees to blog about what was going on within the company and its products. His goal was three-fold: to raise awareness of Thomas Nelson, to contribute to its industry, and to allow the public to get a picture of what goes on within the company. He created an easily navigable site that contains the blogs of all the employees. "House Work" is the blog index of Thomas Nelson's employees. This website is updated anytime an employee posts on the blog. It contains the basic information and first few lines of the blog, allowing for readers to skim and read the ones that are of interest.

Michael Hyatt also set guidelines for his employees' blogs. The guidelines cover different aspects of blogging. For example, users are required to use their real name and add a disclaimer to the end of every post explaining that their ideas are individual to themselves. Hyatt encourages to write often, advertise if they wish, be nice, and respect secrets and copyrights. If an employee has any question about whether a post might be in question, Hyatt reminds his employees to remember the handbook.

Thomas Nelson's blogging policy is found at Michael Hyatt's personal blog and has created an interesting communication style for one of the nation's largest trade publishers.

IBM's Social Computing Guidelines

IBM's blogging policy covers all areas that an employee might be concerned about when blogging online, and if the policy does not cover their question they recommend that the employee consult the Business Conduct Guidelines. IBM also states that is the employee's right as to whether or not they choose to participate in blogs, but they do encourage the practice. The company wishes to blog in order to learn and to contribute.

The first of the policy is the IBM employee is personally responsible for any information they publish. They are supposed to write in first person, identify who they are, and if it is relevant their role at IBM. If they publish anything to a website outside of IBM that has to do with their work or any subjects related to IBM they have to use a disclaimer that says these statements are the individual's and not IBM's. Employees are asked to follow copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws. They are not to provide confidential or proprietary information without permission and are not to cite anyone without their approval. They are not to engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in IBM's workplace. Employees need to find others who are blogging or publishing on the topic and cite them and should link back to the source when referencing. Finally, they need to be consistent with how they wish to be seen in the workplace, not pick fights and they need to add value to what they write because it could be reflected back on the IBM brand.

The policy goes on to say that they regard blogs as a form of communication and relationship among individuals. IBM encourages honesty in blogs and managers and executives are not exempt from the rules.

I chose this policy because I thought they had a fair policy and were not being too strict, just sensible. They are trying to protect the employees and the company at the same time.

First Blog Post for Fall Semester 2008

This is a sample post for students in Comm 4020 at Austin Peay State University. Students will be making their first post about blogging policy.

I hope we all have a great semester and find many uses for blogs.