"It is important that corporations make a choice as to what type of blogging they will allow," said Alfred C. Frawley III, director of the intellectual property practice group at the law firm Preti Flaherty in Portland, Me.
More - here.
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I wish I had a blog when I worked for that American NGO where we had to ride the lousy Ukrainian trains all the time. So much material lost. There wouldn't have been much to regret if they had fired me for writing a blog - or so it seems now.
This blog appeared two years after I quit.
Scary indeed it is. Employers have always been wary of independent people and free-thinkers. This quality is only - allegedly - appreciated at the very top, and in order to get there and stay, any deviations from the social norm must be suppressed. So, that corporations would want to keep bloggers in check comes as no surprise, as it is so in line with their logics. Am I stating the obvious or am I simply engulfing myself in some sort of quasi neo-marxist rhetorics on the enslavement of the intellectual proletariat? I think not. This is simply a matter of freedom of speech, and the relationship should really be the opposite, viz. a market in favour of the individuality that forms the basis of the very same liberal ideology that underpins corporate interests and policy.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the reasons I put off having a blog. And still a reason that I don't say much about politics. If I say something on a blog that might offend a valued customer who has a differing view, then I might become less important to the company than the customer.
ReplyDeleteIn reality, since I'm part of management, I can be let go for any reason. I try and make sure I have a value to the company worth keeping. But yes it is something to think about.
Free speech comes at a price.