Lessons Learned From Google Blogger Who Got Fired

If you're thinking of writing about your job in a Weblog, let Mark Jen's mistake be a lesson in what to avoid. Jen is the 22-year-old blogger whose career at Google was cut short after he went too far in writing about a company sales meeting, his pay package, and other things best left for quiet hallway conversation on, of all places, his "Ninetyninezeros" Weblog. On Jan. 28, only 11 days after he started at Google, Jen was fired.

Lesson #1: Know your company's corporate culture before you blog about it. Lesson #2: Blogs may feel like a whispered conversation with a few close friends, but they're more akin to speaking aloud in a crowded public place. Lesson #3: If you post sensitive content on your blog, it may not be enough to revise or remove it. Content gets cached on the Web. It may already be too late. Lesson #4: If your company doesn't provide a blogging policy, ask for one. At a minimum, have an open discussion with your manager and maybe even an HR person before getting started. Lesson #5: When it comes to blogging about work, don't make the same mistake twice.