That’s the catchphrase used in the blogosphere to describe being fired for posting caustic remarks about your employer or co-workers. The word is infamous because of Heather Armstrong, who was fired from her job several years ago after she wrote about co-workers in her software company.

Now humbled by the experience, but still in command of an acerbic vocabulary, Armstrong cautions her blog readers at Dooce.com to avoid writing about work in personal blogs unless the boss knows about it. Her advice is echoed by many workplace analysts.

Organizations are beginning to wrestle with the power of blogging while attempting to establish protocols. At their best, blogs offer a new medium to capture feedback from staff, promote the organization, or inform colleagues about particular details that become tedious in emails. Blogs don’t have to be a depository for spiteful comments about poor working conditions, say workplace analysts.

Instead, organizations should view them as an opportunity to attract talent. "Nobody has established a strict format, so everybody is learning together," says Jeannie Magri, a public relations representative with RFB Communications in Tampa, whose company advises clients on blog policies.

Comments, critical or otherwise, that are posted on a blog present an interesting case study between employer rights and employee’s right to privacy. If nothing else, the pervasiveness of people writing blogs about their company provides a window into the corporate world that was once unavailable. "With today’s media and technology, it’s really easy to find out what’s going on inside a company," says Jim Jenkins, president of Maryland-based Creative Visions Consulting.

When crafting a blog policy, the two most important aspects are proprietary data and client information. While the legal arena is uncharted, Jenkins believes organizations can protect such information from entering the blogosphere, primarily by linking it to standard employee policy about disclosure of confidential information. "The tricky part is that it’s virtually impossible to keep track of personal blogging," Jenkins says. "I don’t think it would be appropriate to require employees to notify HR when they create a blog."

Jenkins says Booz Allen Hamilton restricts its staff members from using their expertise acquired on the job or from a specific client project in a personal blog. Employees are also prohibited from bashing the company.

Organizations fretting over the next online bombshell should note the transient nature of most blogs. Because of the time required to keep them current, even the best ones lose steam. Magri, herself a former blogger, notes that readers who follow a blog with interest often find that it disappears just months after its launch.

As the line between privacy and the office continues to blur, savvy organizations are careful to craft their blog advisories in a language that does not reach into an employee’s personal space. Kate Zabriske, founder of Biz Training Works in Maryland, says it is important to take action without "killing the buzz." The starched prose of employee manuals is discarded in favor of a more conversational style.

Large companies with something to protect—such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Hill & Knowlton—have drafted blog policies. Each one differs slightly, but they all establish the same tone. Several advisories, notably Sun’s, employ language that mirrors the chatty nature of the medium. Corporations see an opportunity while acknowledging the risk of losing control over the corporate narrative. Few organizations want to threaten employees, but they do want to remind them not to reveal confidential information.

Bloggers should be advised that if they live in a state where employment is at will, they could be terminated without being given a reason, regardless of their postings. Chuck Schwab, a Colorado attorney specializing in Internet law, says that most employee policies regarding public statements are broad enough that they already cover blogs. He noted that organizations considering a revised policy should craft language that is "nonmedia specific" to account for any new technology that might enter the market. Company leaders also should consider how restrictive the policy should be in relation to the corporate culture.

Workplace analysts cite IBM’s policy as the model. Many of the principles are commonsense recommendations, such as including a disclaimer that all opinions expressed on the blog belong to the author and not the company. Other recommendations call for respecting copyrights, providing links, and protecting confidentiality. Bloggers should correct errors as soon as possible.

Sun’s blog policy goes one step further, offering suggestions about how to write critical comments without being destructive. The policy resembles a school teacher’s lecture that teaches students to write effective essays. Bloggers should strive to make all entries interesting for readers by focusing on their expertise while steering clear of ramblings about topics in which they are unfamiliar.

The touchiest subject is whether to allow employees to criticize the company or its policies. Magri said it is acceptable for employees to be critical of the company as long as they do it in a respectful manner without bashing or naming targets.

Zabriskie, whose organization consults with jobseekers, advises clients not to take aim at their employers because what they write could haunt them later. "The problem is that this stuff lives forever," she says. "Search engines can search blogs exclusively. Companies can punch in an applicant’s name to see if they have a blog. If someone wrote a critical blog about their employer, I wouldn’t hire them."

Zabriskie acknowledges that most provisions in corporate blog policies appear obvious, but nevertheless, companies should put their blog policy in writing in the same fashion they would with other personnel issues. Policies can only cover so many scenarios so one’s judgment should be the ultimate guide. "The real acid test is whether someone would be comfortable standing in the CEO’s office and reading the blog," Zabriskie says. "If they can do that, then it’s appropriate."

Regarding internal blogs, management should start by asking employees what kinds of information would be useful. The next step is to be patient. Jenkins advises that any message requiring a change in behavior or office culture needs to be distributed multiple times through email, intranet, and a monthly newsletter.

Company leaders should be awake to the fact that critical bloggers may be a symptom of a larger problem. When Wal-Mart employees took exception to the retailer’s benefits, they posted their grievances in blogs. The complaints triggered a response from the company, which beefed up its benefits package.

"If someone creates a blog to criticize company policy and the frustration level is so high with nowhere else to go internally to express dissatisfaction, then usually there is something egregiously wrong with the company," Jenkins says. "Senior leaders need to pay attention and ask, ‘Do people really dislike working here?’"

One semi-famous blogger named "mini-Microsoft" drops the hammer on various company products and policies. While he laments about some of Microsoft’s poor managers, he advises readers to give constructive feedback to their managers and does not criticize anyone by name. Absent a few references, a casual reader would not know the subject is Microsoft if the blog did not include the company name. Microsoft has yet to shut down the site.

The vigilant nature of blogging means that any attempt by a company to deceive its audience could become newsworthy. "The old journalistic standards still apply," Miller says. "Don’t make bad decisions and you won’t end up on the cover of the New York Times. Today, if a manager is a jerk, somebody will write about it on a blog. In the end, it could breed better management."

Michael Laff is an associate editor of T+D; mlaff@astd.org.