Thou Shalt Not Blab About the Company’s Internal Business

Check out this NYTimes.com article:

Interns? No Bloggers Need Apply
By ANNA BAHNEY
Published: May 25, 2006

Most experienced employees know: Thou Shalt Not Blab About the Company’s Internal Business. But the line between what is public and what is private is increasingly fuzzy for young people comfortable with broadcasting nearly every aspect of their lives on the Web, posting pictures of their grandmother at graduation next to one of them eating whipped cream off a woman’s belly. For them, shifting from a like-minded audience of peers to an intergenerational, hierarchical workplace can be jarring.

There’s some good advice here. Novices have a common sense learning curve, but it’s not just up to them to figure it out. Management, HR, and line managers need to set expectations upfront, too.

Similarly, we on the agency side typically sign non-disclosure agreements, both with our companies and the clients we work for. We don’t just sign them, but we need to treat them seriously. Careless chatter in a bar, on blog or between friends can cause problems where least expected.

What do you think? Please post your comments. Thanks.
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.