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REALITY CHECK
THINKING ABOUT STARTING up your own blog? Beware of how you express yourself regarding your employer, co-workers, and your company's products and services-even when you are writing from home. Your company has rights, too, especially when the information you share is confidential or harmful to its image.
In accordance with applicable state laws governing regulation of off-the-job conduct, private-sector employers generally can prohibit their employees from posting disparaging information about them or their products and services. They also can prohibit an employee from sharing information considered proprietary, confidential, or intellectual property in a blog.
Additionally, employers can forbid language, photos, or other content deemed specifically harassing or discriminatory toward co-workers, vendors, or customers. Employees who post discriminatory or sexually explicit language or photos, of themselves or another co-worker, can...