Guidelines for Bloggers

Reid Goldsborough, a syndicated columnist and author of the book Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway offers the following suggestions for bloggers everywhere. He can be reached at reidgold@netaxs.com

You may quote short bits of what someone else has written, particularly if you’re providing commentary, without violating the person’s copyright.

You may report facts or ideas of others (though it’s considered plagiarism to couch them as your own).

You may use the trademarked name of a company (without the trademark symbol) unless you’re using it as the name of your own competing product or service or implying that the trademark holder endorses your content.

In criticizing another party, truth is an absolute defense against libel, but truth can be expensive to prove legally.

You can’t just stick an “In my opinion” in front of a verifiable statement for it to become opinion and protected against a libel charge.

If you don’t name a person you’re criticizing but the person is still identifiable through the context of what you say, you can still be exposed to a libel charge.

If you make up something about a company, such as finding a severed finger in the company’s chili, you can be liable for trade libel.

You may be liable for invasion of privacy if you publish private facts about another person if they’re offensive and not a matter of public concern.

If you get an unjustified cease-and-desist letter or e-mail message, consider exposing the party trying to squash your freedom of expression at the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse.

If you criticize your boss or company in your personal blog, even if you do so off-hours using your own computer and Internet service provider, you could be fired, legally, if you’re an “at will” employee.