Develop Blog Policies

Blog planning—Step 7 of 7

Good blogging policies should pro­vide help­ful, prac­ti­cal advice, and encourage an open dialogue with readers, all while protecting your bloggers, and your organization.

Who should develop your blog policy?

• Key players include reps from your Web team, Public Affairs/Communications, and your Office of General Counsel.
• Blogging policies (and all Web-related policies) should be reviewed by an agency attorney and cleared through your agency’s Office of General Counsel.

What to include in your blog policy

• The purpose of the blog
• Language that encourages a free exchange of ideas, while protecting both readers and bloggers
• Clear expectations for employees who blog. Include guidance such as:
  • Be professional
  • Be transparent about who you are and where you work
  • Be respectful of your organization and community
  • Represent the U.S. government with dignity
  • Be credible and write about what you know
  • Follow your agency’s employee Code of Conduct
  • Respect confidential and proprietary information
  • Be responsive and reply to comments as promptly as possible
• If your blog accepts comments, you should also develop a comment moderation policy
• A linking policy explains how your blog will interact with and link to other content on the Web
• You may also need a disclaimer of endorsement, such as “The postings on this site are my own, and don’t necessarily represent my agency’s positions, strategies or opinions.”

Sample blog policies

• EPA.gov blog policy (PDF, 79 KB, 6 pages, December 2008) includes writing and commenting guidelines, and sample blog posts.
• GSA.gov blog policy (PDF, 61 KB, 7 pages, January 2009) provides guidance for bloggers in records management, retention and archiving.
• IBM used a wiki to cre­ate a set of guide­lines for all IBMers who wanted to blog.

That’s it for the Blog Planning phase. Now you are ready to move on to the Blog Execution phase, and launch your blog. Start by learning how to write compelling content.

Review all steps at a glance on the How to Blog page.

Content Lead: Justin Herman
Page Reviewed/Updated: May 16, 2012