Being
that this is my first blog I would like to focus on the ethical and legal
concerns associated with creating and publishing this form of communication.
As
stated in the textbook, Business Communication Today, “Any groups affected by a
company’s decisions now have tools to give voice to their opinions and needs,
and companies have many more conversational threads that need to be monitored
and managed” (Bovée and Thill). A prime example of a conversational thread
being utilized by companies is a blog. Blogs are a great way for companies to
interact with their customers and other readers via the Internet. Not only do
blogs support an informal means of communication, they allow readers to
participate and comment in the conversation initiated by the company. However,
when employing a blog site one must be cautious of the ethical guidelines
required by the company and legal regulations bound to any form of
communication.
To
ensure ethical communication, one must first understand what their employers
have deemed ethical and/or unethical. To assist with this overall question,
businesses have established a code of ethics. Unless those in executive
positions follow the code of ethics, lower level employees will not feel obligated
to communicate or act ethically either. In regards to writing a blog, one must
ask themselves a series of questions before posting their write-up. For example,
and as stated in Business Communication Today, “Will the message achieve the
greatest possible good while doing the least possible harm” (Bovée and Thill)?
Or in other words, is what you are posting beneficial to the company whom you
are posting for, or will the post negatively affect the audience and the
company?
Furthermore,
in addition to the ethical aspects of communication and blogging come the legal
implications associated with any form of writing. One particular area that
bloggers must be cautious of is law concerning intellectual property such as
patents and copyrighted material. Using another’s work requires citation and
without the proper form of credit, legal actions will be taken. Blogging
creates a relaxed and comfortable environment for writers, however one must
always give credit where credit is due.
Lastly,
my question to you, as bloggers and active readers, is what actions can you
take in the future to always ensure ethical and legal communication?
Reference:
Bovée,
Courtland L., and John V. Thill. "Achieving Success Through Effective
Business Communication." Business Communication Today. 12th ed.
Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2014. 17-25. Print.
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