In this day and age, it seems like most everyone with has a blog. With the number of available blogging cum social networking tools available, it’s no surprise that blogging is widespread and has become a communal activity. It’s also no surprise that your boss is reading. How can you make truthful, honest blog posts for your friends and family if you know that your company is looking over your shoulder? How do you avoid becoming one of the people who have been fired because of their blogs?

Privacy.

• Search engine visibility. Be familiar with how search engines work and make sure your personal blog doesn’t appear in the search result pages when someone types your name into Google. Social networking sites and blog services sometimes give you the option whether you want to appear in search engine results or not. Always opt for being unsearchable,if you don’t want your employers and colleagues accidentally finding your blog.
• Taking advantage of privacy settings. If you’re using services such as Facebook, MySpace, or Livejournal, there are some privacy settings that will allow you to filter which of your contacts can see each type of content. An account of a wild night out with your friends should be viewable only by friends, while photos of a professional seminar you went to can be available publicly. Be very selective in what you display for public viewing, whether it’s blog posts, photos, or videos. If in doubt, be on the safe side and make your content viewable to a limited number of trusted family and friends only.

Anonymity.

•  Don’t use any real names, including yours. Sometimes, it helps to choose a username that is different from your real name if you won’t be using your personal blog for anything professional (such as networking or branding). Also, when talking about the company you work for, don’t use the real company’s name - codenames for your company and colleagues will do. This way, if you feel the need to rant, you can do it without worrying about job security. After all, you’re not giving away any details to the public.
• Pay for extra security. If you’re going to register a domain name for your blog, opt for paying a few extra dollars to keep your registration information secure. This is because when someone does a who.is search on your domain name, your name and billing address won’t come up in the results.

Review your contracts. Whether you’re a freelancer or a regular employee, odds are you’ve signed contracts with clients and companies. Review these contracts and make sure you’re not violating some non-disclosure clauses with your blog.

While blogs can help us release some pent-up frustration with work, doing so can have negative consequences. However, if you’re careful, blogging about a tough work night can still be fun and therapeutic - and you’ll still have your job the following morning.