An article from the Wall Street Journal by M.P. McQueen entitled Bloggers, Beware: What You Write Can Get You Sued makes good points about the pitfalls of social networking and blogging.
If you’re already into the world of social networking or thinking about creating a blog, make sure to check that your insurance policy covers any potential exposure you may have under libel and slander laws.
Yes, all of these activities are covered under First Amendment rights but the problem is that you still may end up paying attorneys fees simply to defend yourself.
Copyright infringement is another potential problem area with blogs. Always make sure to attribute the source documents when you refer to someone else’s material in your blog articles. Usually, a simple link to that article, the name of the publication and the author’s name will work. If you’re unsure, ask the person who wrote the article.
The other side of this situation is: how do I reduce or eliminate the need for your company to worry about bloggers and twitterers posting defamatory remarks about your company? I think that it’s simple. Do what you say you’re going to do and do it well. And if you get a bad review or comment, act quickly to fix the problem that caused that bad review or comment. Lawsuits only make everything worse.
