usingblogsinmicrosoftwindowssharepointservices.docVIP

Using Blogs in Microsoft? Windows? SharePoint? Services 3.0 What is a Windows SharePoint Services Blog site? A Blog, or web log, is an online journal that is created by an individual or team to communicate ideas to others with access to the site. In business, blogs are useful to build communities, express opinions or test ideas with team mates. Some organizations have chosen to extend their employee’s blogs to external Internet users to help teams get feedback on product ideas, generate a robust ‘power user’ community or to simply break down the barriers of communication between internal employees and external customers. Typically, a Blog site includes a number of posts by the site’s authors as well as a series of comments, which can be entered by authenticated visitors to the individual’s blog sites. Most Blog software, including Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, enables blog administrators to reject, publish or edit comments before they are made available to site visitors. However, as the power of Blogs is in their capability for candid feedback, most authors allow uncensored comments as long as established profanity or subject matter rules are followed. How should I think of using a Blog in my business? The uses for a blog in business are as many as the uses for email or instant messaging. No two companies will use Blogs for the exact same purpose. However, regardless of the business case that is developed to enable blogging, companies should create guidelines and administrative policies to help manage a blog that is appropriate for the selected audience. At a base level, blogs should create and post guidelines for appropriate subject matter, language and respect for other readers. Site authors should take responsibility for actively managing their blog’s content, removing any material which does not follow the guidelines. Companies should also speak with their legal advisors to ensure that the proper disclaimers are listed – especially if the blog i