Blogger Beware

Abstract

Standing on a soapbox in the town square is the historic and romantic embodiment of the First Amendment’s right to Free Speech. The ability to speak one’s mind about political and social issues of the day, even in opposition to government or majority views, is essential to the foundation of American principals. If there is a modern embodiment of the soapbox, the Blog would be on many lists.

The growth of blogs has been phenomenal. And closely shadowing it is the accompanying growth of legal threats to bloggers. Free speech is not as broad as is often perceived and many bloggers have run afoul of the law in a number of ways. These cautionary tales should serve as a warning to bloggers to be aware of what their free speech rights permit them to blog, and what they are not permitted to blog.

Keywords: blogger, blogging, employee blogging, lawsuits, free speech, First Amendment, slander, libel, company reputation, confidentiality, proprietary information, blogs, weblogs