Bloggers' Rights

So, it turns out Blogging is such hot news! I know I've mentioned previously that it's all the rage in marketing to determine how it can be used (go ahead and give your steepled fingers some taps while saying, "Excellent" in a very Burns-esque way). Anyway, one of CBC's radio stations covered it a bit today: http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2005/200501/20050117.html
Good for a listen/read.
Why on Earth should I feel that I can't give some advice on tech public relations if I wanted to. That's my chosen field. I've spent time giving myself a little slice of expertise, which enables me to advance my career down this path. Should the fruits of my experience only be harvested by my employer? If someone were to comment and ask for some advice on getting press for a new gadget, couldn't I help them out?
Now, that's not to say that I would ever help a competitor, I wouldn't. That smells wrong to me, but another tech person asking some advice about widgets that have nothing to do with my employer? Sure. Frankly, I work for a technology company in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and they have NEVER said people shouldn't blog, or use their expertise in their personal lives. They are no Delta airlines (see noted CBC article and Queen of the Sky blog). I bet I could even post a picture of me using their technology without fear of reprimand.
Anyway, all that aside, people should be smart enough to not print corporate information - frankly it's corporate information because it's not yours. Print your own info, right?
So maybe a Bloggers' Bill of Rights is a good idea. Just get some guidelines and policies down on paper - protect people's personal opinions. At the same time, corporations should be allowed to come down on those spilling beans that they weren't supposed to.
If I owned my own company, I'd want my corporate intelligence protected too.
I can't think of a scenario where I would feel it was all right for someone to spill confidential - or even simply not-publicly-released corporate information.
Here's the bloggers' rights blog, if you're interested: http://rights.journalspace.com/
Take care,
V