Negative Comments
written by Michael P. Boudett
When attaching negative comments about blog entries, there are definite pitfalls to avoid. They include making inaccurate statements about your own plans/products or a competitor's plans/products, that could constitute defamation or false advertising, and disclosing internal information, that could constitute a waiver of trade secret privilege. Of course, there is also the simple risk of getting "drawn in" to a dialogue with someone who may use the response in an unpredictable manner such as a rant.
In the case of positive comments, in addition to maintaining accuracy, a company needs to properly identify its comments -- but to avoid any suggestion of sponsorship or approval of the blog for a variety of reasons. These reasons include avoiding responsibility for other content on the blog, as well as the business risk of potentially ruining the blogger's perceived independence.
All that being said, in the case of a blog that is run respectably, there is no foreseeable danger in making a very occasional posting with proper attribution ("This is Julie, vice president of marketing at XYZ Corp."). This might be done, for example, to briefly and politely correct an inaccuracy about the company or its products ("Actually, we want readers to know that we don't currently purchase any coffee made from beans grown in that country"), or to supplement a point ("We're glad to hear the favorable comments about that product, and wanted to let readers know that we're planning on making it available in more stores in '07").