"How I Became The Google Blogger"

Mark Jen's blog, 99 Zeros, which describes his personal experiences working for Google, recently received much attention after the blog's existence caused him to lose his job. I first heard about the story on slashdot and am now coming back to it after seeing it on the front page of Yahoo. Now Mark has posted his first entry describing what actually happened.

Granted, Google is probably on firm legal ground in actively discouraging the sharing of insider information by firing Mark. But Mark and others who have lost their jobs for blogging are bringing to light a critical issue around the legal relationship between blogs and the business world. Here is my message to Mark:

My honest opinion, Mark, is to ride the wave of your publicity. Many others have shared your same fate after blogging about work but you are now the poster child. This is your 15 minutes of fame. Take advantage of it:

Keep blogging. Give interviews. Be a public advocate for corporate blogging policies that are fair to both employees and employers. You are right that companies should be embracing blog technology and the first step towards that is establishing precedent for a legal business relationship to blogging. There should be a standard clause in corporate Non-Disclosure Agreements that accounts for blogging.

Ride the wave. Speak out. Refuse to be cowed. Start your own software company that provides your idea of revolutionary software solutions.