Blogging About Your Internship

1. Ask if there's a policy.

• Sometimes it's an unwritten policy!
  
• "Can I mention my internship on my blog?"
• "Does the site have an official blog?"

2. Follow the rules.

• You may have to suspend your daily postings.
  
• "I'll be offline for the next 3 months...."
  
• "I'll be writing only about my favorite recipes for the next 3 months...."
  

3. Follow the unwritten rules.

• Clean up your spaces.
• "I can see how my Facebook persona doesn't fit my new role."
  
• "Just in case you google me, keep in mind that I was 15 when I created that fake website."

The business, education, and nonprofit worlds are not nearly forgiving enough—they are headed up by people whose youthful indiscretions were not recorded in an internet archive (see the Wayback Machine for a lesson in digital permanence). But those people will now be judging you what you do online. Be aware that most of them are not blogging, and they don't want you blogging about them.

Non-disclosure requirements... You have every right to blog, but you may have to do it while not employed or while not in an internship. It is common in business to have "non-disclosure" requirements whereby employees are restricted from what they say or write about the company in public forums. Interns are expected to abide by the same rules.

Be open to exploring the topic... On the other hand, your blogging expertise may be highly valued at your site, if you introduce it the right way. Explore the idea with a mentor to see how you can blog and the site can benefit.

Good luck!

The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com