On May 1, World Publishing Company, publisher of the Tulsa (OK) World, almost did a very smart thing. It issued an electronic communication policy (pdf document) that clarified guidelines for how employees should use the Internet and telecommunications. This document included provisions for employees' weblogs and online postings. More info at the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.

Now, I think such policies are a good idea for almost any organization. Clarifying these issues up front tends to prevent common misunderstandings and conflicts, in my experience.

That said, this particular policy includes a hilarious gaffe. Check out this provision: "Do not link or otherwise refer to the company Website without obtaining the written permission of the Director of Human Resources."

HUH? How clueless is that? Seems to me that it's unrealistic, futile, and counterproductive to expect anyone to request and obtain permission -- let alone "written permission," which in legalese generally means "on paper, and not by fax or e-mail" -- simply to link to a Web page.

Get real. If you publish on the Web, expect that people (including your own employees) will link to your content. And that's a very good thing! Requiring anyone to get permission for a simple inbound link is patently silly.

(Thanks to Doug Fisher for the tip.)