Wriging

My own rules are:

1. Don't write about a project directly unless clearing with the client first.
2. Don't write about clients directly. This includes mud slinging or axe grinding.

In addition, don't give away any secrets that give you a major advantage in that industry. If you're doing something better than everyone else, don't tell them what it is :)

These make good sense, thanks.

Anything you do say? Anyone else have experience with this? We all blog here, right?

I can think of no better writing policy than the one Rui Carmo wrote over at Taoofmac.com (link goes to Rui's full disclaimer)

Primarily these two points.

It's publicly available info (i.e., I never publish anything people can't find on the Net by themselves.)

It's not directly related to work - I never post anything directly related to my work, projects, company or suppliers, except if it's public domain and with at least one external reference.

I'm not in a position to ever have access to anything proprietary, so the chances of my spilling those beans would be very low. I would agree with seopher though: don't divulge the information that gives you the edge in the market. I attended one conference where I approached a speaker privately and asked for some technical information about his topic, and via email I received what the company was willing to release. That way, they knew who I was and who I was affiliated with, and the speaker didn't have as much responsibility.

In writing about client work, be very careful to keep it vague. I won't ever use client's real identities, sometimes I go to the point of changing the field or market they are in. Even if I'm not talking about them directly, I don't want them to wander across it later.