I haven’t posted a blog here in several weeks. I don’t have a lot of explanation other than I have several posts partially prepared, and just don’t feel like any of them are ready for prime time.

There has been a lot going on in my life recently. Between #HRevolution, some client delivery deadlines, being sick, and the golf and gardening seasons upon me, you would think I had a load of material, but as I said, nothing is coming together.

On the weekend, I was watching The Social Network. I know it isn’t historically accurate, but the underlying theme of the movie suggests that the creator of Facebook blogged about being dumped by a girl, and that this somehow gave him the idea that what we all need is an insider network where not everything we post is totally public.

I’ve said this many times before, but there is a level of self-editing that must occur if you are in HR and you blog. You can’t tell the story about a Manager who uttered something so abhorrent that a group of employees filed a human rights complaint. You can’t write that the termination you did in the morning went badly and the employee dented a wall on the way out.

In order to avoid these faux pas, I’ve come up with a sure fire list of times when you should avoid blogging.

1. Don’t blog when you’re drunk. You may think that that glass of wine opens up the writing channels, but soon your inhibitions are gone and you may start telling that story about 2002 when your boss at the time. . .
2. Don’t blog when you’re angry. Your fingers may move faster when you’re mad than when you’re not, but often the writing will come out uneven and disjointed, or you may make arguments that might’ve made sense at the time, but make no sense to someone that isn’t angry. This isn’t to say that you can’t tap into anger, but do so when your mind is clearer.
3. Don’t blog when you’re sick. I can’t explain it but if you blog when you’re sick a potential whiny tone will leach out and invade your blog. No one likes a whiner.
4. Don’t blog when you’re tired. Your thoughts may jumble and it may be difficult to get to a point, or you may be so brief that good points are lost. This isn’t to say that peppy blogs are popular; just ensure there is the logic that often escapes us when we are tired.
5. Don’t blog from your Blackberry or iPhone. Little keys. Big thumbs. There is a huge risk of missing words, spelling mistakes, and the like. It is very difficult to edit from one of these devices. A regular computer is best.
6. Don’t blog alone. Everyone needs an editor. I really think it is OK to say, “what you think?” before posting a blog.
7. Do blog when an idea is fresh. This means that only part of a blog comes out at a time. Remember if you save it, you can always come back later.

I hope that sometime in the near future I will be awake, sober, and well enough to put those finishing touches on all those partial blogs I’ve written in the past few weeks. Stay tuned.