Personal blogs: What are the boundaries?

"What are the guidelines for the personal blogs of journalism who work for mainstream news organizations?"

That question is asked in the subhead of an article titled "Murky Boundaries" from a recent edition of the American Journalism Review magazine.

In the article, as is quite evident by the subhead, editorial assistant Kevin Rector discusses the controversy surrounding personal blogs and their association (or disassociation) with the workplace. Rector talks to several people in the industry to get their opinion on this very topic. He also interviews some journalists who have been fired from their jobs for posting things deemed "inappropriate" by their company.

I found a link to the story online as well for those interested: Murky Boundaries. I highly suggest this article for anyone looking to make a living in the media industry.

My own opinion on the topic? 

If a journalist wants to have his or her own personal blog outside of the office, that's fine. Just keep it that way - outside of the office. Avoid at all costs talking about anything associated with your work. Even more, stay away even from all topics/stories being covered by your publication (even if you're not the one covering it). If you want to talk about your work in a more informal setting, ask your editor for a blog that is associated with your company and tell he or she why it is you want the blog and how you think it will benefit the publication.

This quote from Jeff Brown, news editor at Delaware's Dover Post, I think, sums it up quite well, "It's just understood that if you are going to have a blog, you separate your personal life from your professional life when you're posting on it."

So, what do you guys think? Is it okay for journalists to talk about their jobs in their own personal blogs? Should they be reprimanded if they do so? Do you have your own personal blog outside of work/school?