Companies instituting blogging policies

Terrence Ryan knew Scott McNulty in passing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where they both work.

But it was McNulty’s blog, or Web log, that made Ryan take a harder look. It showed Ryan that McNulty, a systems administrator, really knew computers. More important, it revealed his "geeky love of technology," a personal quality that "tends to work really well in our department," Ryan said.

Because of the blog, Ryan offered McNulty, 28, of Philadelphia, a promotion to systems programmer on a team responsible for information technology services. McNulty took it.

He still writes his blog – a blend of his musings on the personal and technical at blankbaby.typepad.com – knowing that several of his co-workers and his bosses read it. "It’s had a very positive impact on my career," he said.

About 10 million Americans now write blogs, ranging from the confessional and edgy to the technical and mundane, estimates Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Thirty-five million read them.

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