Corporate America is getting all bloggy these days. Even WalMart—who's more famous for its Kathie Lee Gifford clothing line than being techie—launched a blog, Check Out, a couple months ago.

The problem is that more often than not, big companies screw it up. You may not remember, but before WalMart had Check Out, they had "Wal-Marting Across America". The "blog" featured Jim and Laura, an all-American couple traveling across the U.S. in their R.V. making frequent pit stops at—where else?—Wal-Mart! Once it was revealed that Wal-Mart and their PR firm Edelman were behind the stunt, the whole thing blew up in their face. While you had to be daft (I'm being generous here) to believe that the blog wasn't sponsored by Wal-Mart (it had statements like: "by shopping at Wal-Mart [customers] eat healthy while stretching [their] food dollar (paying $3.48 for a half gallon of organic milk is one way.")), it's an example of how a business can go really wrong with blogging.

Of course it's not just Wal-Mart that's guilty of big-time 'net screw-ups. Whole Foods CEO John Mackey actually got in trouble with the Securities and Exchange Comission and his own board last summer after he was caught posting messages on the Yahoo stock boards about Whole Foods under a fake name—something he'd been doing for years. In the wake of the scandal, he dropped his blog. Portfolio reports today though, that he's back with his blog—and defending his actions. He says:

"An online screen name is a great 'equalizer' between people. No one knows who most of the other participants are in everyday life, and so everyone relates to everyone else on equal terms... What matters is the quality of what is said ? not who says it."

Wait, what? Actually, when you're talking about influencing stock prices, it does matter who says it, John. I understand the impulse to control your online presence. But the takehome lesson here for small business owners is that you have to be careful about how you do it. There's no question that it pays to be online, one way or another, these days. But if the technique you choose draws moral ire—or the attention of the cops—it's worth rethinking.

From "Jim and Laura's" blog: