Three months ago, when the furore over the now deceased Civil Serf blog kicked off, Tom Watson took the somewhat brave step of using his personal blog to canvass ideas on what a civil service blogging ‘code of conduct’ might look like.

Yesterday, in response to a parliamentary question, Tom revealed the outcome of his impromptu consultation, and the new ‘code’ for civil servants reads exactly as follows:

Principles for participation online

1. Be credible

Be accurate, fair, thorough and transparent.

2. Be consistent

Encourage constructive criticism and deliberation. Be cordial, honest and professional at all times.

3. Be responsive

When you gain insight, share it where appropriate.

4. Be integrated

Wherever possible, align online participation with other offline communications.

5. Be a civil servant

Remember that you are an ambassador for your organisation. Wherever possible, disclose your position as a representative of your department or agency.

Who says government never listens to us bloggers? Well done, mate.

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