"[It] is a new media, and we are all pioneers in this corporate/social experiment," said Y.F. Juan, director of product marketing at Accellion Inc., a computer vendor. How true.

"Blogs have the power to introduce new voices into the mix," said former IBM executive John Patrick. "Say you're a CIO who wants to develop some thought leadership around the need to rethink the company's approach to mobile workforce strategies. Blogs can give you access to the grass roots and to your peers that you might not otherwise have had." Patrick compared the precision and value of blogs to the free-for-all corporate intranet by labeling intranets as "the data dumpster -- everything is there, but you can't find what you want."

So while there are still no hard and fast rules, there is some general consensus on what to do and what not to do. Let's hear from the best corporate bloggers and what they've learned.

First, tell the truth

The first rule about blogging is that you need to be upfront and honest about all things good and bad. Search engines never forget. "If you make a mistake, admit it, learn from it, vow to do better next time, move on and keep on blogging," said one corporate blogger.