Michael Schrage of CIO Magazine has a characteristically sane and clear-eyed column about the value—and the concomitant risk—of free-wheeling internal corporate blogs, and he apparently has the goods on some in-house Fortune 500 examples.

What topics do these blogs address?  IT project management seems to be a favorite, which is only logical since both the target audience and the author pool would tend to be familiar with blogging technology and comfortable absorbing information on-screen.  But how badly does the CIO really want to know about the progress of the massive ERP installation with Bangalorean outsourcing and hot and cold running Big Four consultants?  (We know the answer is that, if he's smart, he wants to know about problems early and often, but we also know that such a pioneering attitude can invite arrows in the back.)

Would your firm have the nerve to permit free-wheeling internal blogs?  As a reality check?  Think about it; odds are somebody else is already.