blog etiquette
| February 15, 2008 | Posted by caroline under ethics, internet, myself, technology, Uncategorized |
I’ve transferred a lot of my writing to a public blog.
Maybe this isn’t the best way to begin a new venture, but I figure I’ll lay my cards out from the start.
I’ve been writing blogs for years, hah, on those network sites most of the time for friends, and also on some official writing-only sites.
Now, however, I’ve ventured into this whole new territory of self-managed and terrifyingly public domains. It’s like New York City, but sharper skyscrapers.
There are a few points that have drawn me to this big bad blogging thing.
1. I am very involved in web industries (I will not specify to what extent for privacy reasons) and recognize the market potential in such a pastime, especially in light of my contact circle.
2. I write regardless of whether it’s public or private, paid or not. I will write till my eyes bleed and my hands writhe in arthritic fever, even from a box with blank walls. Those walls will be remarkable..
3. I have finally been wooed by the freedom of blogs. I cannot deal so much with corporate news. I read it, but with a grain of salt.
In all fairness, there are even corporate independents that I must not forget. I also take everything they write in their blogs with a grain of salt.
These are the multitude of writers who, when looked at closely, follow unethical practices. Hell, even from a distance, it’s obvious.
I will not name names…I really wouldn’t want to advertise them further…but they’re making a lot of money. They’re “affiliates”.
Sure, they have HUGE followings. And they have a lot of ads on their sites. However, one must ask, can they truly be trusted for what they say?
-often, popular and well-marketed blogs that are making thousands of dollars a month, will do a write up or review for a company. Are these objective, critical articles? Are these actually offering the truth, or is it just a press release that’s regurgitated on the blog of a respected writer?
-there are bloggers who have high traffic venues that may write truthful, creative, and original pieces. mingled between the lines or entries are also those blogs that will make them money–they’ve been recruited by marketing and advertising companies to produce articles on a product or service, for a price. These agencies have requested POSITIVE reviews. Seems a little self-contradicting, no? The average reader will not know which articles are sincere and which aren’t. The onus is on you to choose the right source.
-a lot of bloggers are also simply writing for the sake of keywords. Their stuff may be absolute B/S (sorry, I guess my vocabulary doesn’t go THAT far) , but they want the HITS so their ads will show impressions.
Now, what sets me apart from these people? LOL, I guess, you’re just going to have to trust my integrity. And I won’t write stuff I don’t mean.
Maybe I should tell you a bit about myself..
I am a bit of a journalist, by title..Trained, hired at times, usually self-employed and currently working as a performer. I won’t tell you what sort of performer!:-P Kidding~ anyways, the point is, I have very high expectations of journalistic ethics. I will do my best to uphold them, and if anyone catches me doing otherwise, I give you full permission to call me on it.
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Matt Hanson