PureBlogging

Blogging is a terrific experience. Yes, experience is the right word. It can be a job, it can be a hobby, it can be a passion … but it’s always an experience. And in almost all cases, it’s an interactive experience. When “web logs” first came to the Internet, they were frequently referred to as “online diaries” by people who were trying to explain them to others. Despite that many blogs can be highly personal, the description isn’t quite right because of this quality of interaction that blogging allows.

Blogging gives you a platform to send your thoughts and opinions out into the world. Once that’s done, those opinions have the potential to affect others. And in many instances, those others can then interact with you about those effects by contacting you or commenting on your blog. People can also further spread the message (and their interpretations of the message) around the world by blogging about your posts on a different blog. It’s an interconnected experience.

And it can be terrific. But, like with all kinds of human connection, it can have its flaws. Those flaws are emphasized when people start bringing negative attitudes and harsh behavior to the blogosphere. Unfortunately, bloggers and their readers can be nasty people. Many blogs which start out as places for sharing great information become uncomfortable places to spend time online because of the abrasive comments and disrespectful behavior that can take place between writers and readers.

As such, it’s important to keep some basic rules of etiquette in mind when you are writing your blog posts and commenting on the posts of others. Here are a few that you might want to adopt as your own:

• Remember that your opinion is exactly that. There is no one right way to live your life. No one has some secret knowledge about the truth of every situation. Life is subjective and your beliefs might not hold true for others. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t share them and stand by them. But it does mean that you should recognize – in both blogging and commenting – that your opinion isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of a topic. It’s not so much that you need to alter your writing voice to express this. It’s that you should internalize it so as to better respect the opinions of others.
• Assume the best in others. Remember that people have different writing styles and different ways of communicating. When you’re upset by an opinion, make the assumption that the blogger or commenter didn’t intend to be rude. Ask for clarification when issues come up.
• Always put “constructive” before criticism. If you don’t like someone’s post or comment, explain your reasoning to them and also add what you think would be better. Don’t just say “it sucks” or “you’re stupid”. And if you feel that you must make some sort of attack, make sure the target is the writing and not the writer.
• Be genuine. Blog because you care about the topic. Comment because you have something to say. Many people do blogging for a living and that includes the requirement of leaving comments on other blogs to generate traffic. That’s fine. But don’t use it as an excuse to spam people, to get your keywords into certain spots or to be duplicitous in any way. Start genuine conversations online and you’ll get real traffic.
• Never forget that your words can impact someone. Many people don’t think that their readers are really affected by what they write. That’s not true. Even the smallest blog can influence the buying habits and daily life practices of readers. Don’t forget this when crafting your content.
• Consider creating a blog comment policy for your blogs so that everyone knows what the rules are about respecting each other on your site. An example can be seen in the policy that exists here on our site. And here’s an article on how to create one.
• Always remember that Mom might read it. Or your boss. Or whoever your conscience is in the real world. Think about the fact that anyone in your life could read your blog or comments at any time. If you wouldn’t say the thoughts out loud in front of people, you probably shouldn’t be writing them down for the world to see.

These are just the rules of etiquette that some bloggers follow to keep things nice and civil on their sites. We all want the experience of blogging to be a positive one where ideas are shared and conversations are held. Any good society needs to have rules to accomplish those goals. And in today’s world, the blogosphere really is its own society.

Links to what others have had to say on blog etiquette: The Blogger’s Guide to Comment Etiquette, Corporate Blog Writing Etiquette, Basic Blogging Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts, and Guidelines to Weblogs Comments.

Question of the Day: What are your personal rules of etiquette for blogging?

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