Responsible Blogging Ethics

Although there are no clear cut codes of ethics for online

blogging, the responsibility to post ethical entries and

dialogues still hold. The weblog community, as an influential

and reliable group of writers, must at all times maintain the

decency of all their blogs and their corresponding published

entries.

In this issue we are going to go over some of the unspoken

rules and responsibilities that come along with being an

ethical blogger.


First - always be honest and fair.

Simply put, this implores bloggers to ensure that all the

information they are posting are accurate. The facts

should be well presented (without distorting its real context)

and all pertinent links should be stated. In cases when the

authenticity and correctness of the information is doubtful,

it is imperative to inform the reader. If photos are included

in the post, put captions to explain their meaning and
relevance. Never take opinions and post them as facts.

This also covers you's conscientiousness in

guarding that their, and other people's work, are free

from plagiarism.


Second - do your best not to inflict any harm.
Practice care when mentioning names and events. If

your entry is discussing a rather controversial topic or

person, be careful with what you are saying. Always

consider the affected party's possible reaction and strive

to dampen the blow, if not to eliminate it.

A person's privacy should always be held in high esteem.

Using the quest for information and the truth to barge

into other people's private business is in bad taste.

Work to showcase compassion and empathy to any

individual you are writing about who is affected by grief

and misfortune.


Third - remember you were accountable for your actions.

Take charge of the consequences of your publishing.

If you have made a mistake, accept it and work immediately

to resolve any conflict it might have caused. Own your entries

and any reaction they may invoke.

If people have questions about your information, promote a

healthy discussion and be open to other ideas. The new

learning you might discover may ultimately lead to the

improvement of your data.

Every person has their own measure of what is ethical and

what is not. The above list may not cover everything that a

blogger should maintain to effect the integrity of the

blogging population. It is important to note, however, that

ethical is primarily a question of how others are treated

and affected by our actions. Therefore, the subjects of any

blog entry should be given respect and portrayed in the





Source: Freebase

most objective light as possible at all times.