Best Practices for Serious Blogging -- To Blog or Not To Blog
You can research the12 Steps to Launch a Successful Blog or view The 100 Best, Most Interesting Blogs and Websites of 2014 but the information you find there won't encompass the best practices for writing a blog. Guidelines, I guess, aren't the first thing you think of when you want to spout-off at the mouth. OK, not all people create blogs to just spout-off personal opinions but we do have to consider them when analyzing a code of ethics for blogs. These are the folks who drive the debate although they do not participate in the debate. Mainly because they are not convicted to hold themselves to any accountability of what they publish. They insist that blogging is free -- i.e. a free-flow medium and not a journalistic endeavor. (Webb, 2013)
Blogging to many is only thought of as an online diary/journal. Discussing daily interactions and personal opinions, the new element and main difference from original diary's and journals is that the world is your potential audience. This new factor of having a mass audience adds on an implicated responsibility of understanding professional writing ethics. Although not widely accepted or even widely practiced there are blogging code of ethics that have been proposed. I chose to analyze a blog to see if best practices for writers are being used, observing its form, function and substance.
Whowhatwhy.com was my choice, it is recognized as being one of the best blogs of 2013, it has a number of contributing writers and regularly receives comments from readers. It has a news platform with a professional appearance, its function is to distribute current event articles and the content is well-written with cited sources. Best practices are being used which allows this site to be viewed as having integrity and a resourceful and reliable source for news.
I believe a code of ethics clause should be accepted before allowing a person access to a blog. No rights are being restricted only codes of conduct being stated. Therefore no blog can be distributed without a writer taking responsibility for the content on their site. I do agree with the blogging code of ethics but I believe the traditional SPJ Code of Ethics needs to be merged into the bloggers ethics as well. There will always be a comment that offends but with best practices in place the offense will be from a disagreement not defamation of character.
Hi there! Your first half of your blog lays out the dilemma really well of the role of the writer in the online media world today. How do we handle what's professional versus what's not and what's serious versus what's just random musings. Does it matter? I think adding a code of ethics agreement to create a blog on a website like blogger could possibly work but anyone can essentially set up blogs simply by purchasing a web address through a provider. There's a big difference between a code of ethics and defamation or obscene material. Codes of ethics are typically voluntary guidelines that are not forced or enforceable. Journalists can still be journalists whether or not they agree to follow the SPJ guidelines. I think forcing people to do it might be crossing the line to some extent. But it has me thinking no doubt about it!
ReplyDeleteLeona, I like the presentation of both your commentary and graphics, the overall style is inviting to the reader. The blog you chose is professional and adheres to a high conduct of standards. I do agree with you in that bloggers no matter professional or civilian should adhere to a code of ethics but as Tim points out it, anyone can create a blog and enforcing a code could be difficult. Great Post- Dr. T
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