Blogging is great for reaching a wide audience. The larger the audience, though, the more likely you’ll draw the wrong kind of attention. Flame wars, lawsuits, bad PR, angry real-life relations… your blog can get you into all sorts of trouble. Even worse, the more popular your blog becomes, the more often you’ll have to deal with this sort of negative attention. Thankfully, there’s one hard and fast rule you can use to keep your blog from getting you into needless trouble:
Never post anything you wouldn’t say in person.
It may seem simple, but it works in many different situations. Just imagine that the person or people to whom your post would be particularly relevant are going to see it. Complaining about your school? Assume your principal and classmates are going to read it. Reviewing a local diner? Assume it will be read by the owner. Criticizing a fellow blogger? Assume he or she will read it.
What’s the point of it all? The point is that many bloggers become so engrossed in standing on their personal soap boxes that they forget others are listening to them. By taking the possible impact of your post into consideration, you’re less likely to say something inconsiderate or offensive. Others may still take offense, especially if you’re saying something negative, but they’re less likely to retaliate if you phrase your remarks politely, the same way you might if they were standing right in front of you.
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/one-simple-blogging-rule-to-keep-you-out-of-trouble/
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Assigned Work:
Create one blog rule for EW! 4 blogsites and support it with a two-paragraph explanation (answer the question “why?”). Post this in your blogsite. “One-sentence, one-paragraph” style is not allowed.
Deadline: August 22, 2009 (Saturday), 5pm
