You have managed to create your blog from scratch; spent considerable time making it into something that you can be proud of.
You have done it long enough to be good at it. So good in fact, that you entertain the thought of making this blogging thing, this thing that started out as a hobby, into a full time thing – a career thing. You want to go the whole nine yards with it.
It is, one thing to create a blog and quite another to create a reputable blog. Blogs are coming up every other day. It is important not to lose sight of good blogging habits that will help you stay the course. Blogging practices that will help you dodge a lawsuit or a court order because when the rubber meets the road, it can get to that.
1.Thou shalt portray your truth:
For a moment there, I was tempted to add; the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but I will leave it at just that. Give your readers your truth. Your credibility as a content creator rides on this fact. As long as what you post is truthful and not just truthful, but can be proved to be truthful, don’t let me stop you – blog on!
2.Thou shalt credit thy sources.
Unless of course, doing so will put them in harm’s way or if they specifically ask to be anonymous, in which case you are allowed to protect their identity. It is prudent to give credit to the people who help you to come up with your content; that photographer, the artist who does illustrations for your blog, the stylist who helped fix your hair…
3.Thou shalt check your sources’ credibility.
Don’t take your sources’ word for it, especially when it comes to sensitive matters. Some sources might just be out to malign others because of their own vested interests which you might not even be aware of. You do not want to put up potentially incriminating content in your blog that you cannot back with tangible proof.
4.Thou shalt give your subject a chance to respond:
If writing about something that will portray a party in bad light, always give them the chance to respond. Blogging gives you a platform to give your opinion on a company, a product or a person, play fair and allow the other person to give their side of the story should they wish to.
5.Thou shalt apologize for the oversights and the mistakes:
We all fall short. Yes bloggers included. In case after deeper research, you realize that what you posted was a mistake that the facts you thought you had are in fact untrue, do the honorable thing and apologize to the affected party. Verbal communication is good, but a written one in the same medium that was used to disparage them, is even better.
6.Thou shalt not use your blog to settle scores.
Somebody wrongs you, you blog about it. Somebody unfriends you on Facebook, you get paranoid and blog about it. Somebody stops following you on twitter; you stalk them on Instagram and blog about their ill-fitting outfits or their acne-infested face? Really? That is not blogging. That is public display of immaturity. And it is bad for blogging.
Hit the comments section and add your blogging commandments. What would you advice other bloggers not to do? What would you never do as a blogger? Please share.