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| Blog Etiquette |
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I need your input! I'd like to hear your thoughts on blog etiquette, to be linked to the FAQs in my How to Get Around in MyChurch blog. Are there some of these you disagree with? What did I leave out that you think is important? The How to Get Around blog gets a lot of newcomer traffic, and I'd like to give the readers as broad a view as possible. Thanks for helping!
Is there a particular etiquette for blogging?
Yes, although I'm sure if you ask 20 people this question, you will get 20 different answers. the most encompassing rule is the Golden Rule: Blog unto others as you would have them blog unto you. You can google "blog etiquette," to browse through many ideas. Here is my personal list of rules for responsible blogging:
On your own blog:
1. Be respectful to your commenters. When you post a public blog, expect to get comments with different views, and prepare yourself not to attack. When you posted the blog, you invited all opinions. (You do have the option of deleting comments, although that's an option I rarely use.)
2. Never take someone else's work and post it without crediting them, and never ever ever post someone's private message as a part of your blog, unless you have their permission to do so. (Bloggers are usually happy for you to post their work, as long as you give the proper credit with a link to the author's page or to the original blog.)
On others' blogs:
1. Be respectful. You can present a different viewpoint without attacking the blogger. If not, you might consider moving on without leaving a comment.
2. Keep each comment to about 20 lines or less. If you have a lot to say on the topic, it's better to post your own blog, and then you can add a comment to the other blog, linking to your own. Remember you are a guest on someone else's blog, so don't try to take control of it.
3. Take your private conversations unrelated to the blog elsewhere. If you see a commenter listed, and you want to discuss something from another blog, unrelated to the one you're on, send a private message.
4. Do not use someone else's blog for the purpose of promoting your own. It is appropriate to link to your own blog if you have a related blog that adds something to the subject.
5. It's appropriate to include a graphic in your comment, but it you want to post a series of large graphics, again you should consider posting your own blog instead.
Note: All these rules are flexible. There are occasions, for example when you know the blogger very well, that some of these might not apply, but as a general rule, this is a start. Most important of all: Respect!
7:12a So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
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Kathy, I may check back later, but at first glance all looks fine. ~mike |
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Julia |
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May 16, 2007 at 9:47am |
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| Kathy, I agree with Mike. The fact is, most of it sounds like common sense. |
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Deb |
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May 16, 2007 at 10:38am |
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| I think it all sounds good. |
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It sounds good to me, Kathy.
Mike |
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Norm |
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May 16, 2007 at 5:22pm |
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The only one that I don't necessarily agree with is the 20 line one. But I admit I like to keep conversation on a topic in one spot. And since there isn't a trackback *whistle* feature, following all of the conversation otherwise isn't the easiest. |
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Kathy |
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May 16, 2007 at 6:31pm |
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| Thanks for the comments, and Norm, thanks for the helpful suggestion. Of course 20 lines is an arbitrary number, but I chose it, because, including paragraph spacing, 20 lines is about a filled screen. (This entire blog is only 27 lines.) Any comment longer than that (on someone else's blog) I often scan over without a careful reading, whereas if it were divided into shorter comments, I would read it more carefully. Just me maybe. Thanks, Norm! |
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| I would also think about how to suggest that tome is everything. Our tone comes across, so if there's a question about tone, it's good to write out our comment in a word processor program and hold overnight, then review and post. This also works well for e-mails. I've also found that if it's an area that Im passionate about I run my thoughts through others to see if it's neccessary for me to even comment. In one recent case doing that caused me to realise that my comment would refuel a burning out fire! |
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Norm |
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May 16, 2007 at 8:43pm |
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Sorry. I wasn't really arguing with 20 or 27 or 52. Or to put it another way, I wasn't suggesting a correct number of lines. And I agree with your statement that anything really long may be skimmed. But that tends to be true whether it's a comment OR the blog itself. :) If I'm interested in a topic, I will read the blog & comments. Honestly there are a number of blogs where I'm more interested in the comments than the blog itself. And when it comes down to it, I feel it's more respectful to the person who started the conversation to comment on it on their blog than to try to take the business elsewhere ("My" blog). And FWIW I like the way Gmail threads mail. I like the way a bulletin board has everyone commenting on the same topic in the same thread. I like tabs in Firefox (as opened to a new browser window for everything). Although I'm occasionally guilty of it, I don't like links that force a new browser window. |
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Sue |
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May 16, 2007 at 8:44pm |
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Sorry Kathy! But the temptation was just too great!
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Kathy |
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May 16, 2007 at 9:09pm |
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Sue, you are too funny! You got 6 plugs into one comment and didn't even get near 20 lines! We love you, plugs and all!
Dennis, you make a very good point. Tone is hard to measure when we're writing, because the reader doesn't see our facial expressions, our body language, or our eyes. Your suggestion to wait a while before posting is a good one!
Norm, you make some really good points. And the one about being more respectful to keep the long posts on the original blog is one I'm pondering. I think I agree with you, but what about the commenter who posts several of his own complete blogs as comments on yours?
You're shaping my thinking. This is why I posted this blog, to get a broader "MyChurch" view of blogging etiquette to share with newcomers, rather than just my own. These are good. Thanks! |
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Norm |
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May 17, 2007 at 4:51pm |
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Well that depends. Is it on topic and does it add value? If the answer is yes I hardly see the issue. And unless I'm a special case, the original poster can delete blog comments (although if we're talking etiquette I would think a warning or a copy of the original in an "e-mail" to the person posting the comment would be good). From other places I've been, there are the occasional problems but usually it's someone having a bad day and these rules wouldn't apply anyways. :) And if we're talking about my blog, I would personally prefer 2 long 25 liners* that discuss the point at hand from the same person than 50 (or even 5) "Me Too" lines from 50 different people. No that doesn't mean I'll delete "Me too", just that many times I'm looking to discuss something. * - I add length only to contrast 50 lines vs. 50 lines. Again I'm not trying to suggest a length limit. |
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Kathy |
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May 17, 2007 at 5:04pm |
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| Thanks, Norm. I'm making some minor changes as I listen to the comments here, and hope to hear form others on this issue. Maybe length doesn't belong in etiquette rules at all? |
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| At risk of just adding "me too" I think this is good courtesy and an important reminder. |
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Kathy,
I take the Google mission statement as my personal blogging rule "Don't be evil." LOL Sounds simplistic I know but at least here where just below the comment box it tells us to encourage one another we should do so. THINK YOUR TOPIC THROUGH before you post! If it going to be the beginning of a wildfire, why are you posting it? What do you hope to accomplish? If it's just for the sake of making people angry try something else. If you truly believe what you are writing needs to be said, be prepaired to defend it.
You've mentioned similar things but mostly in view of posting to someone else's blog. I think it applies to your own as well.
So far I haven't seen anyone doing that here, eventually it my happen though. Reember too that these days employers (as well as colleges young people) are doing searches for blogs of people that are interviewing. Know that what you write here (anywhere online)may impact your life forever.
Virginia |
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KATHY
THANKYOU FOR THIS BLOG, AS A NEWCOMER I FIND IT VERY HELPFUL!.
I WISH I HAD FOUND IT EARLIER......
Margaret |
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Kathy |
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September 11, 2007 at 8:06pm |
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| Thanks, Bestemor! Virginia, good additions here! Margaret, welcome to MyChurch! I'm glad the blog was helpful to you! |
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Kathy |
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October 10, 2007 at 7:51pm |
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| Another important issue: If you post something that is not origninal, even if you don't know the author, list your source (Say for example: "Forwarded to me by a friend. I don't know who wrote it.") |
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