Why should you create a blog? here are the essentials of blog etiquettes
Comment sections on blogs are perhaps the most potential medium for misunderstanding. With free expression and the option of anonymity it is unrealistic to expect a weblogger to present an even-handed picture of the world, but it is very reasonable to expect them to cooperate with their sources, biases, and behaviour. This website will assess certain rules or guideline necessary to check web ethics of a blog.
The first principle deals with how to make an assertion. Make an assertion in good faith; state facts only if you are sure about it with the following note to the best of my knowledge. Never post an article if there are reasons to believe that something is far from factual basis, but there will be times when you will find yourself speculating. Whenever you do that, admit it in your article and always note your reservations.
Before you shoot a quick reply to an uncomplimentary remark or comment, make sure that you understand what it actually meant. Improper placement of words and tone variations sometimes make all the difference in the delivery of a sentence. It is advisable to be respectful, and give others the benefit of the doubt.
When you link to referenced material, you actually allow the readers to judge the accuracy and insightfulness of your statements. This will enable you to preserve transparency and integrity.
Everyone argues differently. Some people do it forcefully and others are more interested in dialoguing. People are rarely persuaded by heavy replies than the humble ones. Humble replies are easily challenged.
If you find that you have linked to a story that was untrue, make a note of it and link to a more accurate report. Ideally, these corrections appear in the most current version of your weblog and as an added note to the original entry.
There is absolutely no need and no good excuse for speaking condescendingly to those with whom you disagree. This rule also applies to those who see fit to broadcast their discord with another individual in public. The comments section of a heavily trafficked weblog is not the correct place to defame the person you hate.
Write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete, any entry. If you invest each entry with intent, you will ensure your personal and professional integrity. Example: a weblogger complains about inaccuracies in an online article; the writer corrects those inaccuracies and notes them; the weblogger's entry is now meaningless? Is it? Deleting the entry will remove evidence to the whole incident - but it did. Ideally, bloggers should note beneath the original entry that the writer has made the corrections and the article is now, to the weblogger's knowledge, accurate.
A serious article may be linked to a highly biased source. It is the bloggers responsibility to clearly note the nature of the site on which it was found. Well-written articles can be found on sites that are maintained by highly biased organizations. Readers need to know whether an article on a particular sensible topic comes from a site that strongly favors/opposes that topic.
Last but not the least, when commenting on someone else's site, always remember that you are a guest there. Be polite, and double-check your words so that nothing you say could be misconstrued.
Blogs and Journalism
The world has seen the emergence of a new style of journalism, based on a 'raw feed' directly from the source. And the common notion that surrounds the emergence of serving raw feed is that the journalists testing the new waters are bound to wreak havoc on institutionalized media. Also a popular notion is that Weblogs changes the nature of 'news' is in the migration of information from the personal to the public.
Unquestionable, a blog is a medium that gives maximum exposure to ones creativity. Just by hitting the 'post' button and any personal writing becomes published writing.
Weblogging is driving a powerful new form of amateur journalism. Today, millions of Net users young people especially have taken up the role of columnist, reporter, analyst and publisher while fashioning their own personal broadcasting networks.
For the inexperienced, a blog consists of a running commentary with pointers to other sites. Some, like Librarian.net, Jim Romenesko's Media News or Steve Outing's E-Media Tidbits, cover entire industries by providing quick bursts of news with links to full stories.
Journalism and blogging together is becoming popular day by day, more than any other form of blogging. Following reasons are considered to extensively contribute to its increasing popularity:
Creative Freedom
Part of a blog's allure is its unmediated quality. For a journalist, there's no luxury like the luxury of publishing unedited essay. The freedom in being able to present yourself precisely as you want to is of enormous joy. It does not matter how sloppily, irrationally or erratically the content is written. The idea is to publish what you think in the way you think.
Instantaneity
To a few writers, even writing for a weekly magazine may seem like taking ages to print. With a Weblog, you hit the send key and it is out.
Interactivity
It is a kick to receive feedback from people who have taken interest to read and criticize your work. These are the people you have never heard of; who stumble on your Weblog and become a part of your thinking process.
Lack Of Marketing Constraints
When blogging it is not necessarily to tailor a work piece for a certain readership or demographic. People interested in a perspective finds its author the blogger, instead of the blogger finding a publication that reflects peoples interests.
Most of the time, the Weblogs tend to be less about actual reporting and more about analysis and punditry and opinionated commentary. The 9/11 terrorist attacks fuelled the public's appetite for information, analysis and news, if only to make sense of the tragedy. Bloggers rose to prominence by feeding this desire.
Blogging has taken off in remarkable fashion; in a way, it has made good where newsgroups have failed. It has kept the promise that the Internet would provide real community to Web surfers. Tuning in to some of the newsgroups devoted to the terror attacks; one may sometimes feel to be in the middle of a verbal war zone with so much noise passing for informed discussion.
Weblogs run from single person operation to large teams and communities, to business organizations spread throughout the world. They offer a great way for readers to find constantly updated news and information. It also allows authors to connect to thousands of readers in a personal way and add the honest, unedited voice of thousands to increasingly commercializing Web.
The plethora of tools that helps managing the weblog capitalizes on the ease of publishing posts to even greater extent.
These are probably the reasons why they have been widely adopted and maintained - for several years in some cases.