What are the rules of the road when interacting with people in the blogosphere?
Chances are, if you are already a blogger, you have probably already worked out your own method of contacting and interacting with other bloggers. There is a rapidly emerging informal code of conduct in the blogosphere – though it varies from person to person. Some bloggers state on their blogs how they would like to be contacted and how they expect others to interact on their blogs. Others shun such rules, instead choosing to take over control on their blog by limiting or removing comments, or instituting a manual approval process for user contributed feedback. Either way, it can be very confusing for anyone to know the right way to conduct themselves on blogs. In part, this confusion is leading to an increasingly common blog-specific attitude … snarkiness. Unfortunately, snarkiness is getting more attention.
Using the great new Writeboards online tool from 37signals, I am launching an online collaborative writeboard to help combat the rise of snarkiness … The Golden Rules of Blog Etiquette. The writeboard is available online for anyone to add their thoughts to:
URL: http://writeboard.com/3e555ed9feb34b374
Editing Password: begood
The format of the writeboard is in a list of do’s and don’ts for interacting on the blogosphere. Aside from helping to foster a kinder and gentler blogosphere, it may also serve as a good starting point for those who are just getting started in reading and interacting on blogs but not quite sure of the rules. What are your principles for blog etiquette? What are the lessons you have learned in your time interacting with or authoring blogs? I look forward to reading your thoughts on the writeboard …
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Rohit Bhargava is the Vice President for Interactive Marketing with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.
http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com
