I did a search for a Blogging Code of Ethics but found nothing I like. Take this one, for example. I thought if it made Wikipedia, it must be marginally useful. But its stated aim is to promote civility on the blogs. I have no interest in that, to tell you the truth, especially if to achieve this dubious goal I have to ban the anonymous comments and never say anything online I wouldn’t say in real life. The beauty of online communication is precisely that it allows you to be more honest about things, and if you need to be anonymous to do that, then that’s got to be fine.
So I came up with my own Blogging Code of Ethics that will serve both bloggers and commenters. As everything on this blog, it is based solely on my personal opinions. Feel free to dispute or add anything. If you want to do it anonymously, that’s good, too.
1. Don’t leave links without express permission. When I first started blogging, it took me some time to realize that people don’t particularly enjoy it when you leave links to your blog in their comments section without being asked to. Polite people don’t promote their blogs on strangers’ websites. If you want to attract attention to your blog, simply leave comments that will be interesting enough for people to follow you to your own blog to continue the conversation.
2. Every quote needs a link. If you are going to quote a person, insert a link to the post you are quoting. And don’t quote people’s posts in full. Leave something for the readers to discover at the original location of the post.
3. Surfing the wave is good – if done respectfully. If somebody published a post and it’s proving to be hugely popular, it’s OK to surf the wave. Write your own post on the same topic to attract readers. It’s good form, though, to mention the blogger whose wave you are surfing. Start your post with something like “I just read an interesting/horrible/stupid/fascinating post at clarissasblog.com and it made me think. . .”
4. Say all you want about other bloggers – but let them know. If you are appalled by something another person wrote on their blog, it’s perfectly fine to express your outrage about it on your own blog in any terms you like. It’s not nice, however, to talk behind people’s backs. This is one of those times when it’s not only acceptable but necessary to leave a link to your post at the offending blogger’s site. They will delete it if they don’t like it, but at least they will know that you are talking about them.
5. Don’t investigate bloggers and use the information against them. Even if what a blogger says annoys you to no end, it is very stupid (and really creepy) to investigate them and send letters to their place of employment demanding that they be fired or punished for expressing their views online. (This didn’t happen to me but it did to Hugo Schwyzer – see how I linked back to him here?, and I think it’s absolutely wrong.) Unless the person in question is engaged in illegal activities of which you have evidence, it is not your place to censor them. If the desire to shut people up for disagreeing with you persists, try getting a life.
6. If asked to leave – just go. If a blogger asked you to leave their site, just do it. Believe me, even if it’s the most fascinating blog in the universe, the Internet still doesn’t end there. You will find other places where you can express your opinions. Or just start your own blog and nobody will be able to ban you from it. Don’t overanalyze the banning either. Who cares why this particular blogger doesn’t like you?
7. Read before you write. Before making outraged accusations, make sure they don’t make you look stupid and waste space. If a blog’s header says “Feminist Blog”, it might make little sense to inform the blog’s author “Oh, you sound like a total feminist!” If a blog announces itself as “An academic’s opinions on everything”, do everybody a favor and don’t exclaim triumphantly “It’s just your opinion!”
Everything besides this is, in my opinion, fine. Want to post anonymously or use 15 different identities? Feel free. Want to be aggressive, rude and obnoxious? That’s perfectly fine. If you can’t be your true nasty self on the Internet, then what’s its point, really?
Clarissa's Blog 
In the vein of “read before you write”, might I suggest “Never, ever leave a comment consisting only of the internet expression “tl/dr” (Too long, didn’t read)”, being on in the code of ethics? It’s absolutely infuriating when that happens.
One personal blogging rule that I attempt to follow religiously is “admit you are human”. When I first started blogging, I wanted to project the image of an absolute superwoman. It took a while for me to admit my flaws, my temper, and earnestly discuss screw-ups. Now, they’re among my favourite things to write about.
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I never had this tl/dr type of comment. Or maybe I didn’t notice it because I had no idea what the abbreviation stood for. Why would people want to leave this testimony to their short attention spans on other people’s blogs?
I know what you mean about trying to project the superwoman persona. It took me a while to understand that people react a lot better to somebody who is sincere. My first breakthrough was the post on PhD Vanity. I was severely criticized for posting it on some blogs. Two bloggers used it to research who I really am and threaten me with revealing my real name (one actually followed through on the threat.) But it felt very liberating, so I’m not sorry.
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Also, don’t steal images or other content. Thats nasty and can get you sued.
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Also, don’t steal images or other content. Thats nasty and can get you sued.
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I agree with these, though I don’t practice all of them faithfully, mainly because I read so much I often can’t recall where I saw something to link back to it.
Now I’d like to see your idea of a commenting code of ethics — a lot of commenters sure could use that. I also get those commenters who have said on my blog, “That’s just, like, your opinion, man.”
Huh, yeah, that’s perhaps why the title of my blog is my own name*, and not “Analytical Research Findings and Longitudinal Study Conclusions in a Wide Variety of Fields Blog.”
Tim, sounds like you have had a little copyright cabal brainwashing. In the context of a non-commercial blog, what is “stealing” an image. Was the original person deprived of the image? Did it somehow get taken away from the author? Just curious.
*And go ahead and contact my employer if something you read on my blog pisses you off. Half of them there read it already!
Mike
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Stealing an image is a form of internet piracy. It means taking and using a copyrighted image for your own use without giving credit–and generally without permission–to the original artist in some way, shape, or form. The only exception to this is works that have a special license attached–like stock images, which can generally be used without consent.
Piracy does not have to be for profit to exist. In a non-profit blog, just a link back to the site or contact information of the original artist is considered credit. However, some images also require the permission of the artist to use–these are images not licensed under the Creative Commons.
Similar things happen with music and literature. It can hurt any for-profit work in which the original artist participates.
So saying, if you take an image off the internet, link back to where you found it, or to the original artist if possible. If you know the image is not licensed under something similar to the Creative Commons, and you are able to contact the original artist, ask for permission, and be sure to give credit to that artist.
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If every quote needs a link, it means that one cannot quote from a book or magazine article s/he read years ago, unless it is available online. This is really weird.
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No, I just meant a quote from another blog.
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And I am am surprised very much with such comments, as: “you are not right”.
Yes. There can be not rights, and can also the rights. Here only it is not clear for what purpose this comment it is written.
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