Blazing Minds » blogger

15 Ways To Become A Responsible Blogger

dean — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:39:39 +0000

How does it feel to have your own little part of cyberspace, where you can air your thoughts, views and ideas? Doesn’t your blog give you a great opportunity to share, impart learning, learn from others and grow as a person? Sadly, not everyone is using their blogs positively or responsibly. Here are the 10 rules of responsible blogging.

1. Verify Information Before You Post

If the information you’re going to post is not true, of if you’re not sure of its veracity, be honest with your readers about it. The credibility of you as a blogger and that of your blog depends on the integrity of what you publish.

2. Respect People’s Viewpoints

Don’t use your blog to come down heavily on anyone’s viewpoints, be they religious, political, moral or whatever. Allow your blog to be an impartial ground where people can discuss multiple viewpoints but insist on respect.

3. If In Doubt, Wait Before Posting

If you’re not sure about a particular post, wait for at least 24 hours before posting it. Yes, we know, all bloggers undergo pressure to post and stick to a schedule. Check with your friends and network if it’s sensible to post it. If your counselors indicate in the negative, refrain from posting it.

4. Know That You’re Accountable For Your Blog

Always keep in mind that you’re accountable for your blog’s content, how it’s written, data accuracy and the comments as well. Be prepared to take charge of your publishing consequences. Accept mistakes; publish an apology and work to resolve conflicts immediately.

5. Demonstrate Humility While Expressing Your Thoughts

It is impossible to get the whole picture of someone else’s life. Be quick to listen but slow to speak when it comes to expressing your thoughts and opinions on people and their beliefs. You have to especially mind this when you’re blogging about someone with whom you disagree.

6. Know What Not To Blog About

If you’re blogging about yourself, you will become vulnerable and put yourself out there, perhaps not in the best possible light. If your story involves other people, both you and the other party get implicated. Think hard about how open you can be and whether you’re creating trouble for yourself and for others through your blog.

7. Learn The Basics Of Copyright Law

Even if you remove copyrighted content from your blog, the infringement still exists and you’re still accountable. Don’t copy paste content. Always check if content is copyrighted or not (even if there’s no copyright notice). Take the time to learn the basics of Copyright Law

8. Monitor Comments

Attach a comment policy to your comment form; this will help your readers know what kind of comments are welcome. Also don’t publish comments immediately without moderating them.

9. Never Forget To Give Credit

If you’re using referenced material, provide a link to the reference. This is not only ethical, but helps readers read the reference material to get an overall picture. Be sure to credit the authors of articles if you’re using open source software such as WordPress.

10. Include A Disclaimer

If you are employed by an organization, include a disclaimer in your About Us page saying all expressed views are yours. Disclose who your employers or partners are and make sure people understand that none of them are responsible for content disagreements.

11. Be Transparent With Sponsored Posts

Advertisers look for sponsored reviews for extra mileage. They’re a good way for bloggers to earn more money as well. However, you must maintain transparency with your readers when it comes to sponsored posts. Dedicate a page for sponsored posts and outline what your readers should expect from them.

12. Maintain Transparency With Affiliate Links

Readers cannot identify affiliate links that are cloaked. The “link cloaking” technique may get you extra clicks and revenue but it is basically unethical and bad for your blog’s future. You will lose visitors who’ll view your blog as a trap. Create value for the reader and keep your affiliate links transparent.

13. Know And Respect Tax Law

Any money you earn via your blog is taxable. If you’re paying writers anything more than $500 for your blog, you should file a 1099 form. Read up on your tax obligations today and don’t wait till your blog is shut down.

14. Don’t Cheat Social Bookmarking Sites

Don’t try blackhat methods such as cheating search engines by hiding text behind images, buying Diggs and so on. Sooner or later you’ll have to pay a heavy price, as these methods are not sustainable.

15. Test Products Before Promoting Affiliates

Remember that anything you provide on your blog reflects directly on your credibility. When it comes to affiliate marketing, don’t just grab a money spinner. Rather, promote a product you believe in and make sure that your audience gets value out of your efforts.

One Failed Attempt To Build Relationships With Bloggers (BasicBlogTips.com)
5 Tactics of Reader Engagement From an Expert Blogger (famousbloggers.net)

15 Ways To Become A Responsible Blogger is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

Why Blogging is Addictive

lasalk — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:00:18 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Blogging will never make me rich or secure me a spot on Oprah’s book club, which doesn’t include blogs anyway, and it will never pay for a trip to Timbuktu.

Yet, I can still travel there for free and virtually bake in the sun without getting burned.

So, what’s the secret addictive additive in blogging – fame, glory, or immediate gratification?

I’ll take immediate gratification for $200.

Waiting months or years for a magazine editor to respond to a submission is too distracting and can cause me to drive off the road into a ditch.

As I step out of the car over a flattened squirrel, I shout, “Damn editor! It’s your fault I drove off the road. I know there’s a better way even if it doesn’t pay the bills.”

Listening to a nurse read another rejection form letter while on my deathbed just doesn’t make sense. Not when I can post something in the, somewhat, prime of my life, and get a “thumbs up or down” soon after publishing it.

Admittedly, there’s no money changing hands or plaques gracing my den wall. In Cyberland, there are virtual trophies and badges to place on a blog wall. They’re like cameo brooches in a case at a jewelry store.

But is virtual bling enough to satisfy a blogging addiction? The answer is “yes.” Virtual bling is indicative of ones cyber worth a.k.a. a readership and/or blogging friends, who are consistent with immediate gratification or comment crack.

It’s the comments that lure me back to the Net and the adrenaline I get from writing a post and then publishing it.

When I’m online, I’m lost in a blogging haze. I can communicate with my imaginary avatar friends 24 hours a day in much the same way a medium communicates with the dead, except with cable.

Like the spirit world and Vegas, the virtual world never sleeps and harbors some unseemly places. Remember the Craigslist.org scandal or rather Craigslist.orgy? Although I don’t condone blasphemous behavior, infamous news makes great blog fodder.

Blog fodder is cyber fossil fuel and fills a Blogger‘s brain with creative octane. If a Blogger runs out of gas on a virtual road, she’ll be stuck and forced to hitch a ride with the nearest link, the first stop on an endless trip.

There is no Blogger AAA or GPS. Only a SOS to imaginary friends can rescue a lost soul on the Internet and keep a Blogging obsession alive, while a medium keeps her obsession dead.

I’d rather read a Blogger’s comment than listen to a ghost whine. Ghosts are terrible house guests. They arrive uninvited and don’t know when to disappear, unlike most Bloggers who are excellent guests. They come and go as they please and are never a problem.

When it’s time for me to say goodnight, an exorcism isn’t required. All I need do is type “gtg” (got to go) and disconnect, knowing I’ll be back again tomorrow for yet another blogging fix.

Related articles

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Make Your Own Blog and Start Blogging This 2011 (analuzcastro.wordpress.com)

Social Media Addicts [Amanda Vlahakis] (ecademy.com)

No related posts.
Why Blogging is Addictive is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

Awesome News As I Become Featured Blogger on Bloggers

Karen — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:50:13 +0000

This was a bit of awesome news for me today as I saw a tweet mentioning that I had become featured blogger on the website, Bloggers, a website where bloggers like myself can hook up with other bloggers and show off their blogs to the world!!!

Karen Woodham from United Kingdom has been featured, her profile http://bit.ly/ccKYY6 and Blog http://bit.ly/ceOvQb #blogger #blog
July 26, 2010 3:30 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite
@BloggersDotCom
Bloggers

So I was over the moon when the I saw the tweet and just had to get to my blog and, well, blog about it. I am hoping this shows that I am doing something right with my blog and it is getting recognised in the blogging communities.

So I must say an awesome big thank you to everyone over at Bloggers for the opportunity to become the featured blogger, so please stop by and check out me out on Bloggers, while you are there please vote for me also, if you are a blogger, then why not add your own blog

Related posts:

Don’t lose out on comments when using Google Blogger!

I get “Blogger Spotlight” at Tycoon Blogger

Don’t Chastise Bloggers Revenue with Adblock

Awesome News As I Become Featured Blogger on Bloggers is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

Do you still blog as hard as you did the first day you started?

Karen — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:13:07 +0000

A few days ago I posted the question over at the BloggerLuv community, just to see if bloggers do indeed work as hard on their blogs as they did when they first started blogging.

Suffice to say there were some really good responses and it does seem that fellow bloggers are still working hard on their blogs and enjoying every moment of it, which is great to see, as with blogging you have to stick to it to make it work and the majority of bloggers that I know are hard workers, anyhoo here re just some of the answers I received:

Peter Pelliccia Are you kidding, I blog harder now than when I first started, and I enjoy it a whole lot more too.

Ms. Ileane Speaks In a perfect world it should be easier now than it was in the beginning!But I agree with Peter, I work harder now. As I learn more about blogging and social networking, I find there’s more to do! Before I learned how to get traffic through networking I would publish a post and be happy if I could convince my daughter and my friend Kissie to read it. So if I got 2 hits a day I was a happy camper!

John Sullivan NO
I still take 3 mins to write a post
I don’t waste time doing what doesn’t work
I don’t run around trying to make a bunch of fake friends and try to connect with people that don’t connect
I try to look out for my friends
It’s ALOT easier now
I’m just as passionate just not as disillusioned like I was so that saves ALOT of time
Don’t Chase GHOSTS

HART I’m spending as much time as I did in the early years, but I feel I am more productive at least, in that most everything I do I try to make it HAVE A PURPOSE (#HART-Empire) in a long-term approach. I can’t remember the last time I did NOT see a “99″ on my stumble toolbar count .. I occasionally do stumble, but not from requests anymore as that was the biggest time waster for me.But .. am I a better blogger than before? Do I blog just as hard as I did before?5 out 7 days a week I don’t even feel I am a blogger at all actually .. and think that term will die out by the end of 2010.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

But don’t let it stop there, I’d love to hear your answer to the question, so please let us all know, Do you still blog as hard as you did the first day you started?

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Do you still blog as hard as you did the first day you started? is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

Saturday Six – Blogging

Karen — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:05:44 +0000

OK, here it is the new Saturday Six and continuing with the new themes for the Saturday Six this weeks theme is blogging.

As usual you can either answer the questions here or copy the questions on to your blog with a link back here (and leave a link in the comments).

What blogging platform do you use? eg WordPress, Blogger etc

What is your blog about?

When did you start your blog?

How did your choose your blogging name? (The name you use to make posts)

Do you blog for fun or work?

Has blogging changed you in anyway?

Related posts:

Saturday Six – WordPress

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Saturday Six – Blogging Tips

Saturday Six – Blogging is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

Don’t lose out on comments when using Google Blogger!

Karen — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:25:19 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Now I’ve been to quite a few Google Blogger accounts to comment on, but, have found that a lot of bloggers using Blogger only allow Blogger users or OpenID to add a comment to their blogs, this IS bad!

You are loosing comments on your blogs by not allowing other users to add a comment, I know several people who said to me, I can’t leave a comment, because I haven’t got a Blogger account or an OpenID account.

So my recommendation is to all those using Google Blogger for your blogs is to go to your control panel, select comments in your settings and change to the option of “Anyone” and if you are worried about bad comments coming through, just set on your word verification and your comment moderation options.

You will notice that after a while and if your post is of some interest you will start getting more comments on your blog.

So please don’t loose out on comments on your blogs follow the simple steps above and open your comments up to a wider range of readers, we all like to comment and don’t like it when we try to make the effort and get stopped doing so..

Related articles

Newbie Bloggers: Commanding Authority With Your Blog (famousbloggers.net)

Google’s Blogger Is About to Get an Overhaul (mashable.com)

Google’s Blogger platform gets a new-look Dashboard and Post Editor (downloadsquad.switched.com)

Related posts:

A Question on blog Comments? Multiple Pages and Order!

So You’re Guest Blogging, But Are You Replying To The Comments?

Why You Should Subscribe To The Comments You Have Made On A Blog

Don’t lose out on comments when using Google Blogger! is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

The problem with wordpress hosted blogs!

Karen — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:21:39 +0000

Yesterday, I was considering adding Blazing Minds to EntreCard and lies the problem!

WordPress hosted blogs will not allow scripts to be used, so, when trying to add the code which EntreCard uses to display cards etc, I couldn’t do it!!

Now the question is: Do I move the blog to somewhere like Blogger or grab a domain and host the blog myself?

No related posts.
The problem with wordpress hosted blogs! is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter