Hey there good people in the web ! If you are reading this post right now , you are most likely to be either a non-blogging netizen , or a blogger ! Now , if you're the latter , know this , you hold the power to change the world ( the world of blogosphere that is ~ )
In this world of blogs , you , the bloggers are the people with authorities , akin to the
government in countries , you make rules and regulations of your own blog , post stuffs that may influence people's life as well as providing people with news , entertainments and other posts that matters , to them . In other words , you are very important . What you posts may make or break a person in the most extreme case . Now, for you , the non-blogging netizens , you too are very important , as you all are the foundation of our world . Because , honestly , what would a country be without its citizens ? Similarly , we bloggers continue to exist simply because there are people reading our contents , and we appreciate that . You , netizens are the power that keep us in check , that make sure we don't go overboard with our postings , and ultimately , the primary motivation that inspires us to continue blogging .
Having said that , whether you are a blogger or non-blogger , I would strongly URGE you to check out this Responsible Blogging 2013 Campaign . Now , for the uninitiated , this Responsible Blogging 2013 is a campaign calling upon the entire online community in Malaysia to rally for and support an ethical climate in the blogosphere for everyone's mutual benefit . Basically , it advocates bloggers to blog with conscience , to post stuffs that are not causing any harm and does not infringe any moral or legal regulations in any way. The thing is , there have been too many news recently that points to bloggers getting reprimanded or arrested by the authorities for purportedly blogging about " sensitive issues that may harm racial harmony " and etc . This has caused a massive damage to the reputations of bloggers . Nowadays , many bloggers are perceived to have an ulterior motive or are wrongly accused as "cyber troopers" for political parties and etc .
This is totally absurd . Bloggers are some of the nicest , funniest and intelligent people around ( most of them ಠ◡ಠ ) . If you just just take time t o check out famous blogs like kennysia.com , timothytiah.com and etc ( just look at the blogs in the My Blog List , I assure you each and every of them are worth your time ! ) , you would understand what I mean . We are the voice of the community , using blogs to channel our frustrations , rants , musings and etc while at the same time providing news and other forms of entertainments for everyone .
Still reading ? Good , now that you are aware of how great you are as a blogger , you will have to understand that with great power , comes great responsibility ( ah.. a timeless quote by Uncle Sam in the Spiderman movie ) . To make it easier for you , the campaign has introduced the " 9 Pillars of responsible blogging " to help you get started .
They are :
1) Avoid Shortcut
- Copy pasting other people's contents and claim them as your own ( a.k.a PLAGIARISM ) is
unethical . What pride is there in publishing other people's contents as your own ?
Building a credible blog with readerships isn't an easy task , but that doesn't mean you
should take shortcuts . The sweet taste of success can only be savoured when you put in
enough hard works .
2) Do Check The Verification of Your Information
- If you don't , when someone points out that your information is false or not credible ,
you might be seen as lying to your readers , betraying their trusts . Worst case scenario ,
you may be sued and brought to court for posting defametory posts ( in extreme cases )
3) Do Regard Your Reader's Opinions
- Like I mentioned earlier , in the same way as customers are the king , in blogosphere ,
you readers are the kings / queens . Without your readership , we simply do not exist .
Therefore , it would be wise to consider your readers' opinions when posting something.
4) Do Be Aware of The Country's Copyright Law
- This one is serious issue . We have seen countless bloggers being arrested for allegedly
infringing the country's law . You don't want to be another one of them right ?
5) Get Rewarded/Paid Ethically
- Sure , rewards are nice and all , but rewards through illegal or unethical means aren't
nice at all . As your readership grows and your blog gets more famous , you may be asked
to post something that promotes a certain individual / organization while bashing others
,and you may get paid for them . Don't do it ! As these kind of rewards are unethical and
may damage your conscience .
6) Don't Forget to Give Credits
- Give credits where they are due . Simple enough .
7) Do Know That You Are Answerable for Your Blog
- As you are the author of your blog , do remember that you hold responsibility over what
you posted . There have been many cases of celebrities and artists who posted their
strong opinions regarding a particular issue many years ago, only to find these posts
haunting them back now .
8) Be Transparent With Sponsored Post
- Let your readers know if you are being sponsored to write a post . You don't want your
post to sound too advertorial and devoid of your original blogging style all of a sudden
without informing your readers first . If you did not do that , your readers may be
perplexed and end up leaving your blogs for good for fear that your posts do not interest
them any more .
9) Do Write a Disclaimer
- This is the counter-measure for point no 7 . If you have incorporated some strong
opinions regarding a particular issue , do write a disclaimer that those opinions are yours
and solely yours alone so as not to involve your company or other people linked to you in
the process.
So , there you have it folks ! The summary of what Responsible Blogging 2013 campaign is all about . This campaign is graciously sponsored by Crowdpot , the platform for brands and businesses to engage with bloggers .
and Ninetology Marketing Sdn Bhd , the up and coming mobile device technology company who aims to provide a affordable yet functional smartphones for everyone .
For more information , please click on the logo below or go to http://responsibleblogging.my/ now ! Join us now , for a better tomorrow , for everyone in the blogosphere ! Do your part for our world , and it doesn't help that there are rewards for you in the process ヾ(●⌒∇⌒●)ﾉ !
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