Blogging Ethics...

I wonder what blogging ethics are? What constitutes intellectual honesty and integrity?

I am a man of principle and call things as I see them and admit my mistakes when I get it wrong but it does not seem that everyone who blogs is like me, which is probably a good thing as the statistics indicate that I am not a popular read. So, perhaps I should abandon my principles and go for the popularity judged by visits or comments or something or whatever it is that determines what blogs are popular and what are not.

Yet, I am not going to do that. I am not going to abandon my principles and if people read me good, if they don't so be it! My blog is as much for myself as it is for anyone else. It is my stress value to vent and rant when I want to and to inform of happenings in and around me, but that's it! You get what you get!

It seems that comments I have made and some comments of my blog colleagues, some I know personally and some I know only as blogging kindred spirits, have touched a raw nerve and elicited a number of personal attacks that were not there and selective interpretations of what was.

As I said, I am a man of principle. I stand by and will defend the opinions that I hold through rational argument and debate. But when that argument and debate degenerates into personal attacks and plain distortion of the arguments made to paint the comments out of their original context. This is a standard journalistic and writing trick to deflect scrutiny of any response.

You will see that it is possible to be duped by the media. This blog contains one such example of this in relation to a post I made about Schapelle Corby. My error was corrected after one of my readers alerted me to the distortion that I had inadvertently continued to perpetrate. It would be refreshing if some others were quite as upfront and forthright in correcting the distortions that they allow to be perpetrated through their blogs when notified of the distortion...Ahhh to be so lucky.

This is not a whinge, although I am sure somewhere out there can suitably distort it into something else that resembles a whinge, but once again it is a reflection of my own personal experiences and my own personal opinions. If it offends then perhaps those that it offends should take a breath and consider why they are offended.

I am a nice bloke...read my posts and comments on other blogs. When I offend I apologise for the offence and correct a misrepresentation or mistake if one is made.

These recent experiences have not turned me off blogging but rather reinforced my belief that this is a perfect forum for open discussion and debate...so I am here for the long haul...get used to it, whether you like it or not!

Have a good weekend!