The topic of ethics in blogging is one that is slowly finding its balance. Since blogging is a relatively new medium with roots in both journalism and art, it's definitely had (and will continue to have) growing pains. Jennine Jacobs, founder of Independent Fashion Bloggers and The Coveted, has spent a lot of time working through the issues of ethics in blogging-- including having one of the panels of the Feb 2010 IFB Evolving Influence Conference focus exclusively on the topic. It was a very interesting discussion with many viewpoints presented from both bloggers and professional journalists, and I highly recommend watching.I believe you should generally follow the mantra, "honesty is the best policy." As long as you are upfront with things, you should run across a lot fewer ethical and etiquette issues. Here are a few specific areas where ethics and etiquette are often involved:
Courtesy Items
For some of you, you'll have to deal with companies wanting to send you free things or writing sponsored posts. This is definitely an area that is pretty controversial when it comes to ethics. Some feel like accepting courtesy items will always negatively affect the content of a blog, making the blogger a shill for the company, believing that the blogger will no longer be able to write non-biased content regarding the company or products. I personally don't believe this is always the case, though I think the reason some people feel that way is due to the fact that they've seen it happen. My personal rule about courtesy items or sponsored content is to not do the post or accept an item if a) it doesn't fit my personal standards of quality or my aesthetic or b) it doesn't fit my blog's content.
I make an effort to remain honest and open about the items I receive. If an item is of sub-par quality, or isn't what I expected it to be, I'll tell my readers that. I never want to con my readers into buying something from one of my sponsors by misrepresenting it. Your readers will begin to realize your dishonesty and they will start to distrust you and your blog.
Legally, you must declare the kinds of advertising you do for profit. I always note when an item in an outfit post has been sent to me by a sponsor by saying it's "courtesy of" (some blogs abbreviate this as c/o) XYZ Company. It's important to do this, not only for legal reasons, but also to remain honest and up-front with your readers. Trust me, they'll always appreciate when you trust them with the truth.
You'll have to make a personal decision as to whether or not you want to monetize or accept free items. Think about yourself and decide whether you believe you'll be able to remain unbiased and honest. It's a big decision, so don't take it lightly! Bloggers who have poor etiquette and ethics in this area give all bloggers a bad name, so make sure to really take time to consider it.
Read the FAQ page or About Me page before asking
Read the FAQ page or About Me page before asking
This isn't a hard rule, and I would never want to discourage a reader from asking me any question, but if you have a question about someone's blog, make an effort to see if they've already answered your question in an FAQ page or something like that. FAQ pages are there specifically because people have already asked the blogger some questions. See if you have the same question as someone in the FAQ, it can save both you and the other blogger a lot of time!
Spam comments
When you comment on someone else's blog, do it genuinely. Don't say something like, "OMG cute shoes. Follow me? http://myblog.blogspot.com." It will always come off as insincere and self-serving. I almost never click through to their blog simply because it really bothers me that they didn't seem to even look at the post. If you really think someone would enjoy your blog or believe you two have a lot in common with your blogs, go ahead and send them an email saying how much you like their blog and that you'd really appreciate if they would check it out. I'll pretty much always check out a blog if someone takes the time to email me!
Make an effort to always source what you post. Say you do an inspiration post every week, always make sure you have an accurate link back to the creator of that image or product (don't just source ffffound.com, tumblr, pinterest, or weheartit, etc.). It's always nice to give the people who created those things credit for their hard work. It's also a nice way to send traffic their way. Remember to treat other people the way you'd want to be treated. If someone took a photo from your site and didn't source it back to you, you'd probably be kinda bummed out, right? Plus, this is a way to share more awesome artists, bloggers, and products with your readers, which they'll always appreciate! I usually give credit directly below the photo or content I shared with a link to the original source, like I have below the photo above.
Don't work for free
Or try really hard not to. Working for free in "exchange for" exposure is a great way to devalue your own work and makes it harder for other bloggers to charge for their hard work. If a company is asking you to post something it's because they recognize that you have an audience they want to reach. In any other situation the company would have to pay for that reach (via a magazine or website ad, or a tv commercial, etc), so don't let them bully you into giving them free exposure. Your work and your readers is a valuable asset, learn to value it and learn to be brave enough to ask them for compensation. Find bloggers with similar stats and subscribers and see if they post what they charge for different sponsored posts (feature posts, giveaways, styling an item, etc). If they don't post it publicly and you feel comfortable doing so, you can always email them politely asking for help with figuring out how much to charge for sponsored content. Again, try to do this with bloggers who are charging and have similar amount of readers/pageviews/etc, because a blog with more readers will naturally charge more since they are giving the company more exposure, and a blog with less readers will charge less than you should. Another rule I've heard from freelance workers (graphic designers, photographers, bloggers, etc) is to charge the amount that makes you cringe a little, the amount that makes you want to delete it and write in a lower number.
Auto playing music
Another "rule" that isn't hard, but I (and I know a lot of other people I've spoken to) find auto-playing music really obnoxious. For one, you're probably already listening to music, and when you open the person's page, some cacophonous noise is suddenly erupting from your computer when the two songs start playing simultaneously! Or you could be sitting in a quiet coffee shop or library when *blam!* someone's favorite song is all of a sudden blaring and everyone gives you the stink eye. If you want to share your favorite music, do it in a playlist post like Kaelah. It's a great way to share your music without forcing it upon everyone who opens your page.
Dealing with mean/anonymous comments/trolls/etc.
This is an area that you should expect to deal with when you start blogging. It's the internet. There are tons of crazies out there and people, for some reason or another (it's a mystery to me) looking to bring. you. down. Don't let them. My policy is always, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." If I don't like someone's blog, there's no need to write something mean or rude to them. Just don't go to their blog! Problem solved. Unfortunately, some people feel the need to tell you that they don't like you, or your blog. Don't let them get you down. Take the comment in stride and move on. Be graceful and rise above those people who would seek to bring negativity to your little corner of the internet. If you feel like you are a bit more sensitive to those comments, feel free to disable anonymous commenting! Or go ahead and require comment moderation. There's nothing wrong with doing that! However you feel you need to deal with in a healthy way. Consider placing a clearly stated comment policy somewhere on your blog so people know what you accept and what you don't Don't allow the mean comments to take over your mind when you've got so many more amazing comments from people who love your blog!
Links on ethics and etiquette to consider:
