As I was reading my assignment for social media, I came across a section that really made me think, The 5 commandments of Blogging in chapter 2 of The New Influencers by Paul Gillin. The commandments are: Thou shalt link, Thou shalt not diss, Thou shalt be transparent, Thou shalt comment, and Thou shalt not blather. So basically, if you are writing about something interesting, give people more information. If you have a differing opinion, which is likely, be civil. Be honest. Give bloggers feedback! How else will anyone know how his/her blog is going? Finally, keep the blog interesting and to the point!
The Internet is a free-flowing tool that is not controlled or censored in any way. No rules can be found telling the proper way to do anything, really. Yet, Internet users, mostly bloggers, do follow certain norms and proper social etiquette. Person to person contact is sometimes less civil than the thoughts and ideas of bloggers in the sense of living without rules. Theories out there say that without rules, large groups will eventually become unmanageable. This trend, however, has yet to emerge in the blogosphere. So, perhaps if the 5 commandments of blogging were applied to offline living, the world would be a better place. (I might be stretching a bit, but bear with me!)
My idea is a bit of “I learned everything I need to know in Kindergarten/Dr. Seuss”-esque. Basic childhood ideas such as kindness, truth, and responsibility are ever-present in the blogosphere. Why? Not because someone made up some rules and set up consequences, but because in the blogosphere, the audience, the blogger and the subject are put on equal footing. Power on the Internet belongs to all, rather than few, and so corruption is easily destroyed by people keeping other people of the same influence in check. So, kudos, bloggers and readers!
Also:
I think this blog by Megan at Media Maven gave some good insight on the 5 commandments and really helps to explain them in a short and sweet way:
http://prmediamaven.blogspot.com/2007/09/five-commandments-of-blogging.html
I'd have to agree with you, Alli; the five commandments of blogging could definitely be applied to the offline world. In the blogosphere, you're supposed to give credit where it's due, avoid bad-mouthing others, tell the truth, actively listen and respond to others, and not be a windbag. In the "real" world, wouldn't it be nice to get recognition for something you've said or done? Wouldn't it be nice to have more polite individuals who don't run their mouths? I'm not sure why we have an honesty issue in the offline world to begin with, so that one's definitely applicable. Active listening is a skill taught in any basic communication class you walk into; we all know we're supposed to engage. And, of course, we all know there are people who love to hear their own voices, which is fine, except when they have nothing to say. With the information overload, we're constantly being overstimulated and unfortunately, it seems our manners are that which are being ousted to make room for those external stimuli.
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