Remember when email was just starting out and people didn’t realize that if they kept the caps lock on they were “shouting”? Or you had your first job and didn’t know how to answer the phone at your employer?
Just like there is an unwritten list of rules for email and business interactions, there are many do’s and don’ts for blogs. I know when I was first starting out with blogging, there was a lot to learn.
Usually being polite and following the “right” path will keep you out of legal trouble. Play fair. Be truthful but kind.
The first rule that Liz Strauss of Successful and Outstanding Blogs mentions is Be Honest, but BE NICE!
Some new bloggers are looking for a little more than the generic guideline of be polite, so here are some additional thoughts that I have on blogging etiquette for those who are trying to blog to brand and market their company, product or service offerings.
Commenting
Do you leave comments on blogs that you follow? Engaging conversations are one way to interact online.
As a publisher, it’s important to know the right way to handle comments. It’s a responsibility. There’s some feeling of deleting comments that could cause trouble. Should you delete some comments? What about “free” speech?
I delete the comments that are clearly spam. (Actually I mark them as spam and my WordPress plugin Akismet “learns” so that other people don’t get stuck with the same spam.)
I also edit by taking out the URL link to the ones that are questionable. Don’t confuse marketing your blog with spamming other people’s blog!
And replying to comments. What’s the right thing to do? I like to reply to people who leave a comment, sometimes directly in the blog, other times, just via email.
As a commenter, do you have something to add? Do you disagree? Using the name of the blog author is a good start, like you would in a normal conversation. And signing with your own name, not some keyword phrase that is a poor substitution!
As the publisher of a blog, what’s the best kind of comment? Not the kind that says something like “Great post. I look forward to reading more” because the conversation stops dead. I like Lorelle on WordPress’s blog because she explains how to make comments work and Brian Clark’s post, (he’s the publisher of Copyblogger) about using comments to get traffic is also good.
Attribution of Other’s Work:
If you’re wondering how to quote someone else, or use a photo or other work, check out How do I properly attribute creative commons work??
Not sure what creative commons means? Read this article about Creative Commons.
In a nutshell, don’t steal. Don’t take other people’s work and pretend it is yours. Or even borrow it without permission. Respect their work.
Acknowlege when Someone Inspires You
If you use Google Alerts or another method to check for trackbacks, it is good form to thank people for the mention either by leaving a comment or mentioning them back from your blog if appropriate. “Hat tip” is a phrase that many use as a short hand for thanking someone for an idea, inspiration or link to a subject.
For instance, I’d like to give a hat tip to Women Owners Daily for inspiring me to write this post.
Flickr image: Lawrence Braun Photo – Tell Me Secrets with creative commons attibution.
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Great post, I like to think that I’m good at acknowledging other peoples’ work but sometimes it’s hard to remember to thank people if they’ve been an inspiration – you can get all caught up in the ‘new thing’ so sometimes it’s hard to stop and remember who kicked it all off in the first place.
“I also edit by taking out the URL link to the ones that are questionable. Don’t confuse marketing your blog with spamming other people’s blog!”
I do this too. It surprises me HOW many people still think that comment spamming is a viable SEO/traffic improving option and continue to comment on your blog every day with names like ‘pine wardrobes’ or ‘canvas printing service.’
In fact, if they bothered to even comment and they were in my niche, I wouldn’t mind. Start a rapport and ask me to review or write a blog on their product or service and that’s fine!! This type of editorial link is far more valuable – people know it isn’t spam – google knows it isn’t spam!
I’d much prefer people to market their business by building a relationship with me.
Take on Twitter: I’m friends with ladies who do many things, including: wedding planning, PR, cake baking, shop owning, etc – I am FAR more likely to buy from one of them and I have no idea if they’re actually any good at those things, simply because the relationship is already there!
If somebody could just please tell all this to the spammers!
Anyway, that’s my 2p worth!
I meant, “Take for example, on Twitter”
My friend and I were just talking about the topic you mentioned in your blog and apparently, I win the discussion! Thank you for clearing it up.