The 10 Commandments of Blogging

I recently ran across a blog that outlined the 10 commandments of blogging. The Evangelical Alliance in the UK recently held a “Godblogs” conference wherein Christian bloggers gathered to discuss a Christian approach to blogging. During the event, the group decided to write a tongue in cheek set of commandments for bloggers. http://www.eauk.org/articles/blogging-ten.cfm

While this might not be my list, it made me think about how carefully we should write. Recent blog posts and emails have set off a fire storm for some of my very dear friends. It really has passed the point of ridiculous. When discussing it with another friend, he commented that he really did not get why people blog in the first place. He further commented that people should be very careful about what they post (if they feel the need to post) on blogs. As a business owner, he commented that recruiters often refer to blogs as a means of weeding out potential hires.

Now all of the craziness and the comments made me think and I have a few observations.

1. Stop and think about the ages of the people who read our blogs and "get it" and those who don't. Realizing that I am about on the cusp of this age division. I think that a lot of boomers and older don't like communication by emails and blogs. I think they read things too literally and are too easily offended. So are we also guilty of not "getting" them? Maybe it is a true generation gap issue.

2. Are we all being too self-focused? Are we chasing our tails trying to each prove that we are right? Are we so busy thinking about how we are going to respond to the latest rhetoric that we fail to listen to what our "opposition" is saying?

3. Although our blogs are our own thoughts and our opportunity to rant, once we have put these words out for all the world to see we have to accept that people can use our own words against us if they so desire. Those who understand us will accept that these posts are just ways to think out loud and work out our issues. Blogs are a way to journal and be able to look back and see how issues were resolved or not. Those who love and support us will allow us to do this without being judgmental or offended. But those who don't truly love will not understand our tone or our sarcasm or ever try to see our heart in what we write. Instead they will twist our words. They will read their own insecurities into our words. They will take things out of context. They will not refer back to previous posts to try to make sense of what we are writing.

My point? Assuming I actually have one, I suppose that it is: Writer Beware! Blog at your own risk. Think about what you write.

I find it very interesting that one person who has responded to a series of emails and posted comments on a blog has asked writers to think about how they would feel if people were saying things about them in this way. And then that person proceeds to attack people in much the way he has just accused them of attacking. Obviously he is not reading his own words. So I say to those who start emails or blogs and all those who add to the thread of comments: Try to find a way to convey your thoughts without belittling your opposition. In the words of Obama (which I do not claim to be an exact quote): We can disagree without being disrespectful.