Blogging with Integrity
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Are you blogging with integrity? It’s a basic standard all bloggers should follow. Here are eight ways to ensure you’re blogging with integrity:
Be honest – If you aren’t earning a million dollars yet, don’t tell people that you are. It’s okay to admit that you’re learning and struggling. If you have a food blog and didn’t actually try a particular recipe, don’t say you did. The best way to get your audience to trust you is to be trustworthy and honest about everything you say.
Don’t plagiarize – First, learn what plagiarism is. Then understand that it’s simply not acceptable to use other people’s work without asking, crediting, and/or paying for the privilege. This includes photographs, artwork, blog posts, articles, and other creative materials. When you write something or hire someone to write for you, run it through a plagiarism checker like Copyscape or Grammarly.
Don’t spam anyone – Many bloggers send their blog posts automatically to members of their email lists. Be sure you use a double opt-in form for newsletter subscribers and explain that they will receive blog updates. Then ensure that your blogs themselves can’t be considered spam. Monitor the comments on your blog for spam to help protect your visitors from those who would harm them.
Disclose financial relationships – If you were paid to provide a particular review or if you receive income when your readers click through to buy something from a particular review, it is important that you disclose this openly. There is nothing wrong with earning money on your blog and there is no reason to hide it. Disclose everything and be transparent.
Be willing to admit mistakes – It happens. You try out a product or service and love it, but maybe you didn’t dig deep enough and didn’t realize the company has terrible customer service or is unscrupulous in other ways. It’s okay to come out and say so later and admit that you made a mistake. The more open you are about your imperfections, the more people will trust you.
Be respectful – Even if you are calling out another blogger or business owner about something you disagree with, it is important to do so in a professional, respectful manner. There is never a reason to be nasty or rude to anyone. If someone makes a comment you do not like on your blog, remember that people are watching to see how you will react. Keep it respectful even when others don’t.
Allow contrary comments and feedback – Receiving criticism is hard. But it’s important to allow disagreements and contrary opinions on your comment streams. Delete spam, but let other people have their own views. It won’t take away from yours.
Take responsibility – If you recommend a product that turned out to be a dud and the owners of the product will not stand up and do what’s right, it’s up to you to do something to make it better. Take responsibility for your words too. If you said something wrong or something that was taken wrong, step back and admit your part in any problems. Whether your blog is written by you only, by hired writers, or with prewritten PLR, it’s your responsibility to fact check, check for plagiarism, and ensure the truth of all the content you distribute.
There’s something to be said about blogging with integrity. You will feel good about your business, you will be proud to tell people what you do, and you will feel good about every penny you earn and every piece of content you put out to the world.
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