Last night I sat on a panel and we spoke about online media (new media) and the ethics involved in using social media, among many other things.
It went really well. I was nervous, of course, right up until we started and then it was fine.
I came away with some things to think about and think about them I did. At 3am. When I couldn’t sleep. Sigh.
Anonymous comments – what value do they hold? Do they still hold value if the person has a differing point of view to yourself?
I think anonymous comments can and do add value to a conversation. People will share things anonymously that for whatever reason they couldn’t share commenting with their name. I think anonymous comments and whether they should be allowed through are always going to come down to the tone of the comment itself.
Of course, I still get that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see a comment from anonymous, but that’s a hangover from trolls and such.
Now the conversation was more geared towards why a news website, The Mercury in particular would allow comments from anonymous readers if they’re not adding to the news – and the simple answer is that people like to participate in the conversation. People like to share their views and in my opinion, doing so anonymously is fine, so long as the tone of the comment is respectful. That’s called debate.
Of course, we’re not all going to agree on things all of the time and so at the end of the day, some people will wonder why a comment went through, or didn’t go through as the case may be.
Yet another reason why moderators on news sites are so very very important.
What are the ethics of blogging and new media?
Blogging doesn’t have a code of ethics as such, we don’t answer to anyone else and I think that is a lot of the problem between ‘new’ media and ‘old’ media – or traditional journalists and bloggers. Journalists can sometimes see bloggers as rogues, unanswerable to anyone else, writing on the internet, whereas bloggers see journalists stealing quotes without linking and acting holier than thou. (obviously not the journalists I was speaking to last night, who were all lovely).
We need to bridge that gap and as bloggers, realise that we are part of the media too. We might be talking about our families, or food, or reviewing products, but we are media too and we need to be ethical.
And without a code of ethics, and laws to enforce them, bloggers are going to have to rely on their good sense and their peers to work out what is acceptable and what isn’t. It’s remembering the good manners we were taught in primary school and putting them to use. It’s never nice to bully, or harass and you can disagree with something without turning it into a personal vendetta.
We might be ‘playing’ on the Internet, but we’re all adults here and we need to act like that.
The ethics of blogging are the ethics that we hold ourselves. We need to rely on our moral standards and ask ourselves, does this feel right? Would I like to read this written about me? Because that celebrity/blogger/journo that we bitch about on twitter, or on our blogs, they’re real people too.
Sometimes it’s about saying, yes, I know I can, but should I?
Definitely some interesting things to think about anyway and I’ll be interested to see how media evolves to hopefully embrace bloggers and our online medium over the next few years.
Finally, I’d just like to quickly thank the Walkley Foundation for sponsoring the forum last night and the other three speakers, Philip Young, online editor at the Mercury, Nicola Goc, Senior Lecturer on Journalism at the University and Kylie Eastley, writer and blogger. It was good fun and amazing to meet the three of you. And thank you to Pat O’Donnell from the MEAA for moderating.
Glad it went brilliantly, Veronica.
Blogging Code of Ethics. I like the sound of that.
PS. I think you should repost this on AMB!
So true. All of it.
When I started fundraising for the hospital, they were very much into having a say in the posts I had written. They did not want any negativity towards the hospital in any way and I was asked to change a few things. I thought about their requesting me to quieten my voice alot, about whether that was right.
Blogging is a new media but there are still plenty of rules when it includes others.
Good Post Veronica.
I knew you’d be awesome.
I think that’s the crux of it- I can, but should I? I guess it’s a bit like road rage- other people are so inpersonal, behind a windscreen or a computer screen.
The blogosphere, to me, is a bit like the dinner table. What you say depends on your level of familiarity with that guest or host. And even though there are some things you could say politely, it’s probably best if you don’t.
Well, said Veronica! As a journalist and a blogger, I have seen it from both sides of the coin. As much as I value diverse opinions and debate, I do believe there should be some kind of “code of conduct” when writing things in a public forum. But I’m also aware not everybody feels that way. It’s a conundrum, huh 🙂
Glad to hear it went well and that it got you thinking…
I”ve been thinking a lot about my personal ethics when it comes to blogging. What do I and don’t I feel comfortable blogging about or putting my name to…. especially how that relates to marketing and advertising etc. It’s interesting to think about the bigger picture too… what ethical responsibilities do I have (or choose to have) not only when it comes to my personal blog but blogging in general, being part of a group (niche?) of bloggers etc etc.
I think it is often hard to shift my thinking from the ‘oh but this is my personal blog I’ll just say whatever I want’ and to get my head around the fact that what I am writing is out there, in the big scary media for all to see… and that does mean I have to take responsibility for it.
Sounds fascinating. I wish I could have been there to hear it!
The whole issue of ethics and blogging is a complex one and indeed, like Kate, one I;ve spent a fair degree of time considering. In my case it isn’t so much the marketing / advertising / sponsorship angle – I don’t really do that, and in any case, my blogs’ readership is so limited that I’m unlikely to be of interest to advertisers. My ethical dilemmas are more around how I respect the privacy and rights of others while still writing something that is authentic. I particularly struggle with this when it comes to writing about children, who don’t get to choose whether their stories are spread all over the Internet in perpetuity. I wonder sometimes what the Children of the Blogosophere will have to say about the ways their childhoods were recorded and promulgated, even lovingly, by their parents, in the vanguard generation of the online world. We shall see,
Sounds like a healthy and positive debate took place 🙂
A code of ethics should include ‘just because you can doesn’t mean you should’ 😉
Exactly. It’s a huge shift in perspective, especially because as bloggers we’ve been marginalised for a very long time and pushed to the edge of Media. I think we all need to be thinking about the bigger picture.
As for my children, I find I’m writing about them less as my blog evolves. Yes, they’re still a major part of it, but I’m not telling as many stories and I’m really mindful of how they’ll see it when they’re older.
This is fascinating to me….I have been blogging for about 2 months and just discovering and learning about the blogging world…Although I have been out of the journalism workforce for sometime now, I did my degree in Journalism in the late 90’s and the internet was really just taking off then. For me, the ethics of Journalism was one of the most important aspects of the course – and I think the same should be for blogging.
Words and opinions have a great deal of power – Though I am not a religious person for me, the old Do unto others is a basic code to follow, whether it be face to face, in new media or old media!
Sounds like a really interesting discussion, I’m glad it went well for you. I think that the ‘blogosphere’ started out as an ethics-free-zone largely (i’m thinking of the perez hilton types), with many bloggers seeing such easy access to online publication as their chance to say whatever the hell they wanted. It was this very aspect that earned many such great notoriety. With greater acceptance into public consciousness and with the lines between official and non-official media blurring, I think bloggers have started to realise that they can, are, and should be more accountable for what they post.
Sounds like a fascinating debate, knew you’d be brilliant! Congratulations BG Xx
“…yes, I know I can, but should I.”
If only more people followed this guideline. I learned a similar thing when I was very small, something along the lines of “if you wouldn’t want this done to you, then don’t do it to others”. It’s still good advice that I live by.
I’m glad you had a good time there.
I think half the problemn is that the internet feels so transient, so insubstantial. The ‘big things’ one year are old news next year. You can delete something with a few clicks of the mouse and poof, it’s gone. You can edit things as easy as you like. It’s hard to take the internet seriously, sometimes, and you can forget that even though you can’t smudge the ink with your fingers, the written word on the internet is, in some ways, so much more powerful than the printed word. It has the potential to reach a much larger audience and as you discussed, there is no editor standing over you, correcting grammar or punctuation or even fact-checking, which means stories that wouldn’t pass through a newspaper’s net will get published online in blogs as though they are the truth.
I’m rambling. This is another problem with the internet. No one to stand over you and make sure you’re being succinct.
I wish I could have been there!
Sounds like a great debate was had.
Will we be able to see/hear it anywhere online? x
The debate sounds interesting and stimulating intellectually for you Veronica, maybe the reason you were awake at 3am!
I agree with moderation on News site for the bigots, racists etc that like to comment but having been a moderator on a forum once, I think one has to take into account where moderating becomes more than impartial. I had issues with ‘over’ moderation but I have always had a problem with rules. There is a fine line between freedom of information and speech and intervention/moderation that can make an article or a forum/blog post turn into propoganda from the point of view of the author or organisation. These days I find it is hard to find a newspaper that hasn’t a political affiliation. So for me moderation is a tool that should be used very carefully. To withdraw a comment or post that is obscene, racist or offensive is completely different to deleting or amending a comment either on a forum or via an online version of a paper that has a conflicting viewpoint. Effective moderation I feel needs to be neutral otherwise it can bias an argument.
I understand the minfulness that you speak of with regard to blogging about your family etc and as your blog evolves so will the content but don’t forget your roots on this. You have never and I don’t think you will ever have anything to worry about with regard to blogging about your family life and if your children look back at your blog when they are grown I have no doubt that they will be proud. Please don’t lose the spontaneity because of too much mindfullness in that regard. I write annonymously for personal reasons and totally admire that you blog in the way you do – you being you. Of which you have every reason to be proud. An eclectic mix. If everything became too clinical and politically correct I am not sure I would visit as much.
As the internet evolves and the blogging world develops I am sure many of us will look back on our early efforts and have some cringeworthy moments, if the future holds loads of rules and regulations and etiquette I am not sure that I wouldn’t end up making my blog for invited bloggy friends gathered over time. I am happy with the few I have already and my life feels enriched for them. I think it may depend on an indivuals reason d’etre for blogging. I began because Bendy Girl invited me to read her blog and started one not knowing what I was doing in the least. I still don’t know what I am doing but try just to apply the same principles and verity and probity that I do in my life.
I am not sure the waters don’t get muddied somewhat when discussing the issues in your post if personal blogs and online newspaper publications are not differentiated as separate mediums of communication via the internet for the reasons mentioned above. Unless for example a personal blog became an online regular publication via an online newspaper then all bets would be off! All food for thought.
I suppose thats why I am resistant to advertisements on a personal blog, (totally understanding why individuals need the revenue) I am not entirely sure that a ‘personal’ blog remains such when advertising comes into the equation, a matter I note your mum commented on in a recent post. Don’t get me wrong I understand wholly the reason why some blogs have sidebars full of advertisements but too many these days just puts me off.
I think Annette has a valid point with regard to what would not even pass via an editor etc in a paper publication but in a way that is what attracts me to the blogging community. Some blogs seem written very much for effect and I am always mindful that exaggeration and untruth and pure figments of the imagination are often passed over as reality. It is up to us as the reading public I think to chose the genre we prefer. I tend to stick with my comfort zone. Personally if I don’t like it I don’t go back, the internet is in essence a mirror image of the world. I very occassionally comment annonymously really for selfish reasons – I did this recently because I had something I wanted to say but didn’t want people to click on my name and read my blog. I had a point to make but didn’t think it was relevant in anyway that my blog was necessarily brought into play. But then again I opt out of google searches for my blog.
I suppose thats why I like your mum’s blog so much, because she seems so true to herself. She writes with passion for things that matter to her and subtly advertises her art without compromising her integrity. She seems to be able to think of the bigger picture whilst at the same time maintaining an individuality in her blog that keeps it real.
I also admire threeringcircus as I feel the truth that tiff writes with regard to her family, her thoughts and the illness that is all encompassing in their lives only serves to educate, support and provide a necessary outlet for the unrelenting strain. I am not sure I could put my family out there in this way but can only admire her.
In the long run I think it is up to us as individuals to regulate and monitor the technical revolution we are part of. An empowering tool that must be used with great care. The industrial revolution was in part responsible for the destruction of the planet. Apparently 65 million people around the world access Wikipedia in any one month, editing information as and when they wish. This new form of people power has the ability to empower individuals who would otherwise have no voice. Until the early 70’s counter cultural libertarialiasm has its roots in the internet previously public information was only available via governments. Withouth The WELL founded in San Francisco the internet including facebook, twitter etc. would not exist now. Constantly pushing the boundaries. Infusing the online world with an anything goes attitude. Online Freedom. Cyberspace founding the ability to chat with members of the Grateful Dead! The ethos being that
freedom on line would empower all! A brilliant beginning, the aim being the civilisation of the mind trying to break free from the manifesto of governments trying to control the people. A good beginning but I have no doubt that none of them ever thought that the darker side of the internet would end up in exploitation of children, groups set up as hate campaigns etc.
I blog to please myself in all honesty, it helps me live with a condition that is difficult to cope with alone. I know there is a bigger world out there where I feel I should take on the bigger picture in the global world. I know I should take on more, then more but I suffer on occassion with information overload.
I have no doubt that the ethics of blogging will evolve over time as mankind has since time began. I hope information sharing maintains freedom of speech between us all. I am just thankful to have found a small part of the blogging world where I feel I can trust on the whole those with whom I regularly communicate. The bigger stuff – the media, I don’t trust anyway. As in real life, people are fickle, just when we learn to trust some let us down. Others don’t. Its all a learning curve, so I just apply the same ethics on line that I do in life and cross fingers thus far its worked ok.
As ever I have probably over analysed and commented far too much! A thought provoking post Veronica. It won’t stop me looking forward to hearing about the daily ‘stuff’ of your family life though, about how you are coping with EDS.
I think this debate will prove to be a stepping stone Veronica – not just a mummy blogger now!
Was the talk in Hobart? I wish I’d known, I would have been there with bells on!
Sounds good V. Sorry I don’t have a lot to say today
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