Blogging Ethics
I think it's fine to reference another blog and link to it, and to use another blogger's comments as a jumping off point for one's own reflections.
I think it's fair enough to say, "I disagree with Sir/Lady So-And-So's blog comments, and here's why..."
I do not think it fair, fine or ethical to use one's own blog as a place to malign the character or motives of other writers, and especially not to play Junior Psychologist and make lofty suggestions as to the condition of various people's unconscious selves. No, I'm not including a link. This isn't dish, it's a sincere concern. We are a reconciling people.
We must guard against ridiculous asswhappery. No one knows another person's unconscious self except God. Or maybe their shrink. At any rate, there's plenty to talk about without fantasizing that we have any understanding at all of the other crazed bloggers out there.
That's one of the reasons I have consistently declined to be included on the official list of Unitarian Universalist bloggers, although I have wound up on many such lists anyway: we're a little family and it's too easy to get drawn into the habit of talking about and psuedo-analyzing each other, instead of being inspired by each other.
(If you haven't read UU blogs, there's a derned good list of them at www.philocrites.com. Better yet you should get up on Sunday morning and visit one of our congregations. Keep going back. Go back six times before you make up your mind.)
In blogging, as in all other literary pursuits, "write what you know, not what you don't know."
I'm not a former English teacher for nothin'.
(I recommended to my church that they stay up at least one night this summer to see the sun rise. Tonight's gonna be my night. I have a full-out insomniac situation going on here.)
I think it's fair enough to say, "I disagree with Sir/Lady So-And-So's blog comments, and here's why..."
I do not think it fair, fine or ethical to use one's own blog as a place to malign the character or motives of other writers, and especially not to play Junior Psychologist and make lofty suggestions as to the condition of various people's unconscious selves. No, I'm not including a link. This isn't dish, it's a sincere concern. We are a reconciling people.
We must guard against ridiculous asswhappery. No one knows another person's unconscious self except God. Or maybe their shrink. At any rate, there's plenty to talk about without fantasizing that we have any understanding at all of the other crazed bloggers out there.
That's one of the reasons I have consistently declined to be included on the official list of Unitarian Universalist bloggers, although I have wound up on many such lists anyway: we're a little family and it's too easy to get drawn into the habit of talking about and psuedo-analyzing each other, instead of being inspired by each other.
(If you haven't read UU blogs, there's a derned good list of them at www.philocrites.com. Better yet you should get up on Sunday morning and visit one of our congregations. Keep going back. Go back six times before you make up your mind.)
In blogging, as in all other literary pursuits, "write what you know, not what you don't know."
I'm not a former English teacher for nothin'.
(I recommended to my church that they stay up at least one night this summer to see the sun rise. Tonight's gonna be my night. I have a full-out insomniac situation going on here.)
posted by PeaceBang at 3:42 AM
8 Comments:
What official list of UU blogs? And why the switch to comments from blogger accounts only?
I think that is what makes blogging great. We are all entitled to our own opinions and can express them freely on our own blogs.
I've recently received hate mail for some of my comments and I enjoy it. It is my sincere desire to receive more as I believe as a society we often are so "p.c" that we fail to express our true feelings.
I do agree that one should not slam another blogger by name; however, if someone out there decides to do so, its a free country and of no concern of mine. Unless its me they are slammin but thats why god created DDoS. ;)
Contribuutor... not officially official. Philocrites and others keep a blog roll of UU bloggers and while I don't mind being categorized as "UU," I'd rather be considered more "General Topics" (mostly because I blog just as often on pop culture as on religious issues).
Why no anonymous comments? Simply because when I respond to a comment I like to use a name. Some kind of name helps me keep track of who's interested in what, and how many "conversations" we get going here.
David, I think things are a bit different within the context of a religious community of bloggers.
So are you inferring that because a community of bloggers has been created around a religious theme that they can not object publicly to another members opinion in a manner that might be perceived as a personal attack?
What sets a religious group apart from say a political group in that aspect? I agree with you that no one can understand the goings on of another’s mind. Hell, I can not understand what goes on in my own at times but I never object to an honest disagreement. If you take the Bible literally (a debate among some), we have been doing that very thing since Cain and Able. My religious training did not come from a formal education and I am a little rusty when it comes to scripture; however, I recall an account of Paul do that very thing somewhere in 17 th chapter of acts.
I am not saying personal attacks are ok, but if one wants to question your motives or anyone’s motives for that matter, then let them waste their energy for as you stated earlier, they can not really know another’s motives. That’s between that person and god and I honestly believe that I confuse the hell out him at times.
P.s. one of the things that peaked my interest in your blog was your religion's take on various matters. From what little I have been able to read, it appears that you guys worship without regards to what those in this region would consider the status quo.
For instance, I have sat through several sermons that were directed at an audience whose makeup was probably 98% straight. These sermons preached of the eternal damnation that surely awaited our gay population.
I have a few gay friends and believe that if god is going to send them to hell for their sexual beliefs, then he must surely have my place already picked out for my opinions of the preachers that wrote those sermons.
Hey D, are you taking anything for that fever?
Okay, anyway... the long and the short of it is that our religious community is small, we have a covenant between us as individuals and congregations, no one agrees on ANY theological points, and we tend toward incredible PCness. A challenging combination. Also, most of us know each other and want/need to/should be a little less self-righteous about psychoanalyzing our brothers and sisters in the blogosphere.
Yea, I think personal attacks are uncool in any case, mostly because they're rarely at all intelligent. Over and out on this.
Gotcha...and yeah I am. Is it that obvious. :)
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