Responsible Blogging and Us
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I have been thinking of writing and posting something like this for quite sometime now, but I had been too busy, and my thoughts had been a bit too fragmented during the past weeks that I had not gotten around to writing what I had in mind. Good thing I attended the Wordcamp last Saturday. One of the lectures helped me understand better the issues that had been playing in my mind, and to concretize my stand. I am talking about the lecture of Mr. Danny Arao about Blogging and Journalism.
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Many of us bloggers may simply see our blogs as a ‘pensieve’ where we can keep our thoughts and reflections. Well, at first, that is. Then we get to realize that surprise, surprise, we are being read! Then we somehow form a community or friendships in the web as people comment on our posts and we reciprocate.
However we see our blogs, the truth is that the moment we post our entries, they are out for the whole world to see (unless of course if you have set your blogs to private mode). Whatever we write will be read, digested, criticized, and possibly be given a different meaning or interpretation by our readers. Our readers may agree or disagree with us, but the moment we have put them online, we no longer have control on how our posts will be processed by our readers. That’s why we should be careful about the things we post. It’s just like offering the food we cooked to our guests at home. While we were cooking it, we were the master of our specialty. But the moment we put it on the table and our guests partake of it, our control over it ends. How our guests will find it — tasty, bitter, salty, or bland — greatly depends upon their individual tastes. But while that may be so, there is still what can be universally considered good cooking and bad cooking.
As chefs in our own websites, we do have a big responsibility, whether we realize it or not. What we post not only reflects who we are, but also shows how much respect we give our readers.
I am not just talking about grammar; I am talking more about how we present our ideas, our take on the issues we tackle, and even our choice of issues to tackle. Why do we blog? Is it to draw readers to our page, and hopefully earn (for self-hosted blogs) some bucks out of it? Is it to share to the world the scrawls of our creative pens? Is it to share our life, our experiences, and our reflections in the hope that people who can relate can learn from them? Is it to become famous? Our goals in blogging was clearly elucidated by Mr. Arao in his lecture. From his talk, I had gleaned that our goals should be to write quality content, to help shape public opinion, and to make a difference.
In a sense, we are like journalists, sans the ‘authority’ and the pressures. Through our posts, we can help shape public opinion, open other people’s eyes, and even make people act accordingly. Our reflections, our experiences, our creative outputs, and even our rants and raves, can have an impact on our readers.
What’s good about blogging is that there may be times when we are cooking the same recipe our fellow bloggers cook, but always, there will be something that make our ‘specialty’ different, a secret ingredient that will tell our readers that it was us — not any other chef — who cooked it.
Here are some of the issues Mr. Arao discussed in his lecture. I am posting some parts here, with my own commentary, mainly because some of them have been playing in my mind for a long time, and also because I completely believe in them.
On freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is a precious commodity. It’s something we should treasure. But in exercising our freedom, we should also remember that for every freedom we have, is a responsibility. Our freedom of expression is not a ticket to malign other people. We may be free to express ourselves, but we should also be responsible that we do not overstep our bounds, that we do not curtail the freedom of others. A quote Mr. Arao shared that I love very much goes something like this: “The freedom of the tip of your umbrella ends where the freedom of my nose begins.”
On responsible blogging. As previously mentioned, blogging may be, in some way, a form of journalism. ‘Citizen journalists’ is the term they sometimes use to refer to us, bloggers. And although we may not know the ethics of journalism, our ignorance should not be a reason for us not to know our bounds. Unlike the journalists who are paid to report about issues, we are not paid to blog. That, does not, however, free us from legal obligations should we overstep our bounds. Plagiarism and libel cases are as real to bloggers as they are to journalists.
On quality blogging. Journalists, says Mr. Arao, “adhere to professional and ethical guidelines.” Then he adds, “In theory, of course.”
We know of a lot of journalists who do not follow the ethics of their professions, especially those who write or broadcast “tsismis and intrigas,” some, if not many (or even most) of which are simply products of their imagination and makating dila, and those who shamelessly advertise products on their shows. Personally, I find these practices demeaning. They are among the reasons why I had not sat down in front of television for more than four years now.
A good point Mr. Arao raised to which I completely agree, is that the quality of our blogs need not, and should not, be dependent on the quality of journalism that we have.
I’d like to add that, to the contrary, the poor quality of journalism that we have should, in fact, inspire us to do well in our blogs, to present an alternative read to our fellowmen who are hungry of honest and quality posts, and to fill the void that is created as a result of poor journalism.
After all, blogging is a powerful thing. If we so desire, our scribbles, our small voices, can make a big difference in other people’s lives. We can inspire; we can make a huge impact; we can touch others, in the same way that we can also make others feel bad, be sorry, and miserable. The kind of impact we have may, in some way, depend on how people take our posts; but largely, on the goal that we have.
Indeed, blogging is a powerful sword. But like other forms of power, what comes of it depends on how we wield it.
//Sherma E. Benosa
09 September 2008
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Also posted in Bilingual Pen, the Bilingual Writing and Language Portal
Read Mr. Arao’s presentation HERE.
Photos courtesy of Salve and Hitokirihoshi. Wordcamp Philippines was organized by the Mindanao Bloggers.
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September 9th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Blogging is, indeed, a new form of journalism. Did you know that these days, bloggers are invited to press conferences also? That’s how powerful they are
Sonnet’s last blog post..The Jungle
September 9th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Buti na lang responsible blogger ako. hehehe
Salve’s last blog post..Rockin’ @ WordCamp Philippines 2008
September 9th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Oh, blogging is also useful in making declarations…. declaration of independence, declaration of love etc etc etc!
now, let me see what I can possibly eat from your menu.
wala bang isaw dian para sa kagaya kong pasaway?
September 10th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I wish you all the best. Your post “Responsible blogging and us” clearly shows that you have what it takes to be a committed blogger. Keep it up and in the future, you will make a difference in the blogosphere.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
[...] Responsible Blogging and Us by Sherma E. Benosa [...]
September 10th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Hello friends!
Sonnet! Really? I didn’t know that. It’s been a long time since the last time I attended a PC. Thanks for the info.
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Salve. Yup girl. We should always try to be.
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Hehehee! Hayyo VF. Hmmm… Howdy. Want some tuyo for dinner?
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Hello Sir Danny. Thank you. Your lecture was impressive. Very.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
hi brainteaser!
congratulations on your new abode.
i found this an interesting post but i wonder if it’s different depending on what you are blogging. i blog only my writing - how the reader inteprets, or accepts the prose has always been their venue, not mine. i accept this as a writer - one must if they write. some pieces will speak to the reader and some will not.
and too, i don’t know if it is my responsibility as a writer or blogger to help shape opinions - my view is that as a writer i share my perceptions and observations - how they process in the reader’s mind is up to them. as you say, i’ve no control over that. and i honestly don’t particularly want to shape opinions as they are often not based in fact and can be the result of bias, etc - among other things - but i dont’ mind the idea of expanding perceptions, awareness or observations.
sarah
sarah flanigan’s last blog post..Trees Don’t Lie
September 11th, 2008 at 4:33 am
how do you exactly know when a blogger is responsible when people processed different views about certain topics?? sorry brainteaser di me nakaatend eh. infos naman please. hehehe.
i hope i have been a responsible blogger so far. hehehe
gmac’s last blog post..updatesssss
September 11th, 2008 at 10:59 am
mabuhay to all campers and people behind wordcamp!
hitokirihoshi_kawaii’s last blog post..Wordcamp 2008: for healthy & wealthy blogging
September 11th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Wow, si Aleng Hito, nandito!
‘Can’t get off my eyes dun sa mga kodak niyo as if you went camping to collect pictures hehehe! May pahawak-hawak pa sa dibdib!
Paano na ‘to Aleng Sherma, di hindi na ako makapang-asar sa mga blogs ng mga friends? Irresponsible ba ang mang-asar?
September 12th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Hiya, Sarah and Gmac! You ask good questions. Difficult too!
I’ve drafted a reply but I’m letting it sit for a while. It’s kinda long, like another post. :wink:
Heyyo, Hito! Ah, wordcamp. That was one eye-opening experience. :wink:
VF. Hahahaha! You ask hmmm… kalokang questions!
Not worth answering, though! Peace! Love yah. :wink:
September 12th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
naman… sarap po kaya magbasa ng mga stories
ni Ate Brainteaser.
dinidibdib ko tlaga! heheh
hitokirihoshi_kawaii’s last blog post..Wordcamp 2008: for healthy & wealthy blogging
September 13th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Hey Brainteaser!!!
I lost you for a little while..but glad to find you again..
love your new site!!
been missing you tooo!!!!!!!
darla’s last blog post..Friday Frenzie!
September 13th, 2008 at 2:29 am
You really have some aromatic cooking here. Glad I was able to sample a taste. I’m afraid I have to keep coming back. God bless!
tomachfive’s last blog post..Elegy for a Phone Relationship
September 13th, 2008 at 4:44 am
Love this post!
I had a feeling this was the case. We need a clear vision.
Now that I have your new address, I will update!!
Blessings, Sherma!!
Michelle’s last blog post..Indescribable
September 13th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Hi Bee you tee
Good thoughts, glad the course was useful and hopefully quite enjoyable for you also?
To help shape public opinion ( for the better!) and to make a (positive) difference - Yes! my motivation for starting a blog in the beginning
Quality - meaning attempting to provide honest, accurate content and considered opinion.
Ethics - keeping your integrity and upholding the rights of others.
Good stuff
keep it up Sherma!
love,
<B
September 14th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Howdy VF. Come to think of it, I realized your q is worth answering, afterall. I think, goofing with friends is fun! :wink: Keep it up… just make sure wag mo silang masobrahan na biruin. Pag may napaiyak ka, yun, alam mo na, irresponsible na. :wink: You’re doing fine, Buddy.
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Hitokirihoshi! Hahaha. Love yah! Hey, look! I’ve memorized (finally!) your loooooong name. I think even your URL: Lemme try. http://mgakwentotpaniniwalanihitokirihoshi.wordpress.com Shucks. Did I get it right? Walang daya yan ha? Can I have a cotton candy?
September 14th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Hey! Wow, I feel so happy logging in and seeing my old friends in my blog! Waaaa! I had been worried. Thought I said/posted something wrong that made you not want to come back.
I’m over mellow dramatic. I just missed you guys, that’s all. I know you might have lost me when I changed address. My stats dropped by more than 50% when I self-hosted.
But never mind. i’m back to blogland!
Thank you, Michelle, Darla and Lovester! It feels so good to be found again!
And yes, it’s easy for me to know what your purpose in blogging might have been. I read quality stuff in your blogs… and well… you know I’ve been moved by them. Thank you to you. Keep blogging!
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Tom! Kumustana? Thank you for your kind words. Let’s keep cooking good stuff for ourselves and our friends. Love your poems. I just realized I had not been to your site for weeks. huuuu!
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Hiya there, Lovester! How are you? Fine I hope? Hey, I was smiling reading your post. You put in few words my extremely long response to Sarah and Gmac. Haha. I really am very wordy. Tsktsk.
Will post it perhaps tom. Not sure yet if I’d post it as a comment or a separate post.
The lectures were great. Very informative. Wasn’t very keen on attending the Wordcamp at first, but I’m glad I did. We had a good time. I think one of my friends got star-struck with Mr. Wordpress himself, Matt Mullenweg. I’m not saying who, though.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Answer to GMAC’s question: How do we know we are being responsible?
I think we would know by the efforts we exert to ensure that our posts are non-offensive, non-pornographic, not plagiarized, non-sexist, non-racist, and so on.
There are many ways in which we can be responsible bloggers. For one, being aware of the do’s and don’t in journalism (and blogging) is responsible.
We should not plagiarize. Posting things that we’ve received via email, or things that are not our work and then passing them as our own is irresponsible. Since I started blogging at Wordpress (February of this year; my earlier blogs are hosted by blogspot), I have had at least four articles copied and reposted word for word. The only thing that was missing was my name. There was one who posted my name alongside my article, but it’s annoying, because that site is promoting products that are relevant to my post, so I feel that my post appeared as though it was supporting the product. I recently did a research on copyright law for my article on Bilingual Pen, and I found out that these acts constitute infringement of copyright. So is posting pictures that are not ours, and without the permission of the copyright owner.
We should not malign people, meaning, we should not write things that will hurt people or put them in jeopardy just because we think we are free to do so, even without concrete evidence. It may be given that our opinions are biased, but since we are in a public forum, we should at least try to support our opinion with facts, or show how we arrived at that opinion. Unless, perhaps, in cases that are already generally accepted as true. For example, no one might contest it if you say that our government is corrupt. But if you say that so and so is corrupt, then you may have to support your statement so your readers will be guided whether or not they would agree with your opinion. What’s your basis for saying that? If we are not careful with the statements that we make, we might just get slapped with a libel case.
Also, as much as possible, we should not put a spin to other people’s statements as is sometimes done in gossip columns. I’ve experienced that in an online forum, and I tell you, it’s very sad and emotionally draining. I seriously considered filing a lawsuit. When Mr. Arao mentioned there is a case going on about a blogger who got sued because of an anonymous comment maligning someone (the blogger was sued not because the comment was his or hers but because he or she approved the comment), my interest was piqued. Personally, I think, as bloggers, we have the responsibility to ensure that the comments in the comment section of our blogs are said in good taste. They may not be ours, but simply by approving them, we may seem party to it. That is not to say, of course, that we curtail the freedom of expression of our readers. What I am saying is, even if a comment disagrees with our point of view as long as it is relevant and it does not contain personal attacks to other commenters, then it should be alright. But if a commenter attacks your readers, not the ideas presented, then that may need to be moderated. There are responsible comments and there are irresponsible comments. As bloggers, we should be able discern which comments are responsible and which aren’t.
There are many other things we can and need to do to be responsible bloggers. My answers above are just some of those. But my personal way of doing it is asking the questions: How would I react if this were said about me? Can I defend my position if someone contested it? Is this the kind of thing I’d be proud others would read from me?
September 20th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Hiya there, Sarah!
Sorry, it took me a long time to respond to your post, but finally, here it is:
When I was writing the piece, my mind was set on opinion pieces, as are normally blogged. I had also been thinking about the discussion we had in the lecture about bloggers whose main goal in blogging is to draw readers to their site for monetary gains (through keyword-heavy contents), while not making any effort at all to consider the quality of their posts — ungrammatical, not well-developed, and some even are obvious ride-ons on controversial issues. Although grammar may not be much of an issue, too much typographical and grammatical errors distract readers, so I had been thinking that the blogger should at least try to minimize the errors (because we all commit them from time to time), and not adhere to one blogger’s reasoning that if he/she corrected his grammatical errors, his or her writing will no longer reflect him/her. The same is true with all the other aspects of blogging: we should strive for quality content, whether we are simply talking about our travels, our rants and raves, movies, etc. I think my post is also a call for bloggers to try to reflect on things, and not just to report the things they see, witness.
Honestly, I had also paused to consider fiction before posting my piece simply because I also do poetry and short stories. I wondered if my article on blogging responsibility would also concern those who primarily blog their literary works, such as yourself. I had thought that perhaps not, but then another part of me pointed out that even fiction can also be used to shape public opinions. There are poems and short stories that reflect the character’s (and hence, the author’s) take on relevant socio-political issues, and these literary pieces inevitably help shape public opinion. (Some of my Ilokano poems and short stories are socio-political). I had been thinking that in literary pieces, regardless of theme/topic, the writer puts in snippets of his personal take on whatever the piece is all about through his characters or piece, helping shape public opinion in the process. In my country, it was the literary works of our national hero that sparked the nationalism of our countrymen, and inspired them to fight off our abusive colonizers more than a century ago. Literary pieces are, indeed, very powerful (perhaps even more powerful than editorials) because they can stir people to action through good plotting and conversations.
But then, you are right as well. One may, of course, choose not to shape public opinion, but simply “expand perceptions, awareness or observations.” Expanding awareness and perceptions are noble in themselves, Sarah. So I guess, duty (to help shape public opinion) is too strong a word, especially as you pointed out, some blogs may not be based on facts. As long as we exert effort to ensure that our contents speak of quality and we act as responsible bloggers do, then, that could be enough. These are laudable efforts in themselves. And if we would also choose to help shape public opinion through well thought-out opinion pieces (and even literary stuff), as SOME informed and responsible journalists do, then it would indeed be great.
Thank you for putting in your thoughts, Sarah. It added meat to the discussion and challenged me to reflect further on my position and clarify where I am coming from.
You have my deep respect.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
hi sherma,
great response. you are a very profound, thinking individual and i respect that greatly. i agree that many literary works have influenced public opinion and possibly even caused science to think in new ways (think star trek communicators equaling our now prevalent cell phones) but i think it is the word ’shape’ that most bothers me. i don’t believe it is anyone’s job to shape opinion because that denies the reader their own ability to form opinioin in a way. sort of like telling someone what they should think or believe. there are plenty of movements out there which will and many of them quite harmful in my opinion. however, if a writer seeks to illuminate by showing their observations or even going so far as to posit a new way of seeing something, doing something, changing something in such a way that the reader can except or reject it, then i think they are onto something. of course it is different if you are writing opinion pieces or commentary - in that case you are clearly taking a side and are asking people to either agree or disagree with you, which might be more aligned to the shaping opinion aspect.
all in all i think that we are agreed that bloggers in the best of all worlds should write responsible pieces that add to the landscape in some fashion, rather than take from the public pool out there in order for monetary game. however, like life, it seems unavoidable that there are takers and givers and many in between.
good piece, great talk.
sarah
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 am
As requested by brainteaser, here’s my opinion on the function of literary works in shaping public opinion.
Unlike journalistic writing, creative writing “standards” are evolving over time. The acceptability now of the use of “free verse” in poetry is a fine example of evolution.
One, however, may claim that there is no such thing as standards (hence the use of the word in quotation marks) in creative writing as these can compromise a writer’s “creative space.”
But just like journalists, literary writers and other artists have resisted any moves by government to impose its own concept of art. A long time ago, paintings to be considered art, had to be done in oil and canvas. Other materials were deemed unacceptable.
We are fortunate that in modern society, writers and readers have reached some political maturity to reject any impositions by the powers-that-be as to what constitutes creative outputs.
The only “imposition” we feel has to do with selection of National Artists which could sometimes be politically motivated. Don’t get me wrong: Most of them deserve to be honored, but there are a few who don’t. Artists like Dr. Bien Lumbera had to be lobbied and fought for by various groups for years so that they can finally get their recognition.
Barthes believes in “death of the author” where interpretation of literary works is better left to the readers. While the people should be empowered to make sense of what they read, this does not mean that a literary writer should be esoteric in his or her writings, or continue to be profound and vague in discourses, in the hope of getting as many interpretations as possible in his or her work.
Brecht and Hemingway are remarkable writers not because they write for themselves but because they write for others. In the process, their writing styles are direct to the point as they communicate directly to their audiences. Marquez, in his use of magic realism, provides clear political undertones in his novels and short stories and these help conscienticize his readers.
I think that literary writers, just like journalists, are in a position to help shape public opinion with their outputs. It’s just a matter of properly internalizing their role in society and re-assessing what their purpose of writing is. Do they write for fame and fortune, or to inform and educate?
This is not the right venue to provide a discourse on how post-modernism has affected creative writing and journalism, but the long and short of it is that we should not just confine ourselves to acknowledging and celebrating the “diversity” of approaches in writing and the differences in interpreting social reality.
More than mere acknowledgment and celebration, I think a writer must have a conscious effort to promote an ideology that can change society for the better and act accordingly based on his or her convictions. He or she does it not out of recognition (fame) or monetary rewards (fortune) but out of his or her social commitment (i.e., the dialectics of reform or revolution).
Danny Arao’s last blog post..20 para sa aking 40
September 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Thank you, Sarah!
And thank you too, Sir Danny, for sharing your thoughts. Much appreciated.
Personally, it’s my aim to impact others through my writings. And yes, help shape public opinion.
October 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
[...] about cars, interior design, art galleries, even escort service among others, I hold the line “blogging is a powerful sword” from brainteaser’s review of the first-ever Wordcamp Philippines, in high [...]