Some Thoughts about Blogging
This summer, there have been a number of very interesting conversations about blogging, book reviews, vendor giveaways, promotions/marketing, and how they may/may not fit together. I tend to stay within the kidlitosphere niche, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see the ripple effect as stones (sometimes boulders) are dropped into the water from other parts of the blogosphere.
I’ve been listening to and thinking about the discussions – what do they mean for me as a person who blogs? what do they mean for me as a company – albeit a nonprofit? I’ve gone back to ask myself basic questions – why do I do this? what is my purpose? what are my goals? It is a process of taking a step back and forward at the same time.
That’s what Blog with Integrity is for me. A step forward in codifying (or helping us codify) some rules of the road. A step back in asking us to think about our purpose. There is a part of me that wishes we didn’t need to have a badge or a pledge … but I tend to wish for lots of those Polly-anna-ish things.
The cover story in the Lifestyles section of the Charlottesville Daily Progress today is an Associated Press article about Julie Powell, with the headline “So You Want to Be a Blog Star?” I admit I didn’t know who Julie Powell was (I know, I know), but the article is less about her and more about the explosion of blogs and why. As I was reading, one thought kept coming back to me: I want to blog with authenticity.
Whatever I write, wherever I write it, I want it to reflect my genuine self: my passion for reading and literacy; my thoughts (good, bad, indifferent) about the books I read; and (as appropriate), my love for my family and friends. I want to be transparent about my purpose, my goals, and my relationships so that my audience knows they are getting the honest-and-true, real deal.
Authenticity = Integrity
Integrity = Authenticity
It is what I think of when I see the Blog with Integrity badge, and I hope you see that, too.
Well put, Terry. I feel that way, too. I’ve been paring away the things that don’t fit in with my interests on the blog (such as author interviews and book giveaways, for example). It’s not that I have any issue with anyone else focusing on these things. I’m just not that interested in doing them myself. And I think you hit the nail on the head. I felt inauthentic writing about things that I wasn’t personally enthusiastic about. I think it’s a nice litmus test – is it authentic for me to be writing about this? Am I genuinely excited about it? Or is it something that I feel like I “should” do for some reason? Thanks for making me think on a Monday morning.