There’s a saying among journalists: ‘honour amongst thieves.’ It’s a sort of unwritten rule that journalists support each other, which is why you’ll often find journalists defending rivals (unless they’ve done something really indefensible). But that same code doesn’t appear to exist among bloggers.
I was a bit alarmed yesterday to see a blogger threatening to report other bloggers for undeclared sponsored posts. I’m not sure whether they were being serious (I hope not) but the fact is, if you’re *that* bothered about what other bloggers are doing on their blogs you probably have far too much time on your hands.
It’s the same with these pious comments I’ve read in various places which usually go along the lines of ‘oh I’d never run a sponsored post,’ usually with some snotty comment or thinly veiled attack on bloggers who do. It’s still beyond me why it bothers bloggers so much what other bloggers are doing. This isn’t heart surgery people, it’s not life or death. Get. A. Grip.
As I’ve said before, I don’t care what people do on their blogs as long as they’re not writing something libellous or nasty. I don’t care if they want to run wall-to-wall competitions or reskin their sites with a giant ad. That is THEIR decision and if you don’t like a blog, don’t read it. If a blogger is breaking a law then they will get found out eventually. But it’s not for any of us to call them on it. And I would never, ever knock someone for trying to provide for their families, particularly in the run up to Christmas.
(If you have read this post and you’re still tempted to play Blogging police, I would suggest you need to be really, really sure you have ALL the facts to hand, because as soon as you put a claim in writing, it could be libellous and if it’s false, you could be done for malicious falsehood. And if you make a claim about another blogger anonymously, then you’re really no better than the writer of a Poison Pen letter.)
Wouldn’t it be nice if the New Year could herald a New Dawn in the blogosphere – one where bloggers sit on their hands if they can’t say something nice, or simply ignore the blogs they don’t like? Is that really too much to hope for?
totally agree with you Liz!
So True! Blogs are our own little places for freedom of self expression, people get far too tied up in making it a competitive business and forgetting what blogging was for in the first place! Have some fun people!!!
Poppy ?
well said! Too many people are feeling sensitive about all these kinds of things at the moment (I’m not, for the record!) x
Well said 🙂
Well said, Liz. Live and let live – especially in these challenging financial times.
Spookily I had a conversation with someone yesterday who HAD been reported to the ASA by someone else. I’ll say the same here that I said to them: I don’t give a sod what anyone else does or doesn’t do with their blog. There are so many nosy, holier than though f*ckers on the internet. Why would you want to deliberately ruin someone else’s blog (and possibly, as you say, deprive them of much needed extra money?).
I totally agree – let’s live and let live – read the blogs we do like and ignore those we don’t x
Very well said. Who has the time to be that concerned with what other people are writingg? I certainly don’t!
Here here, excellent post I really hope bloggers sit up and take notice – get on with your lives people and stop being so petty
Thanks for this great post
Here, here. Well said!!!