Blog To Speak Your Mind & Mind What You Speak!

I actually borrowed this article’s title this from Willa’s newly-changed blog tagline. The subject has been in my mind for the past few days, having read over at someone’s (name a NON-ISSUE) Twitter about minding one’s own business. This is in relation to the issue of voicing one’s opinion on one’s blog. Further stressed that it is, after all, her blog. True, true. But then again, why am I not fully convinced?

Firstly, minding your own business does not only apply to other people when they mess with your own. It also applies to you. If you don’t want people to meddle with your affairs, then don’t intrude on theirs. Heard of the golden rule? C’est la vie, darling. No one is exempted from that rule.

Second, and this is an unspoken blogger rule (which I am surprised anyone blogging over six years now still doesn’t know), THINK before you write. Think of the consequences of your writing as much as you double check your grammar and spelling,  or preferably, more. As a blogger you have a responsibility to your readers. Owning a blog doesn’t give you the license to say mean things about people. Voicing your opinion and being mean to others are two totally different things.

Third, if you know anything about writing at all, then you should also know that it’s best to do your research before posting anything about a subject. Also, you don’t expect the other party you’ve written about to make the clarifications. Your readers do not have a responsibility towards you. It’s the other way around. So to save yourself a lot of humiliation and the ire of readers, do your research first.

More importantly, I think it will be good for everyone if we do NOT ever post about a subject we do not know an inkling about. I don’t know about astrophysics, so you won’t find an article of that in here. If you don’t know anything about blog design, then why write about it? You will be the subject of countless snide remarks which you may or may not know about (preferably the latter. You’d  die of heart attack from the former).

I am not perfect. I have made the above mistakes more than once in my blogging and I’m still learning up to now. I realized I should have been following the four-way test as a guide since day one. Would have made the journey a lot easier. I will be very surprised if you haven’t heard of the test, but there they are, just the same:

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and better friendships?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

I think that pretty much sums up what the real goal of blogging should be. That is, if you are looking to build your readership and find true and loyal friends along the way. Or, stay as mean and as obscure as you are. It is your blog, after all. But just make sure to look better (physically) than the person you’re being mean to. Because you know, it’s really, really hard to be nice to the un-nice and ugly.

Come to think of it, the tone of this post isn’t as nice as I originally wanted it to be. LOL. Oh well. Giving some people a taste of their own medicine just might be the answer.