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blogging ettiquette

In response to a few things I have seen coming up on various blogs and twitter I have decided to post this today. It is not a personal attack on any one blogger in particular but I hope it makes people think

The Overflowing Library's blogging ettiquette tips

Tip #1
Do not use memes to spam other people's blogs. It is rude. If you want to leave a link to your post at least make a comment about the post you are commenting on. If you do that you are more likely to get a visit and comment in return

Tip #2
Keep personal comments and attacks off your blog. If you have a problem with another blogger contact them privately and talk it out or rise above it.

Tip #3
In order to help upkeep the excellent reputation of the blogging community when you review, review like a professional. We may not be paid, or do this full time but we need to have standards if we want to be taken seriously and continue to be valued by publishers.

Tip #4
Do not to be critical of how others chose to blog. Some of us have new content every day, some don't. It doesn't mean that their blogs are any less valuable it's just how things are. In fact sometimes it is the case that less is more. Making them feel bad does not help. Each to their own and all that..

Tips #5
Don't take review copies for granted because they are precious. Not everyone gets them. If you are one of those people who don't get them please remember those bloggers who do get them are often more than happy to share if you are nice (which is where a vast amount of mine come from). That said those of us who do get them have put the time and effort in establishing contacts. We did not get them sent to us instantly the moment we set up blogs.

I'll finish by saying a huge thank you to my fellow bloggers, authors and publishing houses that make blogging such a wonderful part of my life please don't let the few people who do not think before they type make you feel bad or put you off blogging.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I like that you point out that not every blogger blogs in the same way, such as how many blogs you write a week. Sometimes it can be intimidating to see someone writing blog entries every day, but in the end...I'd rather read a few quality blog entries rather than a bunch of "ok" entries. Nice post!
Sarah Lydia said…
i completely agree.
serendipity_viv said…
Brilliant post. Well done for saying what needed to be said.
Vicki said…
As you know, Number 1 really bugs me! Like your tips...it's just all about being respectful.
Erin said…
Great tips. Thank you for sharing.

I couldn't help but think while reading...most book bloggers are female, aren't they? Tips 2 and 4 especially go to show that a group of women can create drama even in the online world... =) We need to use our drama productively, or else get a few guys into the mix to balance us out!! =)

Erin @ Quitting My Day Job
@vicki
yes number 1 is solely directed at the WS. grr very annoying

@erin
There are a few boys out there but not many
iffath said…
This is a fab post, Kirsty! Is it okay if I link to it on my sidebar?
@iffath
you are more than welcome to!
Caroline said…
Hey!
Great post and I really feel that you point out some key issues in blogging today. Blogging is so very personal that there isn't "a" way to blog, just a thousand ways to read it.
Thanks for the support you gave me in particular and for what you are doing in general - definitely one of the best aspects of why I am a blogger and enjoy being part of this community!
*hugs*
CarlyB said…
Brilliant post and I agree with everything you've said 100%! We're all in this together so let's all just be nice :) x
Anonymous said…
Excellent post! Thank you :) I personally especially like tip #4 as I have read comments that have made me feel bad for not posting every day (impossible for me to do. But all these are very relevant ... even more so after recent events.
Well said! Bad blogging ettiquete from one person can reflect badly on the whole community. I especially like tip 4, the diversity of the book blogosphere contributes to what makes it such a wonderful comunity :)
Alexia561 said…
Great post! I think that #2 is really important, as flame wars seem to pop up every now and again over the silliest things. If you have a problem with another blogger, then it should be handled privately, as one bad apple can tarnish the entire blogosphere.

Tip #5 is also a good point! When I first started blogging, I received most of my review copies from other bloggers. I've finally started receiving books from publishers, but it took a loooooong time! And now I'm trying to pay it forward by sharing my review copies and ARCs with others.

Here's my Saturday Situation.
Candace said…
Great post! I agree 100%! I don't mind if people are visiting from a meme and link to them, but they need to leave a quality comment! I hate it when it's obvious they just copy and paste to every single blog and just go through the list really fast.
I totally agree with sharing the love. I have some bloggers who I share with regularly, but I'm always up for sharing an ARC with someone who may not have gotten it.
And I agree that we all are different and some can't post everyday. If I had a full time job I wouldn't be posting everyday, that's for sure! And so many are in school, etc as well.
And being nice in reviews is important, I think. You can be honest but still be respectful in what you say.
Hopefully people who may not have known these things read this post!
Thanks for linking at Saturday Situation!
Great post, l agree with everything you said!
Your mention in tip 1 is something l have been thiking myself and l totally agree about getting books from publishers is a big and very special thing.
AngelGoneMad said…
I think this post is great. Some bloggers just need a gentle nudge into remembering the fundamentals - blogging is not a contest.

I value ur tip on the not being able to post everyday..I feel this totally because I have been quite bad about this in the past few months but hopefully that will change soon =)

Naomi aka Supernatural Bookworm
These are awesome tips, thank you for getting them out there for those who need reminding!

It does just come down to respect and at the end of the day, you should treat people online the same as you would in real life, and Id never be disrespectful in real life, and to be honest I feel bad for those who are. There's no need!
Aleeza said…
wonderful, wonderful tips. i agree with everything you said. professionalism, especially, is of the essence. :)
I completely agree with all these tips - especially about how differently we all blog and tip 1 :)
BookGeek said…
I was just thinking about a few of these things today. It's nice to know that you pointed a few of them out! I agree with you on all points.
I love your list! I've recently been under attack by one particular person with passive-aggressive tweets and who kept leaving horrible comments about me on other people's blogs. I think there's a lot of childishness and jealousy that goes on in book blogging recently and it's really put a damper on my enthusiasm for it all. So I go along completely to your speak privately/rise above it comment.

I really think your post helps to put things in perspective a little bit! It's so easy to forget that blogging is very personal to each individual and we all do it differently.

It's sad that the proofs cause such problems amongst bloggers, I really wish more people would just get back to reading their own books for awhile and remember the passion that they had for it instead of always keeping an eye on who has which proof before them/instead of them.
Shelagh said…
A well thought out and succinct list. Thank you for compiling it.

I have been fortunate to have had only positive interactions with fellow bloggers and readers so far.
Madigan Mirza said…
Great post! Well said, very well said, all around.
Just keep things fun, and be respectful - good ideals to live by.

Thanks for addressing, in point #1, spamming bloggers. That's a personal pet peeve of mine. I can't stand seeing people copy and paste the same comment onto hundreds of blogs a week. Think of something unique to say, some idea that sparked in your mind when you read their post. Oh wait... spammers like that probably have never read your post. Sometimes it's hard to tell if they are people at all, with their automatic responses.