Blog Responsibly

This is my maiden blog outside the comfy environs of The Orion, the Chico State student newspaper,where I am just one poster amongst many within our diverse and ecletic staff. I've posted a couple of times on The Orion Blog, but there I feel less pressure in expressing my opinions and commentary, because I'm part of a team. Still, I take effort to blog responsibly.

As I embark upon this blog for my Internet Newspapers and Magazines course, I stand alone and am solely responsible for my actions.

The blogging world is already inundated with unique, witty voices espousing their views and unique insights on politics, sports, cinema and any other category that comes to mind. So if one wishes to stand out, the easiest route would be to turn toward the salacious and superficial - engaging in profane attacks on easy targets. That might win you some fans and attention in the short run, but if your commentary lacks substance, class and credibility, eventually your readership will wane - or worse, you'll open yourself up to a libel suit.

It can also affect your future job prospects. Just ask Melissa McEwan and Amanda Marcotte. The two high profile bloggers were recently hired to blog for former Sen. John Edwards 2008 presidential campaign. But in the past few days they have been on the precipice of being fired due to their controversial personal blogs in other publications.

McEwan's blog, Shakespeare's Sister, and Marcotte's blog, Pandagon, were accused of containing obscene, virulently anti-Catholic material by some religious conservatives, who demanded that Edwards fire them. Liberal bloggers came to their defense, trying to convince Edwards to keep the staffers on. The latter seem to have won out - at least tentatively. Edwards publicly condemned the writings in question, and his utter disagreement with them.

But Edwards said he also believes in giving people "a fair shake," and will keep both of them as long as they remain objective in their duties.

But they've already got one strike against them. And in a campaign like this, that's probably all you'll get.