ABOUT BLOG WITH INTEGRITY

The Blog with Integrity pledge was created in July 2009 to provide bloggers with a tangible and collective way to express our commitment to a simple code of blogging conduct.

It was the direct result of a series of conversations among four bloggers – Susan Getgood, Liz Gumbinner, Kristen Chase and Julie Marsh.

After a spring and early summer of polarizing debates about blogger compensation, sponsored posts and product reviews, an alarming increase in ethical lapses and idea theft, and a growing backlash against poor blogger relations practices, we believed it was time to refocus on integrity.

The Blog with Integrity pledge recognized that there’s no single right way to blog and more than enough room in the world for different approaches.

What matters is the relationship with our readers. Meeting our commitment to them and to our community. Clear disclosure of our interests so they can evaluate our words. Treating others with respect. Taking responsibility for our words and actions.

While the initiative is no longer active, and the conversation about ethics has moved on to larger issues of fake followers and fraud, the spirit is still alive.

If you have a website, do publish your policies somewhere on your site to make it easier for your readers to find the information, and remember that disclosure is a two-way street. You’d want to know if someone you trusted was influenced by a business relationship, and your readers deserve the same consideration.