Week 15: Ethics of Online Writing

This week we talked about ethical considerations for writing online by reading through Update Culture and having that fun discussion of ethical “commandments” in class. It was really interesting to reflect on the class as a whole to see what each of us would personally deem as important rules to follow when writing online. The five commandments that my group and I came up with were: 

1. Thou shalt cite your sources

2. Thou shalt write for the platform

3. Thou shalt know your audience

4. Thou shalt use images in a smart way and 

5. Thou shalt follow the rules and guidelines of the platform you’re writing on. 

I felt that each of these rules was important to include because a lot of online platforms have their own unspoken rules to follow like following the rules of the platform and writing in a way that applies to the platform. Writing a social media post will look very different from writing for the online version of The NY Times. I also think it’s important to make sure you're transparent with your audience and write in a way that will appeal to them and make them feel they can positively engage with your writing.

Continuing with our discussion in class, I also found it interesting that we talked about trying to strike a balance between a writer’s personal brand and creating engaging content. I first thought about how if I were a writer what I would do to make sure I stayed true to my own values and then incorporate that into my posts. The class had a lot of really good insight into this topic, but I just thought about consistency. If at the beginning of your online writing journey you set up “your brand” and a “style guide” for yourself then you can make sure to stick to your values without sacrificing anything for the point of clicks because that's how it's always been. This perhaps is a rose glasses outlook, but I think this could help writers stay true to the writers they want to be from the beginning.




Comments

  1. CesarDecember 4, 2022 at 11:48 PM

    Hi, Sydney! I found your solution for creating a style guide for one's content incredibly insightful. In terms of writing for consumer use, having a style guide allows a content creator to have a general idea of what their content should achieve, sound like, and symbolize. Having this central reference in place means no online trend will have enough authority to change someone's personality.

    The concept you discussed in your topic is similar to those used in corporate mission statements and branding guides. In the mission statement, companies list what they represent and how they want to contribute to society’s well-being. In branding guides, public relations specialists inform other employees and anyone connected to an institution of restrictions and guidelines in speaking, creating, and presenting something regarding the school. Many employees have different opinions to be expressed at an institution, but that doesn't represent it as a whole. Similarly, there are many trends on the internet, but the style guide gives clear parameters to stay within.

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