Inquiringmind's Guide to Healthy Blogging

Blogging has become a communication platform as ubiquitous as sliced bread. But given it’s wide spread popularity its a small wonder that the rules of blogging remain amiss. The barrier for entry has become so low that most people do so without any considersation beyond the subject matter of their blog.

So in an effort to help clarify the topic, we've gathered a few rules we here at Inqmind use to govern our own blog, in the hopes that you don't repeat the same mistakes currently plaguing the blogging industry.

But before we continue, it's essential that you understand the most important aspect of blogging copyright

Understanding © Copyright

Copyright laws are designed to protect the creator of an original work by granting them certain rights. The original creator has A the exclusive rights to be credited for the work, B determines who may adapt the work, and C decides who may finically benefit from the work. Blogging however, arguably falls under the controversial Fair Use exception which permits the limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the original creator. But that doesn’t mean you have free reign to do whatever you want with whatever you want.

Do the right thing. Respect copyright.

4 rules to help you become a friendlier blogger

Use these to help you fly the straight and narrow with your blog content, just as we do for ours.

Rule #1

Get The Facts Straight

The web is filled with more misquotes and errors than you think, and the only way to prevent the blind regurgitation and falsities is to check into them yourself. Whether it's the spelling of someone's name or the history behind your subject, don't be lazy. Double check to make sure that the information you share with your audience is fact not fiction.
Rule #2

Credit All Media

Every photo or video you see belongs to some person or business. Even though commentary and criticism falls under the Fair Use exception, we encourage you to always ask permission and properly credit the source via name and/or a site link.
Rule #3

Clip Don't Copy

Citing text from other sites doesn't violate any copyright laws but don't be lazy. Copy and pasting entire paragraphs of text onto your blog is wrong. Be better than that. Provide your own summary, give your own opinion, and clip where necessary. If you are going to clip, always do so by using quotation marks and properly credit the source via name and/or a site link.
Rule #4

Respect Your Source

If you and I were talking about a new restaurant that just opened and you ask where I heard about it from, it would be terribly impolite for me not to tell you. The same is true for blogging. Be open about where you hear and see things. Promote the people who take the time to dig through all the noise to find the goods. Pay it forward.