Here’s eight “commandments” for you to follow this year as you begin (or continue) blogging.
1. Assume it’s Public
Some blogs are private so only the class can see them. Other blogs are public and the world can read what you say. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if the blog you’re on is public or private. Therefore, assume everything you post as a comment on another blog is public.
2. Don’t Comment Until You’ve Read the Entire Post
In order to make effective and relevant comments on other students’ blogs, do not make a comment until you’ve read the entire post. This will reduce the number of, “I like your blog!” comments, which are never a good thing. This also will stimulate more comments from other readers.
3. Do Unto Others
Be kind and constructive. Use the “sandwich” method to leave a good comment: start with praise, go on to your constructive criticism, and close with praise.
4. Build on Previous Comments
Read not only the original blog post, but also the comments from other readers. Then, try to add to the conversation with statements like, “I agree with Peter when he said…” Go on to explain why. The “why” is very important! No one will be able to respond to your comment if you only say, “Me too!” The more explanations you add, the more others will be able to add, too.
5. Use Quotes
If you’re responding to one part of what was said, copy and paste the relevant part of the conversation so other readers will know what you’re talking about.
6. Edit!
Before posting your comment or post, read your writing out loud to see if it sounds right. Then, correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.
7. Protect Your Identity
Do not ever say your last name or where you’re from in any comments. Use only your first name.
8. If You Mention It, Link It!
If you mention a website or get a great idea for a post from another blog or website, embed a hyperlink to it. That way, your readers can, if they choose, visit that site for further reading.
COMMENT
Grade 7: Which 2 rules do you think are the most important? Leave a comment.
Grade 8: Are there any rules you think should be added to this list? Base this on your experience as a blogger over the past year.
Image Source: Mike Stimpson
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#1 by Nicole on January 27th, 2011
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I think commandments number 1 and 7 are most important. It is very important to assume that everything is public.You should assume that whatever you post is available to anyone. I also think everyone should protect their identity. You don’t know who is on the internet reading your blog so I think you should protect your identity.
#2 by Kyle on January 27th, 2011
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I feel like #1 and #6 are both very important as you have to remember to be proud of what you put out on the internet. You should be able to look back at it and have no regrets. Not to mention being careful about what you put out there. I like #6 because if you do post your opinions on the internet you do want them to have no errors.
Thanks for the post,
Kyle
#3 by Ashton on January 27th, 2011
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I think Commandment #1 and #7 are the most important. #1 says that you should always assume your blog is public. Maybe because if you were to add personal information to your blog and some odd person that likes to harm children reads it, they will know who you are. #7 adds onto #1, protect your identity as best as you can!
#4 by Lachlan on January 27th, 2011
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I think 1 and 7 are very important. I appreciate that you would take the time to help other bloggers Mr. Peper!
#5 by adam on January 27th, 2011
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i like the commandments “assume its public” and “protect your identity” because i think it is really important to keep the internet safe and keep bloggers identity safe.
#6 by cedar on January 31st, 2011
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its good my fav commandments is number 8 because it is kool
#7 by Kyle on January 31st, 2011
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I think 1 and 7 are the most important keeping your identity and remembering everything is public is very vital too a good blog. thank you!
#8 by Craig on February 2nd, 2011
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I thing 2 and 3 are good because if you don’t read it then comment you might end up looking like a goof or offending somebody.
#9 by Jaimi on February 2nd, 2011
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I like 6 and 7 because, the internet now a days isnt a very safe place.
Thanks!
#10 by ben.m on February 2nd, 2011
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There are very important ideas in this blog. I like it very much
#11 by thomas.l on February 2nd, 2011
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I like it very much. Most of all, I think #3 and #1 are most important.
#12 by thomas.l on February 7th, 2011
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Personally, to change my mind, I think #1 and #7 are the most important because you never know whats out there on the internet, and you should always keep your identity safe.
#13 by thomas.l on February 8th, 2011
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Personally, to change my mind, I think #1 and #7 are the most important because you never know whats out there on the internet, and you should always keep your identity safe..
#14 by AnnikaA on February 10th, 2011
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I found this to be very helpful, I especially like the rules 1 and 7 because you can never be too safe on the internet, you have to make sure you know what your putting out there and you have to make sure to reread what your saying. I also found the “sandwich” method to be very helpful.
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#15 by Delaney on April 27th, 2011
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Great information for new bloggers, but i find that Numbers 1 and 7 are the most important because you really never know whos out there.
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#16 by arman dhanji on October 14th, 2011
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I find that all 8 of these commandments are really helpful and useful.. The blog is also great.
#17 by Aleks on October 14th, 2011
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Hi I think the best 2 rules are keeping your identity to yourself so you don’t get harassed via facebook.
Also assume it’s public is a good one because if you post an embarrassing photo of a friend they could get really pissed or if you don;t know its public and you post something personal it could be bad.
#18 by Declan on October 14th, 2011
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This was very interesting post, I really liked your number 8 post If You Mention It, Link It!
#19 by Joseph on October 14th, 2011
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I feel like #1 and #6 are both very important as you have to remember to be proud of what you put out on the internet. You should be able to look back at it and have no regrets. Not to mention being careful about what you put out there. I like #6 because if you do post your opinions on the internet you do want them to have no errors.
Thanks for the post,
Joey
#20 by sam higgins on October 14th, 2011
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I’m from canaduh. one and seven are the best. I’m waayyyyyy better then you all . if you like skiing click the link
http://unofficialnetworks.com/category/locations/whistler/
this is a homies site check it
#21 by Kate on October 14th, 2011
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I think #3 and #7 are the most important! #3 is very good because it doesn’t do you any good and just makes other people feel bad. #7 is very important to protect yourself. You can’t tell who is posting or looking at the blog so being safe is very smart. Thanks for posting!
#22 by quinn.s on October 14th, 2011
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i didnt like this because duurrrr huurrrr i think thats kind of obvious\
#23 by Delmar on October 14th, 2011
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This is my 4th post because of your anti-spam word and webpage expired once. This is a nice post but a very aggravating comment setup. The commandments are well written as well. I like number 1 because if that’s what everybofy did the world world would have alot less dumb videos.
#24 by Alana on October 14th, 2011
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I really agree to all of these Rules, especially the editing one. I think we should all have good grammar, even on the internet. If I were to add another rule, it would be to really think about how others will view and think of your comment. You don’t want to offend anyone and make the m mad.
#25 by graham on October 14th, 2011
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You should never say your last name or where you’re from in any comments. Use only your first name. So petos cant creep you and stock you.
#26 by Claire on October 14th, 2011
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I agree with AnnikaA about numbers 1 and 7 because you really never know who’s out there. I also think that number 6 is really important for me especially because although its simple its very important. 2 is also very important because it really helps cut down on the random pointless posts if you read the whole thing through.
#27 by jacob on October 14th, 2011
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I Stronglly agree with commandment 1. because you have too remeber it when ever you are bloging because you could put stuff up that you feel bad for after.
#28 by hayley on October 14th, 2011
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I think your post number one and number two are very relevant points. I think that all of your points are very good but these two just seem to speak to me.
#29 by James on October 14th, 2011
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I think that number 1 and number 7 are both really good. Because if you put something that isn’t appropriate on the internet so other people can see it, but if you think that it is private and its not, you could be offending people. Also number 7 is very important because if you put your last name people can figure out who you are and can start to stock you and find out things about you.
#30 by Emma on October 14th, 2011
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This is a good blog post for new bloggers, because it can prevent you from looking like a noob when you first start. I think number 2, 3, and 6 are the most important. Thanks, Mr. Pepper!
#31 by Rory on October 14th, 2011
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I thought this was a great post, and that all of the commandments are good ones to blog by. A few of them that I particularly liked are 1, 4 and 7.
#32 by Jesse on October 14th, 2011
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I thought these eight commandments were very enlightening. I particularly found commandments #1, #3, and #7 important. I think it’s very important to be respectful when blogging because who will be reading. You should also always protect your identity, it’s important to be safe.
#33 by Josh on October 14th, 2011
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I think that that that protect your identity and don’t comment till you’ve read the entire post are the most important, because protecting your identity is crucial, and you don’t want some random guy going around saying i’m Josh… ”and I’m a pedophile”.That would not be good.
Read it before you comment, well duh, you don’t want to accidentally offend somebody or just repost the same info, you want to contribute show that you aren’t just a random guy in the crowd, but a leader contributing to the world.
#34 by daniel on October 24th, 2011
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i like six and 7
#35 by Sam on October 28th, 2011
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I think number 6 is the most important, The reson why I think this is because if you are trying to get a point across someone it has to look nice and it has to be presentable for them to recognize it. well that is how it is for me anyways.
#36 by jacob on February 14th, 2012
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In my opinion the most important blog “commandments” are #’s 1 and 7. Because these both are about your privacy and that is the #1 caution that you should take when making a blog. Thanks mr. Pepper!
#37 by Bryan Brommeland on February 17th, 2012
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i find 1, 6 and 5 are very important and interesting. this is a great post.
#38 by Bryan Brommeland on February 17th, 2012
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i find that 1, 5,6 are important. great blog post thank you:)
#39 by Joseph ****** on February 17th, 2012
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I think #1 and #7 are the most important because if you don’t do either of those things you could end up in some serious trouble i.e. saying something inappropriate and getting punished by your parents your school or even if you said some thing racist you could get in a lot of trouble with the police. If you said your last name on the internet you could be tracked down and maybe even kidnapped by bad people. these are my thoughts thank you Mr. Pepper