I learned a painful lesson yesterday, when I wrote an article that spurred a massive comments backlash.
Initially I was like “cool, I really stirred ‘em up”. Then I read the comments and my interest turned into icy embarassment.
Look, we’re writing blog articles. We cover everything from mind-numbing how-to’s for internet newbies, scrap booking, and also those articles that aspire to greater heights. Maybe you don’t have the credentials to get published on a topic, but you have the experience and knowledge to contribute something useful. Something that others will find value in. I have read blog articles that were as good as any other source of information on a given topic. It’s why we like blogs. From street food recommendations for your visit to Penang, to advanced usage of scripting languages; blogs encompass everything.
It’s perfectly fine to give voice to your opinions in your blog. However, there is a difference between a personal blog that you use to vomit out whatever is on your mind and a blog that is frequented by readers seeking quality information. In the case of the latter, you have a serious responsibility to the reader to provide information that is as accurate as you can guarantee, and to put forth assertions that are based on sound information.
I have never had a problem with this before, as I have always stayed with topics that were either A) within my comfort zone, or B) involved opinions that required no justification.
Well, I stepped on my d**k pretty good yesterday, and it’s not the greatest feeling trying to undo the damage to my reader’s trust.
Learn from my mistake. If you choose to write on a topic, make sure that any assertions you
present are backed up by a sound understanding of the topic. I guarantee that if you are writing about anything technical, someone with more knowledge than you is going to let you know when you’re full of crap. Worse, your credibility, a precious commodity, is going to suffer.
I don’t like to read articles by people who don’t have a clue what they’re talking about, and I like even less being one of those people, if only for one article. Get your facts straight, and ask yourself if you even need to be writing about the topic at all. You may be better off expressing those thoughts on a web forum, where the derision and education you receive will sting a little less than on an article with your name attached to it.
As a blog writer there is something that drives you to the pursuit. Expression, communication, instruction, or maybe just ego. Whatever motivates you, your words are meaningless without the reader. The reader isn’t necessarily always right, but they deserve the best you can give them, no matter what.
