Blogetiquette 2.0
1. Your comment should refer to the subject of the post
If that's not the case (e.g. you would like to say something in general to the owner of the blog and the comment box is the only way to do this), you should always indicate that you have gone off the subject.
<OFF> This, for example, is an established method of doing this. </OFF>
2. Keep discussions respectful
„A discussion is the consideration of a question in open with opinions lined up and usually a conclusion at the end", „You're stupid 'coz I said so" and „You're stupid 'coz you said it and everything you say is stupid" usually don't qualify as sensible opening lines for a discussion.
2.1 Spelling - no comment will be regarded as less sensible because of one's poor spelling. You may call the person's attention to his/her errors, however negating them solely on the basis of their spelling abilities is not worth it.
2.1.1 If you feel you are a professional, you may inform the person of the errors they might want to avoid in the future.
3. If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask!
3.1 If someone doesn't understand something, explain instead of disparaging!
4. Be helpful!
The author of the comment might be a newbie to blogging (or even to the internet/web2), he/she might not be aware of basic rules. Also, you cannot take for granted the thorough knowledge of your own 'policy' unless you publish it somewhere where it can be easily accessed by everyone.
5. Don't judge anyone because of their ethinicity, their religion or their sexual preference!
This is a basic rule. In your immediate environment you might seem cool for a while, but in the long run you give yourself a bad reputation, not to mention the fact that even after you have realised you were wrong and have deleted your comment/blog, servers of search engines and other webpages will conserve your words as quotations for years.
6. In the case of replying to a message/comment, try quoting as much of the original as it seems necessary for others to be able to understand, but don't quote the whole thing!
You can also refer to the original piece by posting a link.
6.1 Try not to extract a part of someone's writing in a way that the extracted bit will mean a completely different thing than what the intentions of the author were.
7. Don't spam, don't advertise!
This is also a basic rule.
You can, however, call people's attention to your own writing or even to other pieces if it gives valuable information on the specific subject that is being discussed.
7.1 If you are obviously faced with the above mentioned case, don't attack the commenter for calling attention to his/her own opinion.
Even if you have been writing for years and hundreds of people know you, less popular bloggers also have the right to express their opinion in front of others.
8. Only publish private messages on your blog with the consent of the author!
9. Don't publish IRL (In Real Life) information about anyone!
Don't call any blogger by their real name if that's not what he/she uses to identify him/herself on their own page - even if you know them in person. Don't name a blogger's work place when he/she is bad-mouthing a colleague on his/her own blog. Don't give out 'interesting' stories about anyone, especially not using their real name.
10. If a discussion gets out of hand ...
Unfortunately this may happen anywhere from blogs to forums to online games.
If it happens, keep your limits!
Don't publish photographs, personal information, data of your discussion partner on the internet - even if you acquired them by 'investigating' a little.
Don't hack his/her webpage, password or computer - as far as I know this is legally punished.
Also:
10.1 If your discussion partner has surrendered and deleted previous posts that might have seemed offensive to you, don't insist on continuing bickering!
If you support these principles and would like to show your support in some way, all you have to do is refer to this page on your blog. For the time being, you may choose from four types of buttons which are shown in the sidebar.
Please indicate your support at blogetikett[at]gmail.com!