NY Times Rules for Blogging

Blogging has become a very popular way of getting your message across to a vast amount of people. Employers look to see if you are writing savvy and a good way to prove this is to have a blog. This week, the New York Times editor Craig Whitney wrote a memo on style for bloggers. It was very helpful, but not very reader friendly.




Here is a version of the rules of professional blogging (in a more friendly format):

• What should be avoided in all of the blogs are racist, sexist and religious bias. Any nasty, snide, sarcastic, or condescending tones are also undesirable.
  
• If something could easily fit into a satirical website for young adults, it probably shouldn't go on news pages of the newyorktimes.com.
  
• Contractions, colloquialisms (gonna, y'all, wanna, or phrases like "old as the hills"), and even slang are more allowable in blogs than in print.
  
• Obscenity and vulgarity are not (That is, if you want to keep your job).
  
• Unverified assertions of fact don't ever belong in blogs.
  
• Writers and editors of blogs must also distinguish between personal tone, voice and unqualified personal opinion.
  
• A blog or news column has to give enough arguement and fact on both or all sides of the issue to enable a person to agree or disagree.
  
• The rule above does not apply to Op-Eds or editorials. These don't require a balanced look from both sides of the debate.
  
• Headlines on analysis should try to capture the debate, not take sides.
  
• If comments (you are responsible for comments) contain vulgarity, obscenity, offensive personal attacks (saying a person "sucks") or are incoherent, moderators are advised to just chuck them out.

Photo Credit: CreativeCommons, user: Digiart2001.