When to Blog, and When to Keep Quiet

Ever blogged something you looked at the next day and groaned over? There is a time to blog, and a time to tuen off the PC and go for a beer. The following are instances when it would be better to NOT blog.

1. When you are mad at your significant other. How many times do you end up in a diatribe against the opposite sex when you’ve just had a huge fight? Next morning after making up, you have to deal with all the angry people from the other half of the world’s gender pool taking offence.

2. When you are mad at another blogger. Don’t start wars, for real! Let it go, be the bigger man / woman, walk away and get over it. You never know if the other blogger might have more friends than you are better hacker skills, and it’s not worth your blog going down in flames.

3. When you are drunk. Oh brother. Gmail actually features an automatic ‘drunk email’ delay so you have a prayer of recovering words spoken in inebriation. You really shouldn’t blog when you are high on medication either (legal or not).

4. When you are too short on time to get all the facts. Blogging incorrect news can really mess with your reputation. If you are so afraid you will miss the scoop, post something very clear about being unconfirmed – it’s easier to print a retraction or an ‘oops’ that way.

5. When you are in a bad mood in general. This spills out on everything! You can’t afford to talk down to or alienate your audience – there is a fine line between good cheer snark and ill accepted sneer. Best thing to do? Write and take thirty – then come back and read what you wrote. Might just be what you need to gain perspective.

If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything. Don’t scramble for a junk mail piece of news just to be posting. You would rather them be wondering when your next blog will be in anticipation than churn out some dreck just to keep your daily posts going.

Most of all, be ready for damage control, and if you screw up, admit it. Don’t fight battles you can’t win, and don’t engage in personal attacks or rants. Nobody’s interested. Keep it above board, engaging and genuinely informative, and you should be fine.

admin