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I threw out a question on Facebook this week that brought some very interesting responses. I asked, “ Do your values come into play as a blogger? As an entrepreneur, biz owner or author?”
What I really wanted to know was whether their values have ever played into a decision, either on what to post about on their blog, what partnerships to form or which clients to take on.
My friend, social media star and transplanted Scot Danny Brown said:
If I can’t look at my family and say, ‘Yep, that was the right thing to do/say,’ then I won’t work with (or interact with) that type of conflict.
From Kim Phillips, an accomplished writer friend in Tennessee:
I have to have the fire in the gut to write about something, whether it’s one of my personal blogs, or something for a client. Wouldn’t work for a corporation that actively seeks to ghettoize its employees, a meat company, or someone who goes against my personal ethics, politics or religious views.
And Zita Gustin, friend and businesswoman extraordinaire right here in Seattle:
Yes. My values come into play in everything that I do, whether it is building a website, creating a marketing plan, or coaching a business owner. If the client is involved in something that I cannot support ethically or morally—no matter how much money or prestige is involved—I am not interested in going against my gut, my heart, my spirit.
My husband and business partner Bob has already given this some thought. And he already beat me to it because he has posted his very own Blogger’s Creed (“Things I Believe”) on the bobwp.com site.
So why bother sharing our values?
Borrowing from a post Bob wrote for the Blogworld blog, the advantages of sharing your core beliefs on your blog are many. Sharing the principles we live by can help build trust with our readers. It creates a more inclusive community because, by sharing our personal side, we show that we want to make our blog a welcoming place.
By going beyond a commenting policy, a blogger’s creed, especially if it includes something about respect and the importance of community, provides guidelines for the kind of behavior you want to see on your blog. It can even help you find new clients, customers and partnerships of the specific variety you are looking for.
My Blogger’s Creed
I’ll be posting this in the navigation bar of my blog, but I’m sharing it here first. It was fairly easy to create (the only challenge being limiting it to just eight).
So, here they are:
1. Most people want to do the right thing.
I believe that people are inherently good. And if I expect good things from them, I usually get them.
2. Diversity should be celebrated.
While we try to find common ground, it is our differences that make us uniquely us.
3. Story is how we make sense of our world.
I truly believe that stories, whether they are the ones we read, write or tell, are the connecting thread. They tie us together in our humanness and teach us important things about ourselves.
4. Children are this planet’s most precious resource.
We need to love them, respect them and teach them—then step out of the way. They will take this world where it needs to go.
5. Everyone deserves a voice and a place at the table.
Listening to everyone helps me evaluate my own ideas, and even change my mind from time to time. Blogging comes close to this because we don’t need a publisher or agent to get our ideas out into the world.
6. There is always something I can learn from someone else.
I believe in lifelong learning and am ready to absorb new stuff from anyone.
7. Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
A sense of humor, and ample doses of laughter, can connect us with other people and make us see that we are really the same inside.
8. A society can be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable.
The way we treat babies, children, animals, the elderly—the beings that can least fend for themselves— tells the world much of what they need to know about us a society.
What about you?
Do your values come into play in your blogging and your work?
Do you feel closer to people who share theirs with you?
Do you have a blogger’s creed?
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I love, love this, Judy. And it’s these things, so immediately apparent about you, that drew me to you the first time I met you.
Deb Lund recently posted..You’re Already There!
Deb,
Good to see you here! So glad we got the chance to meet at the Whidbey Island Writers’ Conference. Hoping to attend again in 2013.
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..Stuff that Matters: A Blogger’s Creed
Everything I write must connect with my values. I can’t write if I am not passionate about it. Whatever I write, I must feel willing to live with it for the rest of my life. My words are an extension of me.
That could be why there are times when I don’t blog. I think about what I am going to say and the impact it will have on others including my family, friends and me.
Nathasha Alvarez recently posted..Not Your Normal Thanksgiving Day Grace
Natasha,
Yeah, our words are an extension of ourselves. Well said. I don’t always feel that kind of passion with every post I write, but that “fire in the gut,” as Kim described it, makes for a much more powerful piece.
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..Stuff that Matters: A Blogger’s Creed
Thanks for the shout-out, Judy. My more personal rants are at http://kimphillips.posterous.com and the marketing stuff is at http://getlucid.net/blog …
Kim, I loved what you had to say. Just visited your posterous blog this morning. : )
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..Stuff that Matters: A Blogger’s Creed
It frequently gets me in trouble. I had a boss when I was in advertising at a major bank who used to say, “If it doesn’t piss somebody off, you’re not doing it right.” I loved him.
Kim Phillips recently posted..Getting Around Facebook’s Pay-to-Play Tactics
The comedian Chris Rock was once asked if the people in his life get mad at the things he says on stage. He said (paraphrasing), if the people in your life aren’t a little bit uncomfortable with what you say, then you aren’t telling the truth.
Sharing your values – your ‘truth’ – may piss people off occasionally, but if we don’t stand for something, who’s going to bother reading?
Good stuff, Judy.
Betsy Talbot recently posted..Collaborative Consumption (or, how sharing has gone mainstream)
Betsy,
I can’t believe I didn’t get the chance to see you when you were in Seattle. Sometimes living on this danged island can be a pain. I absolutely love that (paraphrased) quote from Chris Rock. So very true.
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..Cowboy Macaroni and Divorcing Witches: The Changing Face of Blogging
Hi Judy,
I agree with all that you wrote. I am like Danny, if I can’t talk about it with my family than I need to take a serious look at things.
My kids aren’t always going to see me as superman but I want them to feel like their father is a good guy regardless.
Josh recently posted..How Much Is An MBA Worth?
Josh,
Good to see you here. Seeing it through the lens of family is a great way to look at it. If it can’t meet that test, it probably doesn’t belong in one’s belief system.
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..Social Media Bio Meets Mind Map: It’s Vizify
I always tagged myself to display ” Service with a Heart” and ” Be Positive”. I believe that Good Vibes begets Good vibes. Welcome happy and positive thoughts despite of circumstances.
Jacque Raine recently posted..Famous Secret Societies
Looks like you have gotten a head start on your very own Blogger’s Creed. And, yes, I agree. Positive beats negative every time. Thanks for sharing here.
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..Cowboy Macaroni and Divorcing Witches: The Changing Face of Blogging
I don’t have a creed yet… other than, I respect the opinions of anyone that might comment, and if I disagree with what they say, I won’t argue with them, but rather thank them for their input, and hope to hear more from them in the future.
Isaac recently posted..Interview With Mark Lawrence, Author Of The Broken Empire Series
Isaac,
That is a great creed! Respect is a value sometimes in short supply in our world. And I truly feel that we can disagree or offer another perspective while still respecting different points of view. Thanks for sharing here.
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted.. Guy Kawasaki Hits a Home Run with His New Book, ‘APE’