It is quite easy to get carried away whilst blogging. It is important you take into consideration the views of others. The following are a list of ways to blog to protect you:
* Think before you give out personal information (name, address, age, phone number, postcode, school, and clubs).
* Bloggers might like to use a nickname, not their real name, to identify their blog.
* Use a drawing or another image to represent yourself.
* Its easy to take a photo and put it in your blog, but think first, is this something you want the whole world to see?
* Ask permission from your friends before you publish photos of them, or give out their details.
* Report abuse and keep a record of what happened.
* Limit your audience, if your blog is aimed at family and close friends make them private.
* Never plagiarize.
* Identify and link to sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
* Make certain that Weblog entries, quotations, headlines, photos and all other content do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
* Never distort the content of photos without disclosing what has been changed. Image enhancement is only acceptable for for technical clarity. Label montages and photo illustrations.
* Never publish information they know is inaccurate -- and if publishing questionable information, make it clear it's in doubt.
* Distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information. Even advocacy writing and commentary should not misrepresent fact or context.
* Distinguish factual information and commentary from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
* Disclose conflict of interest
* Publicly correct any misinformation
* Note questionable and biased sources.
Guides to Blogging:
* http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/wiki/index.php/WeblogWorkshop
* http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/
* http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/?p=125
* http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/Bloggers_Handbook2.pdf
* http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=14136
* http://creativecommons.org