26
Jan
So many times over the years, I have come across blog entries and forum comments in which individuals have taken the opportunity to express less than flattering opinions of editors, agents, publishing companies, and even other authors. Although I certainly advocate voicing opinions and standing up for one’s rights, there are appropriate venues for doing so in a productive and helpful manner. Randomly peppering the internet with disparaging comments about someone because of your own personal experiences not only could hurt that person’s career, but also could damage yours.
Here’s how. Recently, I was reading an article in a professional journal in which the interviewee admitted potential clients sometimes turn her off before she even reads their writing because they have behaved so unprofessionally on the internet. Hardly surprising. Who’d want to try to convince a publisher to pick up a writer who can’t play well with others?
When it comes to my own presence on the internet, I adhere to advice my mother gave me long before the information superhighway was around but which still holds true: “Never write anything you don’t want everyone to read.” Although she was talking more about passing notes in class and that sort of thing (hey, I said it was a long time ago), this advice is a sound guiding principle for creating a presence on the internet — and is probably an axiom more people should take to heart.
Before I even started my website, I thought quite a bit about how I wanted to represent myself online, and, with my mother’s advice in mind, I created my own personal code of conduct, which is as follows:
1) Be professional. I spend a great deal of time creating every blog post (which is why I’m currently averaging about one per month). Although I want to be authentic and blog in my own voice, I want any agents, editors or publishers who happen by my website to see me as a potential client who would be professional, ethical, and easy to work with.
2) Be fair. I will never bad-mouth any agent, editor, publishing company, or fellow author on this website or any other public forum. The point of my blog is to share my journey to publication and the things that I am learning along the way, and I want my interaction with readers to be positive and informative. Don’t get me wrong — I’m certainly no dainty flower who’s content to sit in a corner and take what’s dished out, but if I have an opinion about a particular industry professional, I’ll only share it here if it’s complimentary.
Most professional organizations have bylaws and codes of ethics that their members must follow in order to remain in good standing. Violations should be reported to those organizations’ governing bodies, or, in the case of illegal activities, to the proper authorities.
3) Be helpful (but cautious). I hope the musings I post will benefit others in their own journeys and provide a sense of community to other writers who are in the same stage in their careers. To that end, I will sometimes post helpful hints and/or resources that I have found along the way. However, due to skittishness about linking to other websites, I will be very cautious in my use of hyperlinks. Even then, my opinion should not be construed as an endorsement of any product or service offered by the other site.
4) Be humble. My advice and opinions should be considered just that — advice and opinions. I make no claim of expertise, and I certainly don’t pretend to have all the answers. However, I do hope that what I’ve learned (and am continuing to learn) can help others and that my posts will be taken in the spirit in which they are intended.
5) Be myself. What can I say? Can’t really do anything about this one. And, really, is there any point in trying? Eventually, the true self comes out to play anyway.
Well, there you have it — my personal code of conduct (for what it’s worth). Moral of the story: Think before you post. Once it’s out there, you can’t take it back. And, as the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
Whew! Glad I got that out of the way! Establishing one’s internet persona is an important and necessary topic to acknowledge, but it’s not nearly as much fun as talking about things that go bump in the night. So, stop in this time next month and see what’s brewing in my brain.
Here’s a hint: I’m feeling a little spooky…
