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July 16, 2003

Toward a Weblog Editorial Policy

I've watched the recent controversy over depublishing with great interest. I've participated, far more vigorously than I normally do, in discussion threads on several (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) weblogs over this issue.

Someone asked me why this was so important to me. Although my paycheck isn't explicitly because of my writing skills these days, at times in the past 15 years I've been paid for writing or editing newspaper articles, magazine features, fiction, public relations materials, advertising copy, technical manuals, etc., as well as having taught writing at several universities. I consider myself a writer. I consider writing an important activity that has the potential for immense impact. Someone who engages in writing, particularly someone whose words reach a wide audience, should hold themselves accountable for what he or she writes. If not, I believe it is justifiable for her community to hold her accountable for their writing practice. In the end, isn't that one of the roles of society -- to hold accountable those individuals who refuse to hold themselves accountable?

With my own accountability in mind, I have put together a first version of an editorial policy for this weblog. Comments and feedback on this draft of the editorial policy are welcome.

Ten Reasons Why Weblog Editorial Policy, Beta Version 0.1

  1. VERSION

    2. This is version 0.1 of the Ten Reasons Why Weblog Editorial Policy.

  2. SCOPE

    3. This policy applies to all posts from the date of adoption forward. Where possible it will be retroactively applied to posts, but that is not gauranteed. The date of adoption for this version of the Editorial Policy is _____.

  3. TIMESTAMPS

    1. Timestamps on entries. Entries in this weblog will show two timestamps:
      1. "Posted At" date will indicate the time the entry was first published to the weblog.

      2. "Last Modifed At" date will indicate the last time the post was edited. If the "Posted At" and "Last Modified At" dates are the same, you will know that the post has not been modified. If they are different, there has been some change, deletion, or addition.

    2. Caveat. Unfortunately, Movable Type defaults the timestamp to the date/time that the post was written. E.g. if I draft something at 11am and don't post it until 3pm, the timestamp will show 11am instead of 3pm. Movable Type doesn't appear to record the time of publishing, just time of creation and time of last modification. Since MT won't record this date/time automatically, I will have to remember to update it manually if I'm posting a previously drafted, un-public entry. I've forgotten to do this several times in the past, and I expect that I will forget again in the future. If I fail to remember to update it manually, I will post a correction (per "Changes" below) as soon as it comes to my attention.

  4. CHANGES

    1. What might be changed without notice: spelling, punctuation, typos, grammar, incorrectly entered URLs, and other non-substantive material like formatting, layout, and page design. Non-substantive material is that which can be changed without semantically affecting the entry.

    2. What will not be changed without notice: Anything substantive that semantically affects the tone or meaning of the entry or would result in a factual difference.

    3. Process for changes.
      4. If I notice incorrect information, if I need to "tone down" my language, or if I say something I regret, I will correct that error either by a new post with the change that links back to the original post and/or an addition (see below) to the post that contains the information being changed.

  5. ADDITIONS

    1. Additions to entries. Additions to an entry after the time of original publication will be indicated as such, either inline or as an appended paragraph marked as "Update."

  6. DELETIONS

    1. Deleting entire entries. Entire entries will not be knowingly or intentionally deleted from this weblog.

    2. Deleting portions of entries If it becomes necessary to delete a portion of an entry (e.g. for legal reasons or because I have later decided it is too offensive or incorrect to be allowed to remain in public view), the deleted portion will be replaced with a notice indicating the general nature of what has been deleted and the reason for deletion.

  7. COMMENTS

    1. Who "owns" the comments? This is my weblog on my personal web space. Any comments posted here are hosted on my website, ergo I reserve the right to delete comments or portions of comments if necessary. You can always comment on my posts on your own weblog.

    2. Modifying comments. Unless it is necessary to delete all or a portion of a comment, I will not modify other's comments on my weblog. Changes or additions to my own comments will follow the same rules as for entries. In general, I will not change comments, but rather add another comment to the discussion thread.

    3. Deleting comments in entirety or in part. Generally speaking, I don't feel it is often necessary to delete comments. The only reasons to delete comments would be legal issues (slander, libel, or intellectual property violations), extreme offensiveness, or duplication. When deleting an entire comment or portion of a comment, I will leave the comment "container" in place with text that indicates the general nature of what has been deleted and the reason for deletion.

Posted July 16, 2003 11:04 PM

Comments

Good job!!! I hope such a thing gets picked up and becomes more common on other sites (including the one in question ;)

Comments by filchyboy . Posted July 16, 2003 11:14 PM

Interesting.

You never answered the question: who owns the comments. Are you saying that these words - my comment - now belong to you? If so, you ought to post this very clearly above your comment box.

Comments by Stephen Downes . Posted July 16, 2003 11:47 PM

Stephen--

Thanks, I should clarify that point in the next draft. I don't mean to imply that I own the comments, in the sense of owning the copyright, but rather third party comments are published on my site by my good graces and permissions. Thoses graces and permission are subject to revocation at any time without notice and at my sole discretion. I think it's a good idea to at least place a link to the editorial policy on comments in the comment authoring box. As soon as the policy is finalized, I'll do so.

Comments by Greg . Posted July 17, 2003 06:47 AM

There's certainly a fine line about the comments. There has been plenty of controversy about the value of allowing third-party posting wihtin a site's comment or forum system. At the most fundamental level, however, is personal accountabilty. If a comment falls outside the comfort level of the hosting environment there's bound to be controversy. More often than not it's the controversy that gets more attention than the original post. In short, be brave, allow the posts and move on.

But back to authorship and integrity, isn't it perhaps more responsible to engage in thought before blurting out words that need editing out? Engage the brain before putting the blog in gear, folks. And if you can't abide by something you've posted then make THAT statement. It's the on-going emergence of the idea that's valuable. Not the hit-and-run, delete-and-hide trickery. Better to let people see how you've evolved the text. That's far more likely to be of greater value to your audience. To do so otherwise does a great disservice, not only to the readers but to your own integrity as a participant in the community.

Comments by Bill Kearney . Posted July 18, 2003 11:19 AM

Bill, I agree that the best practice is to think before you write. However, I think it's silly to presume that a "never delete, never modify" policy is something that can be 100% adhered to. Or, more importantly, *should* be adhered to. Demanding permanence of all data is unreasonable and likely unworkable.

Realistically, I may at some point post something that is unnecessarily hurtful or embarrassing to someone else. I may do it in anger, I may do it out of ignorance -- whatever. It could happen; I'm far from perfect.

I don't think I gain any integrity as a writer or a person by allowing something I wrote that I believe is unnecessarily hurtful or embarrassing to someone else to persist in public view. I might let something minor slide, but depending on the severity of its impact, the Right Thing™ to do may be to delete or modify my words.

Or, suppose I unintentionally published something I thought was in the public domain, but turned out to be copyrighted. Or suppose I'm sued for slander. There may be legal reasons that force me to remove something.

I don't imagine this to be something I need to invoke frequently, as I've never felt the need to do so in the past. However, if I decide I must delete or modify something, my policy is to never do it without letting my readers know (a) that I've done it and (b) why I've done it.

Comments by Greg . Posted July 18, 2003 03:27 PM

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