Integrity: What it means, why it’s important

Integrity: the quality of being honest, fair and good

(Oxford English Dictionary)

Nearly two weeks ago, we launched Blog with Integrity. Reception  was overwhelmingly positive. At last check nearly 750 bloggers had taken the pledge.

Bloggers from all spheres agreeing that it is time to reaffirm our commitment to blog with integrity.

The most common critical comment was that bloggers don’t need a badge to blog with integrity.

Which is absolutely true. You don’t need a badge to blog with integrity, and if you don’t have it, no badge on your blog is going to give it to you. What the pledge and the badge do, however, is give us a way to collectively reaffirm our commitment to blog with integrity.

We need to do this now more than ever in the short but eventful history of blogging and online communities.

Not sure yet? Think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t get swag or product pitches?

Consider this example.

Early last week, a company called The Speaker’s Group issued its top 10 Social Media Speakers list. To a resounding HUH? in the social media community. No women on the list, as pointed out on Twitter by Allyson Kapin, @womanwhotech, and only a few on the list had a significant profile in the social media community, discussed in a post by Geoff Livingston.

On closer look, it seemed pretty obvious that the post was bald-faced promotion for speakers repped by the company without clear disclosure of the relationship. “Our” top ten. Making the list nothing more than promotion. Not illegal, but a bit dodgy.

Subsequently, in the comments to their post, the company did acknowledge the relationships with the various speakers, changed the title of the post to “Ten to Know” and committed to adding women to its roster. In other words, they ‘fessed up, sort of, and promised to do better next time.

But really, shouldn’t they have been more transparent about their relationships from the get-go? Speaking only for myself, I would have more confidence in the company if they had acted with integrity from the start.

Examples like this happen every day, across the blogosphere.

Blog with Integrity is more than a description OF your blog. It is a pledge TO yourself.

To take responsibility for your words. To respect others. To disclose your material relationships. To be honest, with yourself and your readers.

It’s what most bloggers do already. The pledge and the badge are just the tangible symbols that we are part of a community with shared values.

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While we were in part motivated by recent events in the parent blogging community, it has always been clear to us that integrity is an issue for all blogging communities, not just the one currently being singled out in the media for a bizarre combination of damnation and faint praise.

We are glad so many of you agree and grateful for the support. We have some ideas on where we’d like to take the initiative next, but welcome your ideas. If you have suggestions, please email blogwithintegrity@gmail.com, or contact any one of the co-founders — Liz Gumbinner, Kristen Chase, Julie Marsh and me.