What is correct blogging etiquette?
Since I am very new to blogging, I’m not sure what is correct etiquette, or what is inappropriate. For example, when my father first started to communicate with me via email, he would distinguish his comments from the original email BY USING CAPITAL LETTERS ONLY! He didn’t intend to shout at me all the time, and thankfully he doesn’t do that any more, though it does illustrate how a lack of knowledge of the convention or etiquette can unwittingly result in behaviour that is considered inappropriate.
So I’ve done a bit of searching on the Internet and found some good viewpoints. The article Suite 101 is a really good overview. Also, wardomatic is a similar good overview, and incidentally is one of the best presented blogs that I have come across. All of the articles on this subject tend to agree on some fundamentals, such as don’t steal other people’s content, attribute other people’s work, do not promote yourself on other people’s blogs, and avoid being abusive or derogatory. However, there was one area that I couldn’t find any discussion about. Is it ok to modify previous posts?
There are a number of different scenarios where we may want to modify a previous post. One scenario would be when we notice there is a spelling or grammatical mistake on a previous post. In this case, I assume it is appropriate to just correct the error. Another scenario would be when we realise that something is explained poorly in the post and we want to expand on it and want to add a paragraph or two. In this case, is it appropriate to modify the post? What occurs if this then affects the context of the comments that other people have made. Finally, another scenario is where you want to delete the post in its entirety, maybe because you feel it no longer fits with your site or you realise that it was poorly thought out. Is it appropriate to delete an entry and what about if it has comments that will also be deleted?
So what is the appropriate etiquette for modifying previous posts?
