I have lines in my blogging sandbox I’ve drawn that I will not cross when it comes to choosing my blog’s content. I won’t blog about rumors. I won’t cover scandals. I won’t promote “scams” that use WordPress to rip off naïve people. I won’t write conspiracies or promote them. While I might swear in person, I try to keep my blog posts free of four letter (and longer) words many find offensive in the English language.
When it comes to specific content, I won’t cover subjects not related to blogging or WordPress on Lorelle on WordPress, though I’ve brought in off topic issues that I then made on topic by twisting it around to the subject of blogging. But when it comes to sports, hobbies, current events, movies, television, music, or anything that interests me but is not related to blogging, I won’t write about it.
What about you?
Do you have a line you will not cross in your blogging sandbox, subjects you will not cover? Or are you open to covering anything and everything? What’s your line in the blogging sandbox? What will you not blog about?
Author: Lorelle VanFossen
The author of Lorelle on WordPress and the fast-selling book, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging, as well as several other blogs, Lorelle VanFossen has been blogging for over 15 years, covering blogging, WordPress, travel, nature and travel photography, web design, web theory and development extensively as web technologies developed.
I tend to cover pretty much everything – but the more iffy subjects like conspiracies I am either incredibly sarcastic about or I just cover them briefly.
@Jeremy Steele:
So you are a no-holds-barred blogger. No limits to what you will blog about? Sex? Murder? Mayhem?
I mostly cover tech, gaming, blogging, and random things on my blog. I always try keep the content under PG-13 though.
I cover a tiny niche market (opera, and occasionally classical music). I will generally avoid writing negative reviews about performances or recordings. I’ve only made one exception to this rule over the years. I figure there’s no point in discussing how bad something is, especially when there’s so much good stuff out there. I’d rather save my writing effort for worthwhile projects and simply ignore the crappy ones.
I would rather be a positive than destructive influence, like a “do no harm” thing.
I will not blog about anything that is meant to bring another person down. I’m a big believer in treating others the way I’d like to be treated myself.
Enjoy,
Barbara
I try to avoid anything that involves my job. Anything that can affect my coworkers’ attitudes towards me are off limits.
@Chris Garrett:
I’m with you on the “do no harm” thing. Totally. Nothing like the Prime Directive for a good moral code. :D
Strictly WordPress with sprinkles of blogging topics. And like Barbara, no demoralizing, defamatory, derogatory, or other de..ory posts.
And no foul language. It’s just not necessary to get a point across, in my opinion.
A wise man once told me, “a foul mouth is a sign of a feeble mind trying to express itself forcefully.”
My blog’s tagline reads: “The Big Fella’s Department Of Somewhat Questionable Musings” and the Catgories I list in my sidebar are: Celebritydom, Criminal Minds, Ethics & Human Values, Eye Catchers, Humanity’s Best, Humanity’s Worst, Humor, Media, Modern Life, Newsworthy, and Politics.
I try to stay within the confines of those categories, which are actually a rather broad list.
I do not do gossip, I don’t like to use gratuitous profanity in my postings, I am not a shill for anyone. Just a guy sharing my observations on what piques my interest at any given time and creating commentary reflecting my values, and exercising my activist urges.
I try to avoid work. I occassionally do talk about it if a story starts in work but doesn’t revolve around it. They know my blog and are cool with it.
I don’t talk about anything I’m not qualified to talk about – but generally everything is fair game.
I tend towards the maxim of “If it will cause me or others trouble, don’t write it”. I don’t mind a good argument over opinion on a topic, but I see that as different to actually causing trouble. I have both a personal blog in my own name, and write on a work blog, with links between, so I have to be on my best behaviour.
Would you even blog about worms?? lol
Facts and evidence. I leave religion and politics out, always. If there’s no evidence to support what I write, then I probably won’t write it. Speculation and gossip can cause serious problems.