Rob Williams - Orangejack

Well class, this is our last session. I hope you've been enjoying your time at the Orangejack Blogging University. There will be extra classes posted here from time to time, but they may not be announced or even labeled as such. You'll just need to keep coming back!

Last time we talked about tweaking your template with HTML and I hope that didn't leave your head spinning too badly. This class will be an easy "A". Most of this stuff you should know and are already doing...but unfortunately we still need a class on it. It's about etiquette.

As we've gone through these classes, you may have already picked up on some of the more ethical things you should do such as don't post on someone's blog without contributing to the conversation. But there are other things you should make sure you do.

If you find a good article somewhere that you want to post about, don't plagiarize. Give credit to the person you got it from. You can blog directly from the article itself, just be humble enough to say you got the idea or link from someone else...and link to them when you do. It's like footnoting your blog entries.

Another thing you should do is allow people to post comments on your blog. When they comment, feel free to post a comment there to have a conversation. You certainly don't have to, but it's okay if you do. It's about the conversation.

You may, from time to time (or often) rant about someone or something. That's fine. It's your blog and you can say what you want. Just consider the Golden Rule as you post. If you wouldn't like it if they started calling you names and bringing up junk, then you shouldn't either. Be respectful of them. We're all humans...well, most of us anyway! ;-)

You also might want to link to a friend's blog or post a conversation you had with them. Just make sure you have their permission if you're quoting them. It's just common courtesy.

Well, that should do it. If you are able to go though these 8 classes and do well, you are well on your way to becoming a great blogger! And if you are able to do all of these steps and you learned most of it here, drop me a line or leave a comment with your URL. I'd love to see how you students are doing.

Now if you'll indulge me, let me say two last things. First, I really like blogging. I really enjoy it and have learned a lot. I want to pass those things along to you. That's why I did all this. I want to share what I know with you, the blogsphere.

The second thing I want to say is that I really want to see people be able to use technology for more "noble" practices. I want to see community built where we are able to share things that are on our mind. It's about life. And, in my opinion, life is best lived if there's a purpose to it. Part of my purpose is to engage in community. And that stems from a foundational relationship I have. Without it, my sense of purpose is gone. But with it, things are, well, different. If this is a topic of discussion you want to continue with me, feel free to contact me.

Congratulations on your OBU degree in blogging!