Sunday, February 4, 2007

Blogging Etiquette

Does anyone know if there is a guide to blogging etiquette? Especially one that deals with posting comments? Some Catholics seem to abandon all sense of decorum, kindness, humility and charity when it comes to blogs, which is why I did not want to have one. They think nothing of defaming someone else's character based on hearsay and rumor. Have any of them ever read the part in the catechism about the sins of calumny and detraction? I am beginning to think that many do not really know the faith very well, even when they are holding forth on theology. A blogger should not post links that have erroneous and misleading information about people, even if you do not agree with their approach to Catholicism.

I have seen people in the comments section correct other's spelling mistakes; everyone knows how easy it is to make a typo when posting a comment, and then it is impossible to go back and change it. If you are really concerned about someone's spelling, send them a private email. That is the polite thing to do. (Someone sent me a polite note this morning, pointing out an error. Thank you.)

I was appalled to see in the comments section of one busy blog the bold assertion of a lady claiming to have coined a certain phrase. "I coined that phrase," she said. Now if someone is a truly accomplished and respected scholar, they do not need to go around bragging about their achievements in comment boxes. The lady in question is sadly lacking in modesty. I feel very sorry for her. There is nothing wrong with sharing knowledge; in matters of faith we have a duty to instruct the ignorant, but it should not be about us, it is about the truth. Share

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

They post comments that they would rephrase if they made them to someone in person, but for some reason it is ok to be rude anonymously. Same goes for E-mails.

elena maria vidal said...

Yes, some are just cowardly. Others are just arrogant.

Anonymous said...

Actually, the scholarly lady in question said she was the "originator" of the term "rad-trad." She describes "rad-trad" as: "pro-confederacy, pro-monarchy, pro-French, pro-Jacobite." I guess that means you, Elena.

elena maria vidal said...

I guess I would have to renounce my own ancestors in order to be a good enough Catholic for her. I guess she would condemn Pope Pius IX, who supported the Confederacy (not slavery), and all the Catholics who supported the Stuarts. But pro-French? What? Am I supposed to hate the French? Saint Therese was French, so was Bernadette. And what about Saint Louis? So bizarre.....

What a wacky distortion of Church history.

Anonymous said...

Maybe she got bad grades in French class.....

Jeffrey Smith said...

I think the whole thing is too new to have developed a form of etiquette. Needs one desperately, though.

elena maria vidal said...

Yes, Jeffrey, definitely!

Wordsmith, please be polite. But anyway, I would rather be a Jacobite than a Jacobin.

Anonymous said...

I've been blogging and commenting on blogs for several years now, lifehacker has the best guide to comment etiquette that I've come across ...

http://lifehacker.com/software/top/special-lifehackers-guide-to-weblog-comments-126654.php

elena maria vidal said...

Thanks so much, Adrienne. I will certainly post a link to this!!

Anonymous said...

"Maybe she got bad grades in French class..."

LOL!!! That's GOT to be it!! :-D

This same thing is seen in the Catholic chatrooms and message boards I've visited. Folks who would never dream of saying such rude and hateful things in person, freely and carelessly express online as if they believe that since no one can identify them that somehow it's not a sin! But they forget, God sees everything. And what's more, this behavior affects their own souls, even if no one else knows who they are, they do.