My Rules of Blogging

Avitable posted his Rules of Blogging the other day, and since I dig rules I thought it was such a great idea I snatched it right up.

1. I will not post every day.  When I had a different blog I tried to post daily and I ended up resorting to drivel or laundry lists of what I ate for lunch.  That’s not interesting.
2. I don’t feel bad for going over a week without posting because I’m more interested in posting something that I want to share with you instead of just throwing up a post to fill space.  That’s not to say that I don’t admire daily posters, nor does it say that I think they sometimes throw something up to fill space.  I’m saying that’s what I would end up doing if I committed to being a daily poster.  There’s a difference.
3. It takes a lot for me to comment on new blogs.  I don’t know why, except that I’m shy that way.  I know this isn’t the case, but it feels like crashing a party for me.  Once I do, though, I will usually continue except in the cases where I get the smackdown for what I have to say.  Disagreement is one thing; lambasting a commenter is another.  I won’t go back when I’ve been lambasted or ridiculed for my opinion.
4. I try not to post comments that don’t really say anything.  If I don’t feel I’m contributing somehow, even if it’s just to let that person know that I’m thinking of them during a hard time, I don’t comment.
5. I read and comment on blogs that don’t read mine.  Conversely, I don’t read/comment on some that do read mine.  I read what interests me, and I expect that others will do the same.
6. I don’t mind new post updates on Twitter.  I’ve found several great new reads that way.
7. My voice is my own.  I may write similarly to other people, but that is purely coincidental.  I write the way I talk, and that includes incomplete or run-on sentences, made up words, and starting a sentence with the word “and.”
8. Just because I don’t always follow the rules of polite grammar doesn’t mean I don’t know them.  I choose to make this space an extension and expression of my personality, and not a writing project.
9. I rarely edit.  I don’t (generally) do drafts.  I will go back and read through once or twice to try to catch spelling and glaring grammar errors, but I don’t re-write much.  That drove my professors nuts.  “Just because you can bang it out in one sitting doesn’t mean you should,” was something I heard more than once.
10. I will do drafts for posts that are written in anger.  When something really pisses me off I tend to go off half-cocked and spew onto the page.  More than once I’ve regretted that later, so now I let those posts percolate in the “drafts” folder until my I can think straight again.  If I still feel the same way I will post it.  This is also the only case I will do re-writes, to soften what I feel needs to be softened or to change the names to protect the guilty.
11. I don’t comment anonymously.  Ever.  Even on Hilly’s Confession Booth.  If I can’t say it under my own name, or my bloggy name in this case, I won’t say it at all.  Period.
12. I don’t write about personal things that would embarrass members of my family or my friends.  Not that I won’t post about my vajayjay if I want to – I mean that I won’t post personal things about them, things that are not necessarily my story to tell.  Friends and family already know that they read at their own risk when it comes to my inner workings.
13. I don’t write about work.
14. I don’t look at FeedBurner stats, or have stat counter programs other than the one that came with my WordPress account.  I don’t even look at that.  I don’t even know what Google Analytical does – I don’t care.  When I start caring I drive myself insane, so I just don’t look.  It’s better for me that way.
15. I do look at search strings because they crack me up.  I also look at the weird phrases spammers put in their comments to try to make it look like a real comment.  Those are especially funny when it’s obvious that English isn’t their first language.
16. I do care about commenters and will try to respond to every comment.  I appreciate the time and effort someone takes to let me know they’re reading and have something to say.  Back in the day I didn’t know how important that was and I alienated some people because I didn’t respond.  I don’t want anyone to leave my blog feeling ignored or unvalued.
17. I don’t like truncated feeds.  I can think of only two blogs that truncate I will bother to click through to read.
18. I swear.  Get over it.
19. I don’t do paid posts, or paid/compensated reviews, or advertise.  I’m not morally opposed to these things, I just don’t want them here.  I don’t plan to ever be cool enough for companies to search me out and throw products my way.  Although if someone wanted to throw me the new Canon 7D I wouldn’t turn it down! (hint hint…)
20. Obvious paid posts in what are supposed to be “personal” blogs bug me, and if I see them frequently I will quit reading.
21. As you can see, I always end up being wordier than I plan at the outset of a post.  Just like I can’t cook for two, I can’t write short, concise entries.  Grab a beer before you sit down.

What are your rules?