Do You Write with Integrity?

September 29, 2008

“Pick your gigs wisely, and with integrity. Don’t whore yourself out for a fast buck.”
written by Bob Younce

In a recent post on Freelance Folder, Bob reminds us that conducting business with integrity is an admirable quality. When I first began writing, I took every single job that came through the door. (Hey, I needed the money and the experience.) For awhile nothing I wrote clashed with my personal code of business ethics, but eventually I was asked if I would write adult content and/or misleading sales copy. The answer to both was a resounding, “No thank you.”

I could have accepted the jobs. After all, my name would not appear with the content, nor would my business be linked to the clients’ websites. Who would know? Well, I would. I have nothing against the writer who did accept these jobs, in fact, I recommended him, but my personal code of ethics is to only do during the day what I can live with at night. If my conscience won’t let me sleep, it’s not worth it. Do I always follow my own advice? Of course not. Sometimes I have to beat my head against the wall until it’s bloody to learn a lesson. Occasionally I just seem bent on torturing myself for no apparent reason.

Change Your World for the Better

“One of the sad facts of the Internet is that the vast digital landscape is frequently marred with all sorts of substandard work. There is a case to be made, for example, that most Internet content would never make it past the editorial gatekeepers of the print world. I won’t discuss the merits of that argument here, but I will say there’s plenty of crap online. If it bothers you like it does me, the best way to fix it is starting with your own commitment to standards and to quality.” -Tom Chandler

One of my pet peeves is crap content producers. These writers churn out scum-sucking content faster than a team of professional dumpster divers. Their keyword-stuffed, incoherent articles clog the Internet and frustrate all of us. Now, there is quite a bit of terrific content on the Web, but sometimes it’s hard to find when wading through the muck.

I like Tom’s challenge to each of us to take an honest look at our own content and see what could be improved. (That’s partly why I will be interviewing the Net’s Top Bloggers to Pick their Brains about how they improve their writing!) My own writing is constantly in a process of change, hopefully for the better.

Making a Difference

“if you want to make a difference with your business, you need to see the larger picture. You need to figure out what the positive change you wish to effect on your world is, and then work towards it.”- Tom Chandler

Making a difference may not seem like a viable business goal, but on the Internet, it’s surprisingly easy. If you gather a following of loyal readers who come together to socialize, share, and grow together (like Men With Pens), you’ve made a difference. If you help fledgling writers or business owners along their journey, you’ve made a difference. If you help support the writing community, or help raise the standards of online work, you’ve made a difference. Let me ask you, how are you making a difference?

Thanks to Tom for the inspiring post. It stimulated me to think deep and evaluate my own content. Change is a good thing.

PS. If you want a feel-good story about how blogging can make a difference in someone’s life, watch this YouTube video.

Glenda’s Story

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Posted by Jamie | Filed Under Blogging

Comments

Jamie Simmerman

Glenda was born with Cerebral Palsy, and blogs with her left thumb. What an inspirational story! Thanks to Darren Rowse and Joanna Young for posting this video.

Anthony James Barnett - author

Bang on. There's so much dross on the web it's beyond belief. Keep up the good work.

Jamie Simmerman

@Anthony Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it!

Lindsay

Nice post.

This is a big reason why I started my latest blog--to help, teach, and inspire.

When I first started writing with the intent of making money online, I often chased after certain topics because they were potentially lucrative even if they weren't exactly scintillating topics to write about. I never wrote junk just for the search engines (though I'm not sure if that was about integrity or just a self-preservation instinct that suggested outputting crap wouldn't be profitable for the long run :), but I wasn't always creating the best content I could. I didn't quite understand back then that success was tied to helping people solve their problems.

Now that I've made it, so to speak, it's a pleasure to pick and choose what I write about based on interest rather than what I think ad clicks might be worth.

I do try to remember not to judge others too harshly just because I'm financially in a place where I can be choose the moral high road. While there are lines I would never cross, I do believe that to some extent, integrity is a luxury.