I think we are just beginning to realize the influence and potential of blogs, not only for influencing the public, but also for educating people. We tend to think too much in terms of economic value instead of social value in my opinion, and that is blinding us to some of the real social value of blogging.

I used to enjoy the conversation on mailing lists for example, but the topics often developed into heated arguements between people with opposite views, especially when controversial subjects were discussed. Blogs on the other hand have the advantage of linking directly to the literature people want to discuss up front, which tends to reduce the potential for “flaming” because we are discussing a third person’s views or actions. Now lets apply this to another form of writing.

In scientific research it is customary to quote other researcher’s literature to support our own theory, and this is very similar to the “blog this” function in blogging. Thus blogging is a natural medium for research, which combined with online data bases could be used to process the “information glut” science has been generating for the past 100 years.

On my experimental research blog for instance, I am trying to associate and condense research from various sources into a data source about human evolution that the average person can understand (eliminating alot of the jargon is critical). In my case, editing becomes the most important feature of the writer, knowledge becomes the product, and data mining/teaching becomes the goal.

I think truth is more important than advertizing in the discussion of ethics in publishing, and I dont mean just truth in advertizing either. Sooner or later this topic will revolve more around intellectual property rights than advertizing. The primary question in my opinion is,. do we have the right to control knowledge and sell it to the highest bidder?

I publish a few blogs and have been paid by others to start and write blogs for their websites. As a compliment to their content. And also as a means of generating the inbound links that the search engines so highly value.

I don’t disclose on these blogs that they are being “ghostwritten”. On my own blogs, (excepting one) I am experimenting with ways of integrating the actiivity of writing, editing and publishing the blog with generating revenue.

Within these “experiments” I have provided affiliated banner advertisements on a sidebar with the disclosure that they are indeed affiliate relationships. I have also provided affiliated text links buried within the text portion of blog itself.

Personally, I don’t see a problem with writing an opinion/editorial piece on some breaking news and recommending one of my affiliated merchants within that piece.

I certainly don’t see any problem with calling my affiliated relationships sponsors either. In the generic sense of the term, when a merchant accepts a person into their affiliate program, they are supporting their cause whatever that may be. And entrusting them to adhere to certain standards or behavior.

Journaling for profit is akin to writing an autobiography for the purpose of selling it and making a dollar or two in my opinion.

I read in a few different places on this topic that the bloggers who have a legitimate or at least likeable point of view will gain readership, while those who who have neither will not.

Whereas in my local area, I have the choice of a few different newspapers to read, and a few different local news shows to watch, within the local community of the blogosphere and the “wired” so we all have the choice of reading or not.

I don’t think people care if a blogger is being paid if they like what they read. And in the same token, if the audience does not like what it is reading, no amount of schwag is going to get them to visit.

This is a great example of the difference between a journalist and a regular blogger. A blogger (usually) doesn’t produce such high-quality “journalistic” content.