October 06, 2005

My Blogging Philosophy

Some people blog about personal stuff, while others blog about whatÃ•s going on in the world. IÃ•m in the latter category. Specifically, I focus on politics with a few other tidbits thrown in for variety. ItÃ•s an outlet for me that I donÃ•t always have in my personal life, and IÃ•m usually quite passionate in my beliefs. And, quite obviously, many of my opinions and beliefs are based on conservative values.

Almost always, I put my opinion forth. I do my best to back it up with evidence, but sometimes itÃ•s just an opinion. Other times, I present an article and let the reader make up his own mind without my putting in my two cents. Sometimes I make a factual error and when itÃ•s pointed out, I post a correction immediately.

Nowhere do I claim to be the final authority on anything. Obviously there are plenty of you out there who do not agree with my views, and youÃ•re certainly not shy about saying so. ThatÃ•s fineÃ‰itÃ•s what the whole Ã’blogosphere phenomenonÃ“ is supposed to be about. A two-way dialogue is important for all of us to be involved in. I may not come around to your way of thinking, but I respect your right to express your opinion.

What isnÃ•t cool is when commenters use abusive, insulting language when they donÃ•t agree with what IÃ•ve said. ThatÃ•s a surefire way for me to completely disregard what you say, even if it has a grain of truth or meritÃ‘especially when personal insults are used. If I bother to reply at all, I try to remain civilÃ‰in fact, IÃ•ve had some commenters express surprise at my replies. I donÃ•t believe in being rude. I think people who bandy about insults instead of thoughtful rebuttals do so because itÃ•s much easier to do online than face-to-face. So if you Ã’shoutÃ“ at me, donÃ•t be surprised if I ignore you. (On my own blog I reserve the right to delete or even ban what I deem to be over the top. On LLP, Aaron has the final say.)