Integrity…Web 2.0…have you two met? Sometimes it doesn’t seem like they have. Unfortunate as it might be, Web 2.0 is plagued by spammers, sleazeballs, and scam artists – none of which have an ounce of integrity. But don’t let this steer you off course. While operating in a Web 2.0 world, it is imperative that integrity be a cornerstone of your personal brand.
Two events this week got me thinking about integrity – a subject that admittedly doesn’t pop into my head too often (but should).
1. Chris Brogan had a small dust-up with another popular Twitter user, over the misuse of work previously published by Brogan. The precise details aren’t important here. What is important is the notion of attribution, and the respect for authentic work. More on that subject later.
2. On Monday, I was 80% of the way through a blog post that I was just plain pumped up about. It was timely, fun, and driven by what I thought to be an extremely unique point of view. A triple whammy! But then, disaster struck. I noticed a tweet linking to a blog post of the identical theme. The really bad news? The post was from several years ago. Uh-oh, there went my “unique” point of view. Could I prove to others (or myself) that I hadn’t read this post previously? No, I couldn’t.
I faced three options – to continue with my post as it was, to work in some sort of attribution, or to suck it up and hit delete. I gave it the “eyes closed” test…closed my eyes, and told myself I would go with whichever option felt right. I decided to delete the post before ever publishing it.
Note: Just today, as I’m writing this, I see that Problogger Darren Rowse has had a popular post of his ripped off by another blogger – chalk another one up for the bad guys.
So, what does this all mean for you? In 2010 and beyond, I think Integrity 2.0 (maintaining one’s real world sense of integrity while on the web) will be huge for personal brands. Just because the web seems to have few rules, this does not mean ethics should fly out the window. In fact, because there are fewer rules, the onus falls upon each of us to monitor ourselves.
Here are a few routes I take consistently to make sure my actions on the web are completely above board:
- Only use blog images from Creative Commons, and always link to the photographer’s page.
- Do a quick Google search before publishing any blog post, to make sure my headline or content does not mirror something that has already been posted (maybe I go overboard here, but better safe than sorry).
- If an idea of mine is sparked by the words of someone else, give them credit for lighting the fire.
- Provide links within blog posts as much as possible – I really don’t care about the search engine ramifications, I just feel it is “right” to do so.
- Retweet and give credit to the original tweeter, rather than just posting a link as my own find.
What do you all think? Am I overly cautious in my ways – or are there other areas I’ve left out that deserve attention? I’d love to hear your thoughts on integrity, Web 2.0, and where the two are headed.
Supreme Court image by massmatt.
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