Short Paper

Lisa Bartels, Melissa Schindler, Jackie Kentfield, Steph Holthaus

Wednesday September 9, 2009

TEAC 259

Assignment #1

Ethics of Online Media


When using the internet, for posting material, whether it is for school, work, or social networking, one must always be cautious about what he or she is sharing. These days, the internet is available and widely used by almost everyone, so it important to make sure that all the materials ones posts online are appropriate and ethically used.

People can create their own websites, blogs, or social networking pages online. Therefore, it is easy to share almost anything with friends. For example, it is easy to post pictures, videos, blog posts, and to communicate with friends through the internet. Some of the most popular ways for people to share information and network are sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Blogspot.

Since it is so easy to share almost anything online with friends, it is important to make sure that all the materials are appropriate. Pictures and videos should not have any inappropriate content, and messages or posts should be kept clean as well. As was previously mentioned, almost anyone with internet access can view the materials people post online.

Writers of blogs or websites should also make sure that the information they are posting is not biased. It is unfair to the reader to only get the facts that the blogger finds important and not all the information on a subject.

There are some risks that come with posting information on the internet. Anything from an incriminating picture getting someone in trouble at their school to having their personal information stolen can cause trouble for users of the internet. Also, today many employers are checking their employees’ social networking and blog sites. Any inappropriate posts or pictures could even cost an internet user his or her job.

There are also some ethical rules that people who post materials online should be aware of. First of all, people must make sure that the content they publish on their websites or blogs is truthful. If the statement that is posted is an opinion or speculation, it is important for the person who posted it to say so.

Another rule that comes with posting material on the internet is giving credit to any outside online sources that are referenced. Plagiarism is illegal, so it is vital to make sure that all outside sources are sited. A good way to do this is to set up a link to any referenced material found online. This way, the readers of a person’s blog or website get all the facts on an issue, not just what that particular blogger found noteworthy.

A third ethical rule is correcting any false information that may have been posted on your personal website or blog in the past. Blog posts can turn up in a search engine, and therefore it is the blogger’s responsibility to publicly acknowledge the misinformation and then to correct it. The facts that a person posts online should always be as accurate as possible.

Bloggers should also write each post as if it could not be changed. Altering a web post can compromise the integrity of a site. For example, many teachers today do not accept Wikipedia as a valid source of information since it is possible to change the information on that site. Rather than deleting a post, bloggers may add to it to correct any misinformation.

Making sure the readers of a blog know about any questionable or biased sources is also an important rule. Readers should be allowed to know where their information is coming from in order to ensure that it is completely accurate and subjective. Biased sources can often report only facts that help their cause, leaving out other important information.

Copywriting issues may also arise when posting materials on the internet. People who post pictures or information on their websites or blogs need to know that they cannot use copywrited materials or pictures without permission or without giving credit to the source they acquired them from. If someone does use copywrited material on his or her site, he or she must give a link giving access to the original information.

Today, it is possible to post almost anything on the internet. This can be extremely beneficial in sharing information, but people must be aware of the risks and rules that come with it. Nearly anyone in the world can access the information people post on the internet, so it is important to be aware of and follow the rules.


Works Cited
Weblog Ethics. Rebecca Blood. 2002. Retrieved September 9, 2009 fromhttp://www.rebeccablood.net/handbook/excerpts/weblog_ethics.html.