I’ve never met Yvonne DiVita, but I feel like I’ve known her for a long, long time.
Sure, that’s in part a credit to the camaraderie of the blogosphere, where many of us who have been out here for any significant period of time (in my case, just over two years and 50,000 words) certainly look at each other as kindred spirits out to change the world, word by word, link by link.
But it’s much more a testimony to Yvonne, who really is a great role model and mentor, a very dear and generous friend — to me and so many others who spend so much time here in our own “third place.”
Yvonne is a kind and gentle blogger (see both Lip-Sticking and A-ha!), a baby boomer grandma who lets her cat sleep on the bed (but not the dog), a published author (of the book, “Dickless Marketing: Smart Marketing to Women Online”) and president of Windsor Media Enterprises, an author services company that provides idea development, manuscript critiquing, editing, proofreading, formatting and cover design to new and existing authors.
Given my interest in reporting more news on A New Marketing Commentator (as opposed to expressing my opinion, something I do a lot of here, freely and frequently), I recently ran just a few simple questions about quoting sources by Yvonne (who I knew would have the answers). Here’s the gist of our discussion:
Bob: What are the rules that every blogger needs to follow when it comes to reporting news?
Yvonne: Be honest and authentic, which should go without saying. NEVER quote a source without citing it. NEVER reprint content – without permission. CHECK your facts. Is your source reliable? WHO else uses the source—are they reliable? Where possible, get the truth from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Bob: How much can you quote verbatim?
Yvonne: This question plagues writers…and will continue to do so for decades to come. The unofficial rule is never quote more than 20%. In truth, use a sentence or two to make your point, and give credit where credit is due. If you need more, ask for permission. NEVER assume it’s okay – although ‘fair use’ allows quoting about 20% of content, sometimes it’s the particular content you choose to quote, that gets you in trouble. Facts and figures are generally okay – if you’re confident you can find them elsewhere. That’s public domain. Specific facts and figures from reports compiled by a specific company, may not be fair use. If they’re openly available online (not password protected, for instance) they’re usually okay. Once again, when in doubt: ask…
Bob: Can you – should you – paraphrase?
Yvonne: Indeed…somewhat. You cannot paraphrase an entire document or report. You can paraphrase a portion of it. Be honest. Utilize only what’s necessary to make your point – and be sure to include content written in your own words, not quoted and not paraphrased. UNLESS you are merely directing readers to the report or article…then, you may put a sentence in with a link…in the original author’s own words.
In the end, the truth is – honesty is the best policy. We hear a lot about how bloggers are so ‘authentic’ – meaning we don’t hide behind policy or someone else’s influence. That means taking responsibility for what you write, making sure it’s accurate and always giving credit where credit is due.
Speaking of which, I give Yvonne DiVita a great deal of credit not just for her contribution to this post, but for all she knows and does as an author, marketer, publisher, public speaker, entrepreneur, etc. She just has so much to offer so many of us. And for that reason we are so lucky she is among us in the blogosphere.
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Bob, this is such a treat. I welcome your friendship – and thank the blogoshpere for introducing us. You have such a way with words. It’s been my pleasure to say I know you. This kindness was above and beyond. Any company would be privileged to have you on their marketing staff. You’d be a great in-house blogger! Thank you for allowing me to contribute this little bit of information.
Bob – thanks for the great post. The issues that you raise may seem mundane but they are critical for any blogger who wants to build credibility and trust with her (or his) readers. And they are imperative for business bloggers.
Yvonne’s blog is a great example of how to do blogging right – in terms of blog content and “blogger.”