Blog Your Passion

By: Lorelle VanFossen

Apr 28 2013

Tags: accessibility, barriers, borders, defamation, fences, laws, legal, policies, web accessibility, web policies

Category: Blog Care and Feeding, Blogging Tips

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“Proceed no further,” said the sign blocking the trail at the Painted Hills overlook in Oregon.

There are signs like this everywhere, real and metaphorical.

What was fascinating about the sign is that no fence lay beyond to block those unstopped by such signs.

It reminded me that we have signs all over the place, and many of people plow through them and many obey them without fences to reinforce the notion that this is an impassable barrier.

When it comes to your blog, there will always be fences and barriers that you should not pass, and ones that are worth plowing through.

How do you know which is which?

Barriers you should not pass are web standards and federal laws. Web standards for websites include writing policies covering copyright, disclosure, privacy, and comments, web accessibility, and the laws in your state and country on web standards and web publishing.

Other barriers include defamation, inciting violence, and other actions that break not only laws but the culture of your society.

There are conditional barriers you may or may not wish to cross. Offending readers might be one of them, or swearing could be another.

There are also barriers you may or may not wish your readers to cross. Copyright and plagiarism might be one, cussing and swearing and abusive language might be another you may not tolerate on your site.

It’s important that you define your barriers from both sides, what you put out to the public and how you allow the public to interact with you on your site. Define them clearly so everyone knows the rules.