Absolute Power …

I’ve got many friends who are sick and tired of blogs and bloggers. Their most common complaint is that blog entries are gumming up Google search results and they want the ability to deselect blog posts from search results. Yet, their attitude springs from a deeper source. The result garnered from the combination of two common sayings explains the font of their attitude.

1. The (power of the) pen is mightier than the (power of the) sword.
2. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Therefore, the unedited pen corrupts absolutely.

Rank speculation with no insider knowledge (the kind not worth identifying specifically) does more than make you look silly. It reduces your own credibility and also raises credibility concerns with all unedited pens. This is another reason why corporate blogs will co-opt the majority of amateur blogs. Corporate blogs will add journalistic process and ethics to the formula of timely, relevant information delivered in small, easy-to-handle chunks. Amateur bloggers who want to retain credibility will have to learn how to self-edit.