I am seeing a trend where more people are starting to disclose information simply because they want to appear professional. A disclosure is basically the act of sharing and revealing some information. For example, if I am a giant squirrel and I write a lot about squirrels, I should reveal, or disclose, that fact somewhere on my site or in my writing.
In order for someone to actually have a disclosure that helps, one needs to realize how much disclosures are necessary for the site or blog in question. To do that, I will focus very briefly on two different types of sites on the internet: business sites, and personal sites.
Disclosure on business sites
A business can disclose how some association or a partnership can influence certain decisions. When it comes to a business, are simple disclosures really adequate? Just because someone discloses a fact does not mean that they will have a balanced judgment about something, so how can we know whether or not a certain disclosure is adequate enough for a business situation?
If a news agency like MSNBC discloses how it may be related to Microsoft, does any article containing such a disclosure automatically become balanced? Should MSNBC also disclose how every writer and reporter that it employs may be related to a certain company that is being covered in any news story?
How about a business blog that focuses solely on making money? For example, if bloggers talk about web hosting services on their blogs, and the sponsors on that site are also web hosts, would having a disclosure on who the sponsors are automatically mean that the bloggers are not being biased towards web hosts in their writing in any manner? Should you worry or not worry about being transparent to your readers in your disclosures?
Disclosure on personal sites
I have not yet seen an increasing trend among personal blogs where bloggers disclose certain things, like how they make money. I have, however, seen several personal blogs disclose such information, so I am guessing that since such blogs do exist, we may see a lot more similar disclosures on personal blogs as time passes. However, I have realized that personal blogs can be more challenging when it comes to disclosures because of the very nature of personal blogs.
Personal blogs are supposed to be dynamic, governed by the rules set forth by a personal blogger. How can, then, one decide what to disclose and what to hide on a personal blog? Should you disclose how you are friends with someone in real life and that is why you promote their blog or service on your site? Should you be disclosing or hiding the fact that you blog only to make money? Do you need to disclose how you had a good experience with a certain company and that is why you write nice things about that company?
Disclosures on blogs in general
On typical blogs, disclosures can be about many things, including monetary, religious or political affiliations. Many bloggers assume that the act of disclosing something automatically means that the bloggers are not being biased in their actions or judgment. In reality, however, disclosing a fact does only one thing: it reveals a fact, and nothing more. A blogger has to figure out whether or not his or her writing and action is balanced in a separate analysis by finding out how important transparency is for their their blog. Finding out how much disclosure is necessary for your blog can help you figure out which things you should keep in mind in order to actually be balanced in your writing and other actions.
What do you think? What is your opinion on this?
PS: I am not a giant squirrel, by the way.
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