Hi!
Time clearly flies when you’re having fun, as already have several weeks passed since we last shared a Work It Like a Boss post! Although we have received plenty of great topic suggestions from followers {your interests range from photography to blogging, and we hope to get to them all!}, Lulu and I decided to focus this month’s efforts on something that is relevant to any doll blogger or regular reader: online etiquette, a blanket term for the “unwritten rules” of the blogging world. The online doll community is super friendly, supportive, and all-around awesome – we consider ourselves so lucky to be a part of it – that we wanted to offer a few simple reminders so we can keep it that way.
Fair warning, before we begin. These are our thoughts only, so feel free to agree or disagree! Stay constructive with your feedback, and remember no one’s perfect {Lulu and I certainly aren’t}.
Pictures Online are Not Yours to Take: Although I would think it rare that this is done with jerkish intent, I see photos or graphics miscredited, or worse, not credited, all too often in the doll world. A photo popping up on Pinterest or Google images does not make it yours to use freely; a talented artist, blogger, or passionate doll fan is behind that piece of work! Do your best to find the original source {a reverse search engine makes this process super easy} and ask permission to use it whenever possible, even if that means holding out on your post for a few days. Safest bet if you can’t get in touch? A caption and link will do the trick. Done and done!
Comment Like You’re Talking To Your Best Friend: I can’t think of anything worse to do to a blogger than leave a mean-spirited comment, especially on a post they put a lot of effort into. Getting your tone across online can be incredibly difficult, so my go-to piece of advice is to pretend you’re talking to your best friend {i.e. always kind, never cruel!}. On a similar note, there’s no need to spam your favorite blogs with your own site link. Spend your time developing real connections with them instead, and send an email if you truly want.
Spelling Need Not Be Perfect, But Try Your Best: I surely can’t be the only one that lists “text language” as a pet peeve. Blogging or commenting online is all about making fabulous impressions, so why in the world would you want to riddle your online presence with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes? Clearly, we are all guilty of typos, but the probability of me replying to an email with all lowercase letters and “you” spelled like “u” is slim. Oh, and this should go without saying, but in the doll world, I would stay away from cursing {unless your site is directed towards adult collectors, in which case you’re clearly old enough to use it with common sense and class :)}.
There’s a Person Behind the Screen: Finally, at the end of the day, the two of us like to remember that there is always someone on the receiving end of our posts, issues, and pins! Reflect the motto “there’s a person behind the screen” in your online interactions; reply to comments, answer emails, and put your best face forward – one that’s hopefully smiling!
Is there anything you would add to this list? Have a wonderful day!
Bella
thedollmag.wordpress.com 
Thank you for this! I have been on the receiving end of some awful “comments” on my AG youtube channel. These have been from people in the “tween” age. I don’t understand the impulse to be cruel. :/
I’m so sorry to hear that! I’d imagine YouTube is a tough beast to tackle when it comes to comments, as you have less control than you would have on a blog.
Great post! I would like to add that blogs written and run by adult collectors prefer polite and respectful language as well. Cursing…just don’t do it.
Of course! I wasn’t clear enough in my write-up {off to edit now}, but my point was more that if you are an in adult collecting community, you are more likely to use common sense with that type of language, but even so, it’s best not to do anyways. Thanks for stopping by! :)
I’m loving all the wonderful comments on this post. Good conversation is happening here.
Someone noted that not everyone likes spelling and grammar – which is true – however, ever since phones have adopted the QWERTY keyboard there is no reason to use text speak unless you are trying to keep responses under 140 characters for Twitter. Plus you run the risk of not being understood. Most people know that LOL is laugh out loud, but to others it is lots of love or lots of luck or even land o’lakes.
Too true! I had a friend who didn’t get the role she wanted in a show; her grandparents signed a text message afterwards “LOL” as “lots of love” but she took it the other way! I think it’s even worse online, where it’s harder to take back your words. And, yes, I’m absolutely loving the discussions everyone is bringing up! :)
This is a great post and a wonderful reminder that we are all here to encourage and learn from each other. A great way to start my Tuesday : )
Oh, that makes me so happy to hear! Hope your Tuesday is rocking so far :)
Lovely! And as a site host, remember this too…critical feedback will never be personally insulting. If you’re insulted, then either you’re taking it personally or it isn’t constructive feedback. If it isn’t a comment that attacks you personally, there may be something to it that you can learn from (even if what you learn is that you take things personally). As a commenter, pay attention to the mentor part and communicate with positivity – that doesn’t mean sugar coat nor does it mean lie. Honest feedback is the best feedback. And yes, if you comment online like every one is your BFF then you will be commenting with graciousness and sensitivity and THAT is critical feedback. LOVE YOUR BLOG. THANKS FOR ANOTHER GREAT POST!
Definitely! Thanks for sharing such good advice and for such a sweet comment! :)
I would just stay away from swearing, even if your blog is aimed for adult collectors it could be seen by anyone.
Yes, texting language on a blog is a pet peeve of mine.
~Lydia~ <3
Very true!
I couldn’t agree more with the point of spelling and grammar mistakes. It is annoying! Some people just don’t like spelling or grammar though…
Although it is one of my biggest pet peeves, you make a valid point!
Loved the post! It was very interesting, and I agree with what you wrote. I know what you mean when you say “comment like you’re talking to your best friend”, but I think it is important to not use sarcasm you might use with close friends or family. I like to use sarcasm with my sister over chat, but sarcasm in comments might be taken the wrong way. I like to stay on the safe side, and take anything out of my comment that might be taken the wrong way.
I am totally with you with text language-I dislike comments or posts with that. That goes for no punctuation and no capital letters at the beginning of sentences. Really-it’s not that hard to write a grammatically correct sentence!
My own advice for bloggers(and commenters!) is to reread what you’ve wrote. I reread my posts, and then my sister reads it, and sometimes there are still typos! So it’s best to reread it at least once.
I really enjoyed your post, and I hope you don’t mind the super long comment. :)
~Christian Homeschooler
Sarcasm is such a tough line to walk online, so thank you for sharing your advice! We love long comments; they keep the conversation going :)
I love this post so much! I fully agree with everything you said! And also, as Christian Homeschooler pointed out, rereading through your posts (and comments) is super important. I reread through every post, and then I have my mom read it, just to make sure everything makes sense and that there are no typos. I actually even have to re-read through my own text messages at times to make sure that it won’t be taken the wrong way. I have experienced that so many times where I’ll send a text jokingly to my friend or something, and then my friend ends up taking it the wrong way, and I’m like uh-oh. It is so easy to let things slip through text, or also in comments, that you normally wouldn’t say in person. It’s so important to really remember to think about what you’re saying and how it could be taken in so many different ways. Even though in your mind, it might be funny or just a joke, to the person you’re speaking to, it could be offensive.
I love that: “There’s a person behind the screen.” That’s just great! :)
~Jaclynn~
Exactly! Without some indication of emotion, your comments can easily be misread, so it’s important to remain respectful and kind. Thanks for stopping by! :)
Very good post, particularly the part about pictures. I’ve been amazed to see the number of photographs stolen (and yes, from a legal standpoint, it is stealing) from other websites and used like they are public property. They are not. That is one of those things that I’m a real stickler about, and it makes me sad when I see someone post that something they have created has been used without permission. So not cool.
Agreed. I think many people – especially younger bloggers – are unaware of the consequences when you take another person’s work online. Hopefully, we can raise a bit more awareness! Thanks for sharing some great insight! :)
Such a good post! I am surprised at how girls can be so mean to eachother. I think that people tend to forget that they are talking to a real person.
~Kathryn
I know, I have to remind myself that the majority of online AG fans are young girls! It’s easy to forget manners behind the screen, but I hope this becomes a thing of the past, not the present. Thank you so much for stopping by! :)
Agreed! Bad grammar is a pet peeve, and cussing ruins an article.
Yes and yes! :)
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I agree with everything said here, and I’d like to add my own: accept constructive criticism. Obviously, if someone is downright rude and says something like “this was a totally horrible post”, that’s not okay, but (especially if you asked for feedback!) if someone says “I really liked this set of photos! Caroline’s hair looked super pretty, and the lighting was great! Maybe the background could have been better, though. But overall, great post!” you need to accept it. Constructive criticism can help us be better and improve, and it really irritates me when a blogger asks for feedback/constructive criticism and then, when someone gives it, shoots them down for being a “negative troll that I don’t have time for” when the comment was just like the second example I gave above. We need to be nice to people, always, and any criticism should be thought-through, constructive, and maybe layered with some compliments on what the person did well (and, just like Christian Homeschooler said, reread to make sure it doesn’t come off as mean), but if a comment meets all that criteria and the blogger dismisses it as “bullying” and only allows people who praise everything they do to comment, that’s not okay. Especially if you asked for feedback in the first place! Obviously, we all need to be really careful to be especially nice and polite when offering constructive criticism, but bloggers in return must accept that there are people out there who have different opinions and views and takes on things than they do, and they can’t ban someone from commenting for calmly and politely expressing a different opinion. We need to accept constructive criticism and different opinions without getting our panties in a bunch, even if we don’t agree with what they said. You can’t only allow comments/messages/other from people who praise every little thing you do and agree with everything little thing you say.
(If you reply to all your comments and find yourself in a bind because you don’t know/want to respond to a polite countering opinion or bit of constructive criticism (we all have those moments, even if we try not to), something along the lines of “Thank you so much for the feedback!” or “I loved hearing from you!” will always work wonderfully.)
– Ellie
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