The illusion of collusion is not fully understood until one perceives the notion of humanity as majority.

I’ll take the pledge Martin. Honestly, I have been learning how to correctly identify to readers what is paid for things on my own blog. I call it a thing, simply put, for I have never had to reveal my sources of income before, as one does with blogging, save to my respective government come income tax time. I say honestly, I have never posted a post because I was paid from a company to post about it’s product. Other than being a paid contributor to this blog and one other, I feel that being labelled as a contributor clearly illustrates that a financial and/or personal exchange is taking place, between owner and contributor. I believe this to be clearly understood by those who happen upon the blogosphere for the first time. It was to me. It may not be to others. But given time this concept/reality is digested quickly. Just like on traditional News sites, newspapers, magazines and even TV, there is an exchange of bounty between contributor and owner that is implied.

Just reading your post Martin and then clicking through to read the full Blog Honor Pledge calmed my nerves. That may sound foolish but as I blog more, I learn more and the more opinions I read the more I store them in my head. Many may be able to push these all opinions aside, yet the more I tried the more I get/got confused. This unknown pressure presented itself to me one day. I read about splogs, spam and non existent disclosures from blogs in which the post is being paid by advertisers to promote their product (negatively and/or positively). This dishonesty and failure to be honest is what makes people begin to feel insignificant. As a intermediate? (lol – I don’t know) blogger I began feeling insignificant.

I agree with you Martin on this.

I’€™m of the view that the reader comes first. Do right by the reader by being authentic and transparent at all times and the rewards will eventually come your way.

As a human being we all need money of some form or other to survive. With the advent of blogging it’s critical we all be honest, even when it hurts. Whether it be someone else who broke the lie or you as an individual who told the truth, how can anyone question when the truth is told and many people bloggers begin to tell the same truth. How beautiful.

I read about splogs, spam and see no disclosure on blogs where-in the majority of posts could be paid advertising or worse, stolen content from a legit blog without the owners own opinion added to the stolen post. Things like these could cause many bloggers to feel insignificant and worse to feel they are being used and lied to. Because really, we are from all over the world. For some reason or another each of us began to blog. No matter what one’s passion is we all have a right to be who we are. Our personal blog’s demonstrate such.

This will devalue blogs and blogging as a medium, and might even be one reason why blogging may never move beyond the ‘€œblogosphere’€? and into the general mainstream.

This is where my initial fear began. Mainstream, and what the term represents to many; limited choice and only those with enough money and power can advertise and/or entertain to the majority. Having a personal blog is a sort of entertainment. It’s downright funny sometimes… wouldn’t you agree! ha ha. But, seriously, each one of us bloggers are a minority within ourselves until we let go of old perceived learned ways of thinking and understanding. It is not ok that there are people in this world who want to control and leverage to their own benefit the blogosphere because they have governing power, influence and/or money to take away something that is, right now available equally to all, only to restrict it’s use to a select few, as in the case of TV.

I like reading lots of different stuff. I sometimes comment and at times ‘am even inspired to ad my thoughts to the discussion though a post. I see the blogosphere becoming a free market with it’s own ethics being built and adhered to because it is the honest thing to do. This is perhaps the largest Free-market in the world that everyone can use. When collusion happens as it does seem to be a phenomenon within the blogosphere, the majority certainly voice there opinion about it. This is a good thing.

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And I still think”> the idea of a wiki-court would benefit all parties involved who are concerned about or committing non-ethical activity online. Anyone who can click a button and read, should be able to use this in theory. It appears this is being discussed currently by many. Maybe this is where government should be placing it public services funding rather than trying to turn the internet into another regulated government department.

I kind of see all bloggers as being artists. We all take what we know, put it out there, and it really is out there folks. We get to engage with the rest of the world about what is happening, happened or is yet to come, about ourselves and/or others equally and freely.

Net Neutrality takes on a new urgency for all of us now. Remember, everyone of us are artists with the freedom to be so.

As one we are a singular minority.
Together we become the majority.