Blog Rules
Indie Retailer Blog Rules
First of all, I assure you that I realize the contradiction in terms for “Blog Rules.” We’re fairly new to the game, but not completely naive. Our general understanding of blogs thus far, is that they are a place for posting relevant and frank articles, discussions, and at a less formal level, personal journals. As such, we share this philosophy and this is our intention for this site. However, having done some research and poking around on other blogger’s sites, we’ve noticed that some discussions tend to get rather heated; and as far as we’re concerned, that’s cool too. In fact, we strongly encourage frank and open discussion. We only ask that you keep two words in mind when posting to these blog pages; tact and argument.
In our several years of experience on the Internet and with email, we have also noticed that the impersonal anonymity has reduced some people’s inhibitions to a level that they would never display in public. By being able to hide behind a goofy username and a keyboard at their 24 hour disposal, some people feel empowered to be as unruly, vulgar, and malicious as they wish.
The target audience of this site is small business independent retail professionals. Because we’re hoping to appeal to professionals, we’re hoping that we can all act like professionals. Of course, we may be asking too much. But it certainly didn’t hurt to type it (I have an easy touch keyboard).
So, with that being said, we’d like to briefly give our point of view on the word “argument.” It is our belief that an argument does not necessarily have to be an altogether bad thing. It is simply two opposing ideas trying to convince the other that their ‘argument’ is more correct. When done with tact, it can be a lively and even passionate exchange, leaving both parties invigorated, especially if there is a grateful winner and a respectful convert. I’m reluctant to use the word “loser” because I believe if a person is receptive and willing to submit themselves to a change of their ideals, then they’ve allowed themselves to be enlightened. How can we truly say that someone who has been enlightened is a loser? It is only when our opponent doesn’t see it our way, that they become losers!;) Oops, what I meant to say was, only when the parties become malicious and degrading does the thrill of a good argument go to stress, ill will, and a completely nonproductive waste. What a shame that would be.
Oh, and one more thing. If you haven’t read our Mission Statement, please do so. Short of that, please know that this blog was started to provide small independent business owners a resource for new and creative ideas and concepts for surviving and thriving in an industry dominated by big box retailers. Our focus is on helping small businesses and hoping that our community will be willing to help each other.
What we are not, is a place to vent your whining frustrations and complaints if only to cast blame on the big box retailers. You may note that we make a concious effort not to even mention names of those retailers, even knowing that having those names on our site when being indexed by search bots may have a positive influence on traffic to our site. We make this effort because they don’t matter to us. We don’t want to give them any more of our energy than they’re already sucking out. We need to reclaim that energy and direct it to ourselves and our colleagues who are more deserving.
Good luck to you and happy blogging!
John & Jennifer
Independent Retailers
http://www.indieretailer.com/