I have to admit, in my early days of blogging, I might have done this a lot. I would hear or read about something, get an idea for a post, store it in my memory (or notepad for that matter) and then build my post around that kernel of idea. There were times, though, that I would not really take the time to check on the facts that I presented in my posts. I would take for granted that I remembered what I read exactly. Or sometimes, I would just rely on what I heard and present it as a fact.
This is what I call shooting from the hip. Though there would be times that I did recall all the details correctly, I am sure that there were times when I got some details inaccurately as well. Luckily for me, I didn’t really get into trouble because of those oversights.
Yet can you imagine if you posted something in your blog that turned into a big controversy? We are all excited about comments but what if someone got his facts straighter than you did and let you (and the rest of the world) know in his comments on your post?
Obviously, a good blog writing practice would be NOT to shoot from the hip and make sure that you have your facts straightened out. Of course, your opinion is another matter – you can never be right or wrong in that respect. When it comes to presenting ideas as facts, however, make sure that they are indeed factual.
Originally posted on November 28, 2007 @ 2:57 am
