Hi Ann;

I think the concept here is very good at face value.

I like the idea of making a pledge to be honest with your posts.

However, I am concerned it is too easy to slap this image up on your website.

If I was a scammer (and I am not), I can easily post this thing in two seconds.

I would be much better if this were given to me as an award, much like the Brownie badge.

Because I can reach into the cookie jar and grab this, I am not sure it is as credible.

Just my initial thoughts.

Mike

Thanks you Ann (and a big thank you to Jim).

I think the "Honor Badge" is a great idea (visionary, one my say) and needed. Readers should have confidence in us, and this is one way for us to say we are doing our best to be honest and trustworthy.

Lewis

Michael,

I'll take your word for how easy the Honor Badge can be affixed to our blogs. As for me, I don't have a clue. In fact, I was thinking it should be easier to add.

But you are right. In fact, I think that such a badge/pledge should be administered and presented by an organization whose brand is already trusted.

MarketingProfs up to it?

Lewis

I think it's a great idea but I agree with Mike -- the badge needs to be given by a trusted org.

I would pay a company like MarketingProfs a small fee to look through my blog, talk to me, and then give me the badge for my blog if I/my blog pass muster.

I don't really think the credibility of blogs has been threatened by the fakers, simply because blogs still don't have the level of influence that some bloggers think we do. As for the badge, I agree with Michael, too easy to slap it on your blog and claim you are a good guy.

But the right idea, and a good way to get the conversation started.

Hi Ann,
I agree with Mack. I don't think MP needs an honor badge. There are gazillions of blogs now, and like everything else, the relevant, honest ones will rise to the top. The rest will die away. The truth will always out, and smart people will avoid interacting with fakes.

First off, thanks Ann for bringing these badges to light. I think everyone's feedback here is good and constructive as well.

I'm going to follow up with a blog entry here at MP about it some more, seems easier to answer everything that way.

Nobody wants the blogger police...do we?

Jim,

I don't think we want blog cops, but I also don't believe trust and credibility happen by themselves.

Therefore, I am in favor of any marketing tactic, and that is what we are really talking about here, that will enhance and point to a blog's credibility.

Whatever that is, and maybe it's a badge or an oath, it must come from a credible source, and not be something the blog owner controls.

Jim, you and Ann deserve kudos for starting the conversation. I want to see it continue and result in action.

Lewis

Personally, I love the idea... but I'm a total nutjob, so there you go...

I think that some sign of solidarity is great. Maybe just having these conversations is enough?

I agree with Mack (as usual)- as much as we believe in our power and influence, it isn't quite there yet (but it is developing every second).

All that said, gimme the damn badge! Do we have to have a brown vest though, or even a vest? The former fashionista in me is unhappy with that- vests just aren't "the thing" these days. Maybe a saucy little beret or something? Just a suggestion.

I'll take the nutjob every time. Give me that beret!

I vote for a sash like Miss America :-) I think honesty exudes from MP's blogs, but I am not so naive to think I'm smart enough to not be duped by scams and charlatans. As a former sociopath magnet I know first hand how brilliant a trickster can be. So I would advocate for blog badges to be awarded not something you can post for yourself. Maybe the BBB seal of approval - Better Blogger's Bureau or the Good Homepage Seal of Approval...:-)

Hey gang -- I am honored that you see MarketingProfs Daily Fix as... well, honorable. Which it is.

I don't think MarketingProfs wants to be in the business of giving a "Good Housekeeping" seal to other blogs, but it's an interesting idea -- sort of like the Truste seal of a "trusted commerce" site.

I guess in the end I agree with Claire and Mack and others -- the good stuff rises to the top, and the honest and sincere ultimately survive/thrive. That being said, I applaud Jim for his innovative thinking... seriously, the guy NEVER STOPS thinking (!)... and I think his Honor Blog button acts as a catalyst for thinking/talking about the issue. Which is, after all, what bloggers do best.

I haven't read your next post yet, Jim...but I'm looking forward to it. It'll be here tomorrow (10.26), if anyone is wondering....

Hello Ann,

Great perpective, thank you. I like the idea of some kind of rewards and recognition linked to a blog or blogger. I think you're right about real life as well... we get more in grade school than later on. ; )

Jim, tell me if I'm wrong, but your badge is an opportunity offered to bloggers to raise their hand in public and say... "Trust me!", right? (please forgive the simplified image, but I see it in a positive way).

At first I was blocked by the idea that one could decide to copy and paste the badge by themselves. But at second thought, I thought there was more out of it.

A blog is a "human thing". It is originally based on trust and honesty. So my question is : if we think some people are not to be trusted, how are we going to identify who should and who should not? Difficult to identify a blogger's (real, true, honest) motivators.

This said, what if we think about some bloggers who launch commercial sites apart from their blogs and surf between the lines of what one could see as pure marketing tools. Then, the other way around, what about the blogs written by company owners who want to share opinions openly... Does this influence their blog credibility?

Would they use the "Blog Honor Member" badge?

Mindblog, that's exactly what it's about. My post tomorrow morning here on MP will further talk about that and the blog police idea.

Ann, yes, I do stop thinking, like right now I'm going to fire up my world of warcraft account and go geek out.

There are ethical issues around commenting on blogs,too. It's OK to get into a conversation around your company/products and defend them - but it's not so OK if you don't disclose who you are. It's OK to encourage your customers to "blog in your defense", but is it stil OK when you've put the words in their mouths?

Lots of interesting things to think about here.

Brownie badge or not, one thing we can do with respect to faux bloggers is to expose them when and where we discover them at work.

Sorry for the late comment, but I just got back from my friend's wedding at the beach, and a sort of mini-vacation.

A "seal of approval" type button for credible blogs is a great idea, but I agree with Michael that the ease of adding the button's HTML code to a blog makes the concept pointless. The average Joe Scammer can simply use the code and appear credible, when he's really not.

There should be an organization with credible folks from the marketing/blogging worlds who review blogs by a submission process, then after a blog is deemed worthy of the badge, the code is emailed to the blog owner for use on the site. That's a good first step to making this idea very worthwhile, otherwise it will be abused like everything else.

I have a question. Excuse my "newness" to the blog world. What about the concept of "ghost blogging"? Much like "ghost writing" a book?

Would this be considered against the Blog Honor?

I have been working on this idea for some time and would love to discuss it further with you. I am actually completing the finishing touches on a new site that I feel will help promote this overall idea. Please feel free to contact me at the email listed with my comment.