Rules? Nobody said anything about rules!

Yes, integrity is important.

...anybody can set up a "Web log" to publish his or her ideas -- and at last count, an estimated eight million people in the U.S. are doing so...

That's me. One in eight million. You know what they say - opinions are like belly buttons... everyone's got one (except Adam and Eve , of course). That's what's great about these blogs - there's such a wide range of viewpoints, and most of them have at least some validity.

Indeed, many bloggers see the blogosphere... as a vast, open forum in which many perspectives can coexist to create an overall picture that's more accurate than the mainstream media.

"The point of blogging is to say what you actually think -- opinion, not the traditional ideal of journalism."

So what are the rules of blogging? I haven't seen any published, but being a rookie, I would think being honest with yourself is important. Keep profanity to a minimum if you want to make your point to the widest possible audience. And keep it civil. You won't get people to change their outlook by insulting them (I guess I need to work on this one).

You may be saying, "what do you know, you still use the term 'blogosphere'?'. But I do know that if you want to change my opinion: 1) treat me with respect, 2) give me salient, coherent facts that I can confirm, not rhetoric or mantra, and 3) make it funny (okay, I just threw that last one in 'cause I like to laugh).

That said, Blog On, y'all. I'll keep banging away at this keyboard as long as my server is alive, and I hope you will too. Maybe together we'll make a noise loud enough to knock down the walls of ignorance, and help create understanding.

Yeah, right. Never mind, just make it funny.