J.D. Lasica has a great article on OJR about the ethical considerations that bloggers are being faced with more and more these days. Defintely a part of the blogs growing up meme that seems to be running through my aggregator lately.

While they may not have a rulebook, bloggers have evolved a loose-knit set of general tenets. These principles seem to be widely held:

* Disclose, disclose, disclose. Transparency – of actions, motives and financial considerations – is the golden rule of the blogosphere.
* Follow your passions. Blog about topics you care deeply about.
* Be honest. Write what you believe.
* Trust your readers to form their own judgments and conclusions.
* Reputation is the principal currency of cyberspace. Maintain your independence and integrity – lost trust is difficult to regain.

I hope I can get into the blogs evolving idea more later, but I think it’s safe to say we’ve entered a new stage, maybe adolescence as Tom calls it. Early indications are this could be messy, and it’s not clear what the adult blogger looks like…
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