For me, one of the key points to consider in a discussion of ethics and blogging is pretty far down their list:
* Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations, activities and personal agendas

November  13-16, 2007 (Monday, Nov. 12 is Veteran's Day)
ABOUT THE TOPIC: ”Blogger's Code of Ethics: News or Ruse?” Is the blogosphere the new Wild West? Ethical Marketing Expert Shel Horowitz, brings law and order to the territory when he “shows the world the value in your values” that runs deeper than any industry “code.”
ABOUT THE DISCUSSION LEADER:
Shel is the author of seven books–his two most recent are Apex
Award winner Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and
Indie Excellence honorable mention Grassroots Marketing for Authors
and Publishers. Shel is founder of the Business
Ethics …

ABOUT THE TOPIC:The Blogosphere honors “Transparency” above all. Publishers of fake blogs or are treated like horse thieves in the old West.
But is blogging an art form or a business? Blogging guru Dave Taylor may ruffle some feathers next week with a look at whether it's OK to take pay for blogging. Is it OK to ghostwrite a blog? Are paid bloggers like bounty hunters? Or have bloggers become like any other professional writers? Then again, didn't Moliere say, “Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, …

Mark October  22-26, 2007 
on your calendar for a blog program that promises to be profitable… and provocative. The host will be Ted Demopoulos, author of Blogging for Business. His topic: Should CEOs Blog?

ABOUT THE TOPIC:
The term “CEO Blog” refers to a blog written by a high level executive
such as a CEO. The few CEO blogs that exist are very popular, but
should the average CEO or other executive blog? How can they possibly
make time among their other responsibilities? Are the “rules” different
for CEOs and other high profile poeple? Can they have …

Please join us this week December 11-15, for a blog program: Blog Rules, with discussion leader, Nancy Flynn

ABOUT THE TOPIC:
Blogs have become as essential as email and newsletters. But with news stories about everything from embarrassment in the blogosphere to legal action… blogging carries risks. Know how to protect yourself and your company. Blog safely.

ABOUT THE DISCUSSION LEADER:
Nancy Flynn is the author of the new book, Blog Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policy, Public Relations, and Legal Issues from Amacom Books. Nancy is founder and executive director of The …

Please join us July 17-21, 2006 for a blog program: PR is Getting
Personal, with discussion leaders Joost van de Loo, Clo Willaerts and
Dana Gornitzki
ABOUT THE TOPIC:In today's networked world it is no longer a winning strategy to have a safe job and to trust in the authority of your company. Positions change quickly; your manager can become a freelancer, your supplier can be your client the next month.  Commercial communication is more and more becoming the ongoing dialogue between individuals that the Cluetrain Manifesto predicted. Direct-to-consumer PR is only a …

All the copywriting experts warn: Don't use humor in advertising! “People don't buy products from clowns,” thundered the grandfather of modern advertising…

The battle goes on…. At the end of my last entry, I wrote, “Perhaps the best model for this type of flawed thinking is a military one….

Are you “creative”?… Too much of what passes for marketing is based on creative whim. General advertisers often shoot blind, trying to make “impressions” instead of targeting sales.

Please join us June 12-16, 2006 for a blog program: Direct-to-Consumer News Releases, with discussion leader David Meerman Scott.
ABOUT THE TOPIC:The Web has changed the rules for press releases. Press releases are now read by millions of consumers on Google News, Yahoo News, newspaper and magazine sites and thousands of vertical market sites, But many PR professionals resist direct-to-consumer PR. Is it time to step it up and consider the promise Web 2.0 public relations holds? Do we need to alter the way you think about press releases? Or, as …