10 arguments in favor of a Philippine bloggers association

N.B. – This was published in The Lobbyist (March 8) where I write a column (Subtext).

Recent talk about forming a national bloggers’ association has to do with “professionalizing” what is usually a high-tech hobby or a passing fancy.

Is there really a need to “professionalize” blogging? Perhaps we should backtrack a bit and raise a simple question: What does “professionalization” mean?

In an interview by DigitalFilipino Club’s Janette Toral, blogger Tonyo Cruz makes valid arguments for “formalizing” under one national-level organization what are, for the most part, various informal groups of bloggers throughout the country, especially in Mindanao where blogging communities are strong (at least based on my personal assessment, having interacted with many Mindanao-based bloggers).

There are initiatives to organize and mobilize bloggers for various reasons. These range from informal gatherings to more formal seminars and workshops. There are also occasions when bloggers’ groups would organize contests among interested bloggers to commend the best well-written entries on certain topics. Many bloggers are also aware of award-giving bodies that give due recognition to outstanding bloggers based on a defined set of criteria. In terms of socio-civic involvement, there were bloggers who helped in relief efforts for typhoon Ondoy victims in 2009 not just by blogging about the issue but also by donating money and visiting distressed communities.

There are many lessons to be learned from the best practices of not only of blogging per se but also of organizing various blogging-related events. As regards the latter, two examples immediately come to mind – the nationwide WordCamp Philippines and the Mindanao-wide BlogFest. Many bloggers could learn a thing or two from the Mindanao-based bloggers on how to efficiently organize events like these so that these could be replicated in other communities. Of course, one does not need a national bloggers’ association to share his or her experience, but having one could expedite the process of dissemination to like-minded bloggers who are interested to know.

Sharing of information and experience is just a minor reason for setting up a national bloggers’ association. Allow me to enumerate what I consider to be the 10 major ones:

  1. PROFESSIONALIZATION. To answer our “simple” question, professionalization is not synonymous with making pro-bloggers (or those who mainly blog for a living) out of all interested bloggers. Professionalization only means adherence to a certain set of ethical and professional standards as they go about blogging. From my interaction with many prominent bloggers through the years, I know that many of them recognize the need to be responsible in what they post online. The professionalization of blogging through a national association only refers therefore to defining the parameters for “responsibility.”
  2. RECOGNITION. It is possible for the government, media, schools and other institutions to recognize the legitimacy of blogging (not to mention its role in social development) through an organized group of bloggers. Even if the formation of one does not guarantee the eradication of irresponsible blogging, at least social sectors and the general public will have a bloggers’ association to look up to as regards how blogging should be done.
  3. STANDARDIZATION. By analyzing the best and worst practices, a national bloggers’ association could define the professional and ethical standards of blogging and strongly encourage all bloggers (whether members or non-members of the association) to follow suit. Standards, of course, should be high; standards, after all, are meant to be just that. It would be counter-productive to lower standards to adjust, for example, to the demands of bloggers whose idea of blogging is to just merely earn money through deception and at the expense of shaping public opinion.
  4. ARBITRATION. A national bloggers’ association, assuming that it has its own defined rules in handling complaints, could help resolve conflicts not only between bloggers but also with other sectors. Arbitration is absolutely necessary if two warring bloggers fail to resolve issues among themselves. Third-party intervention may also be needed in case an online user wants to file a complaint against a blogger. And on a more profit-oriented note, if a blogger complains about not being paid by his or her advertiser, then the association could intervene on the blogger’s behalf. In case you may not be aware of it, a broadcast media organization’s membership in the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) becomes helpful whenever it has problems collecting from advertisers as the KBP is ready to help resolve such conflicts.
  5. ASSOCIATION. In this context, the word is used to refer to the situation where like-minded bloggers unite toward a common cause. A national group that seeks to address common concerns could empower its members to professionalize their ranks and raise social discourse to an even higher level. In this way, they could serve as an example not just locally but also internationally as their group is worth emulating by others.
  6. INSTITUTIONALIZATION. If the association becomes well-organized, it is possible that it would outlive its officers and members and eventually stand on its own merit in the years to come. As the group becomes institutionalized and recognized by the general public, blogging becomes a legitimate activity worth practicing by those interested. It is not anymore seen as a passing fancy of those who have nothing better to do with their time.
  7. ORGANIZATION. Related to having an association with like-minded bloggers, the latter would have a sense of organization in the sense that their blog-related actions are not anymore individual but collective. Much as their individuality will still be reflected in their blogs, they will see the importance of belonging to a group and ensuring that they would become useful members or officers of it.
  8. SELF-REGULATION. Instead of seeking legislative intervention through laws that would regulate blogging, bloggers would feel the need to police their own ranks through a well-established and well-entrenched association. Just like journalism, the blogosphere should NOT be regulated by the government.. Bloggers should be allowed to engage in free speech, preferably adhering to the defined standards.
  9. MOBILIZATION. As bloggers become organized, it becomes more systematic to mobilize them toward common causes like helping out during disasters. It is even possible for a national bloggers’ association to call on its members to write about a particular issue so that it would catch the attention of the public. This way, the blogosphere can help set the agenda for public and policy discourse, as well as contribute to a healthy debate on burning issues.
  10. UNIFIED ACTION. Beyond blogging, a national bloggers’ association could unite not only its members but also other sectors in moving toward common aspirations. As their unity becomes stronger, bloggers get to be in a better position to have alliances with other sectors, even to the extent of fighting common enemies. Bloggers, for example, can forge alliances with journalist in promoting and upholding free expression, as well as in fighting any attempts by the powers-that-be to suppress media.

Before a blogger thinks about coming up with 10 or more counter-arguments regarding the points I made, I hope that he or she would seriously think about the benefits of a national association in helping define how blogging could help in social development.

In the final analysis, the success of a national bloggers’ association all boils down to the kind of support it will get from the Filipino blogging community. Much as there are bloggers who are wont to dismiss it as an unnecessary “burden,” there will be bloggers who will recognize its importance in terms of social mobilization and unified action. One can only hope at this point that the latter would outnumber the former, and that the movement toward professionalizing the ranks of bloggers on a nationwide scale would finally take off.

One thought on “10 arguments in favor of a Philippine bloggers association”

  1. Pingback: North Fort

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.