Telling the truth in your blog: does it matter?

Is it good enough to just follow the crowd?

Is it good enough to just follow the crowd?

This may be a sensitive topic but one that I thought worthy of discussion. After all, most of us who manage our own blogs are, in effect, writers, editors and publishers. We choose what we write about, we produce the content, we proof it and we are responsible for the output. So how much effort do we put into making sure that what we write is true and factually accurate? And does it actually matter to our readers anyway? Do people read our blogs to be informed or to be entertained? And if it’s the latter, is there any harm in stretching the truth to make a better story?

Factual accuracy

Perhaps it’s useful to consider the different types of content that is produced. If we are writing information about a specific destination or product, accuracy (and truth) must matter. Listing room prices, travel times or historical information is pointless unless it’s right – it can even be damaging if people take this advice on board and then find their plans affected as a result.

Of course readers should always exercise caution when taking the word of a single blogger (or even a guide book contributor to some extent). But knowingly putting out information that’s no more than a guess for the sake of completeness can’t be right.

Reviews and Opinions

Perhaps this area should be considered alongside the ongoing legal action being taken against TripAdvisor. They are in hot water as a result of a number of reviews written by users about hotels or restaurants, where the property owners have objected to the content. In some cases they argue that the reviewer never even stayed with them, in others that the allegations are false and libellous. TripAdvisor is liable as the publisher of the content. In the same way we, as the owners of our blogs, can be held accountable if we make defamatory comments about places we have stayed in or eaten at.

Personal anecdotes

This is one area where I think some slack should be tolerated. Where we write about our own adventures, our mishaps and our reflections along the way, facts in such cases are often secondary to the main purpose of the story. Does anyone care whether it took us eight hours to hike back from that mountain or whether it was actually six? Does it matter that the steak we ate was 24oz or whether it was really only 16oz? Exaggeration has been an essential part of storytelling since pre-historic days, and will always continue to be so.

I’m relaxed about people stretching a point while telling a story and have been known to do so myself once or twice to give more impact to an experience or an encounter. ‘Never let the truth get in the way of a good story’, as the old saying goes. That’s all well and good as long as it’s just that: a story. Once a writer is attempting to provide opinion or factual information to their readers, the facts do matter a great deal. And reliance on Wikipedia alone is not always the best strategy.

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23 Responses to “Telling the truth in your blog: does it matter?”

  1. That’s a very interesting point you’re raising, Andy.

    I believe that there are three levels:
    - truth, a must when posting whatsoever review
    - accuracy, a rule that should be applied at the best of one’s possibilities
    - imagination, isn’t it the salt of every good story? Many times, when writing about a journey I had many years ago, I wonder how real my memories are. Don’t we all elaborate past experiences in a way or another? But then I tell myself this is not that important (I hope, at least), because what I try to tell is the story of an experience, and my feelings. Can we talk about accuracy or truth when it’s a matter of our heart and soul? :-)

    October 4, 2010 at 12:31 pm Reply
  2. i think you should always blog the truth. However if you are doing creative writing, it’s OK for the post to be fictional so long as you state the fact that it is. One should not merge a factual post with fictional characters/experiences, because then, what you will get is an altered sense of reality and that, would actually be misleading the reader.

    There. My two pence. ;)

    October 4, 2010 at 12:46 pm Reply
  3. i totally agree. You have an obligation to present the facts in regards to certain information you present either in your stories or review. But when it comes to story telling exaggeration has its literary purpose of making a story more colorful. I don’t think a whole story should be made up but minor details can be blown up somewhat.

    October 4, 2010 at 12:50 pm Reply
  4. How great topic Andy! My personal favorite is stories. I want to know what ‘you’ think about specific places. We all are different so there could be million different reactions abbot one thin but I appreciate subjective views.
    Sometimes I write objective reviews and I tried to look both way equally.
    Either way, truth is the foundation.

    October 4, 2010 at 1:41 pm Reply
  5. Comedians are successful because of their expertly handling of exaggeration and utilising it express a theme and reach out to their audiences. In order to convey a theme or opinion sometimes it’s necessary to exaggerate, to make anecdotes, in Caz’s words, more colourful. However some people do get a bit carried away and fabricate much of their stories in order to prove their point, which, as a reader, I don’t really appreciate.

    It’s all down to ethics really. Personally I like to retain some honesty in my writing – though it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t put in a cheeky fabrication here and there.

    October 4, 2010 at 1:57 pm Reply
  6. Thought provoking as usual Andy. I think that if you know you are going to be a storyteller that you make it clear that your publications are just that. It also applies to comments on blogs. You are responsible for this comment of mine and could also get sued as a result of publishing it.

    The TripAdvisor case is interesting as my main site is a budget travel information site. Even though I make it clear that it is my hobby, that I don’t own hotels, apartments and the like, I still receive the odd customer complaints about “one of my hotels”.

    I normally respond and help them contact the hotel owners, explaining again that I do not own accommodation, I am not a Travel Agent etc. I could believe it if some TripAdvisor reviewers left reviews for the wrong hotels on the site, even though it would not account for all of those “rogue” reviews.

    October 4, 2010 at 3:10 pm Reply
  7. I’m as honest in my blog as I am in my life. After all you are only as good as your word.

    October 4, 2010 at 3:18 pm Reply
  8. Tara Bradford #

    I think it’s important to be as accurate as possible in one’s blog. A certain English writer living in Paris admitted in press interviews that she made some things up on her blog (although possibly she simply embellished and exaggerated, rather than lied). I lost interest in reading what she had to say, as it went to the core of her credibility. Now she writes fiction.

    October 4, 2010 at 3:36 pm Reply
  9. Fascinating question….

    I guess it’s all about intended role. Is it a bit of entertainment designed to fill a lunchbreak or while away a train journey? Then embellishment is kinda okay, up to a point (the point being where it turns to a fib and then to a complete lie). And there’s the nature of the embellishment. Does it make the author sound better than he or she is? Then it’s grubbier than telling a slightly taller story that makes the author sound a klutz. (Bill Bryson is a master of the latter).

    If businesses are getting slandered or it’s personal attacks on someone at the core of the embellishment/fib/lie, then that’s an entirely different kettle of fish…

    Also – there’s the tricky issue of subjectivity. We all tell “lies” because we embellish without being aware of it. In other words, mistakes, but they can *look* like lies, and so we can get hauled over the coals for them…

    Wherever I can, I try to flag up that I’m writing with a hopefuly informed but always subjective and fallible eye. So when I embellish a bit, that’s a first line of defence to cravenly cower behind. ;)

    Much to think on here. Thanks for the opportunity!

    October 4, 2010 at 3:43 pm Reply
  10. Nice post Andy and I’d say people read blogs to be informed in an entertaining way. However just because it’s entertaining people still expect it to be truthful because they want the correct information.

    However I think when people know you’re telling a story it’s the moral of the story that they’re interested in so you can get away with an exaggeration to emphasis a point.

    October 4, 2010 at 3:45 pm Reply
  11. I think it’s very important not to exaggerate (even your own experience/adventure) to the point where it is really unbelievable, something like that makes people not want to come back or rely on the information or proper reviews available on the blog they are reading. Credibility is essentially gone.

    However, if it is a work of fiction or just a bit of spice then that is a totally different story, as well as if it is a review written in an artistic manner (it requires some spice).

    Overall in my opinion I think Dylan’s comment hits the mark about ethics.

    Nice article.

    October 4, 2010 at 4:17 pm Reply
  12. Thanks for the great comments and discussion. The common sentiment is that truth is vital for our credibility and that while some embellishment might make for a better story there is a thin line between adding colour and being dishonest.
    I like Mike’s reference to Bill Bryson to illustrate the point about how to embellish (using it for humour and not to try and make ourselves look better).
    Some really thoughtful insights – thanks again

    October 4, 2010 at 4:43 pm Reply
  13. Interesting one – not just for blogs, but for commissioned stories as well. I’d like to say I never include anything that I know not to be true, but occasionally I’ll bend the truth for the purposes of storytelling.

    By this I mean that I’ll sometimes put one person’s words into the mouth of another in order to reduce the number of characters cluttering up the story. Never for anything controversial or downright misleading, but if there are three people at the bar, then it’s often easy to read if what’s said is attributed to just one or two.

    I’ll also play with chronology sometimes. If it doesn’t really matter what order things were done in, I’ll put them in the order that best suits the reader.

    This sort of thing has to be a case by case situation though. The key questions are:

    - Will this affect someone who reads it in a negative way (ie. in review, guide piece etc, it has to be kept completely honest as people will use it).

    - Is it being done to create a dishonest impression (ie. saying something is bigger, better, more expensive than it was) or is it being done purely to help the reader understand more clearly. Sometimes it’s easy to convey an overall truth by using a little deceit/ poetic licence.

    October 4, 2010 at 5:02 pm Reply
  14. Another example: Quotes. Do you write down exactly what was said, or do you tidy it up a bit to remove the ums, ahs, long-winded padding and digressions. As long as the meaning stays the same, and as the speaker intended, a little judicious alteration of the verbatim ‘truth’ is often beneficial for all concerned.

    October 4, 2010 at 5:09 pm Reply
  15. pam #

    What’s your purpose when you write? If you’re trying to offer genuine, credible advice to a traveler, then your facts should be correct. If you’re trying to save a visitor from a gawdawful hotel or restaurant, you should be able to back up your claims with facts that makes sense and aren’t personalized — it’s easy to sound like a jerk when you write a bad review when “I can’t recommend this place” is enough, really, and very honest.

    As for storytelling, as long as it’s very clear that it’s a story, not something masquerading as advice, well, this is where the fun is, isn’t it? It’s nice, I think, to be able to cross reference with something a little more factual if the context is service oriented. But if it’s just a story, why can’t the waiter be 7 feet tall 5 feet wide?

    October 4, 2010 at 11:14 pm Reply
  16. Thanks David and Pam for your comments. Like you both say, it’s dependent on context. Agree that chronology of events is not something to get hung up on if a different order helps tells the story. As for the 7ft tall 5 ft wide waiter, he’ll be the one that chased after the Brit who didn’t leave a tip I guess ;-)
    Quotes are a good example. In corporate commissions I often record one thing and write another, hopefully the same message in more eloquent way. Mind you, there is sometimes yet another version published (after editor and then interviewee has had a final look).

    October 4, 2010 at 11:36 pm Reply
  17. I suppose it depends on what your blog is about, but relationships with your audience are difficult to build. It’s a much more successful strategy to go after what you have seen and know then try and cut corners, potentially hurting your reputation with the people that follow your site.

    As Pam mentions though, if you’re writing stories, then it’s OK to go in different directions – just be sure the people reading can tell the difference.

    October 5, 2010 at 9:36 am Reply
  18. Andy,

    Truth is subjective, we all know this. So who’s to dispute what you write?

    When it comes to making up experiences so that your blog is more exciting, either get out more or make it clear you are a fantasist.

    Now there’s definitely a place for the second option in travel blog writing. Just turn your piece inward, explore the possibilities that could happen, and in doing so never compromise the ‘truth’.

    David has it neatly with justifying chronological lapses, well put.

    I just had it out with the BBC on its discovery of tigers in Bhutan, as local reports slammed the Beeb’s claims, saying they had discovered them years ago. The Beeb handled it well: in the end you can exaggerate or frame an event, only you really know how many miles you trekked!

    Mp

    October 5, 2010 at 12:49 pm Reply
  19. That old teachers’ saying “you’re only cheating yourself” springs to mind. You make a good point Mark, especially for those bloggers who at some point (most probably fall into this category) find it hard to come up with a new idea. Make it clear you’re exploring ideas, let the creative juices flow and allow the mind to take you wherever it wants to go.
    I enjoyed the Bhutan documentary and it’s good to now learn the background to the same story, and hear how the controversy was handled. Actually you’ve given me an idea for another post on a related topic – coming up soon.
    A final word on telling tall tales – my wife must have now told me a million times to stop exaggerating ;-)

    October 5, 2010 at 6:10 pm Reply
  20. Either complete honesty or else hush about something I wish not to disclose – I sometimes allude to things without giving the whole picture and I have good reasons to do it that way but if I say something, it is the truth. I don’t make up stories or dramatize my life unnecessarily or manipulate it to serve a blog post or an idea….I don’t. Some may do. I didn’t realize I should be questioning the truth/false part of blog posts. Thanks a lot, Andy, eh? ;) ))! (Just kidding)!

    October 6, 2010 at 12:21 pm Reply
  21. A very interesting article. I think that one should always be in search for the truth – meaning not to intentionally lie. I see that in the comments above some said – and made a good point – that there are 3 important elements (see the first comment, the one wrote by Simon). I agree with her.

    I want to add that one should not lie even when someone offers money. For instance if someone offers money for promoting a place (a hotel for example), and includes testing that place (for 2 days) if one didn’t enjoy the experience should say so not praise the place just for money.

    There is however the possibility of blogposts written as stories – fiction. There of course there is some invention – for it’s fiction, not reality, so, to some extent, lie, not truth. But that’s something else.

    I believe in honesty, you?

    October 6, 2010 at 4:49 pm Reply
  22. In a word yes. Or to put it another way – yes. If you are taking part in creative writing, sure, go ahead, just make it clear it is creative writing/fiction. If you are writing a travel blog, be truthful. While I don’t write for a particular ‘audience’ (other than family who want to know what my son is up to!) I do realise that there are people out there who read my blog and may just use it to base their decision on. So yes, I do have a moral duty to tell the truth. And anyway, if it isn’t interesting enough to be truthful about, just don’t write the post!

    October 15, 2010 at 6:35 pm Reply

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