I’m not sure if it is the fact that I am back to focusing on blogging more steadily, or there really have been more articles about it, but lately I feel like a see a new article each day about the unethical behavior of bloggers and influencers. To be honest, it makes me sick and a little mad to read about these things. I’m talking buying clothes to wear them, photograph them and then return them. Or claiming something is sponsored when it is not.

But then, as I was talking to someone outside the blogging world about this, I realized so little is know about what goes into blogging, what it means to be an influencer, how many of us live by a code of ethics for our own personal brand. So, with that in mind, I thought I would share my personal blogger code of conduct. These are the ethical rules of my profession that I adhere to.

My Blogger Code of Conduct:

If I write about it - I actually, really do, like it. I enjoy the product, love the clothing item, endorse the brand, whatever it may be. I’m not going to take the time to write about it, to photograph and edit the photos of something that I don’t actually recommend to my followers. For full transparency, I turn down a handful of opportunities every week from brands or companies or products that I couldn’t recommend.

As a subset of that… I often get asked ‘but what about if you don’t like a thing?’ If I don’t like it, I don’t review it and I don’t feature it. Usually that means I contact the brand and let them know why I didn’t like something and therefore don’t feel comfortable showcasing it on ModlyChic. Most brands are super grateful for the honest feedback and will work with me to find a solution. For instance, recently I was sent a distressed sweater to review. But the sweater was distressed because someone took a scissor to it. Obviously that was the style, but it left pieces of yarn ALL OVER my house. It felt like the sweater was unraveling with each step I took. I let the company know and they sent me a different sweater - which I loved.

Never, ever, buy something just for the pic and then return it. If you see it on ModlyChic I own it. It sits in my closet. I wear it or use it beyond the initial picture. I have never and will never buy and return something just for the gram.

Always indicate when a post is sponsored by a particular brand. For me, I use AD or Sponsored on posts that I was compensated for creating, and Gifted on posts that revolve around some free product I was given to review without monetary compensation. I try to be really transparent about the things that I was provided to review.

And the reverse is true too. I only use Gifted, AD or Sponsored on things that were actually given to me. I don’t use those indicators on things that I wish were sponsored in order to look more connected, more popular or more legit.

Work with brands that align with who I am. While this is broad reaching and obviously covers so many different areas, I try to stick to this. For instance, I don’t have kids or a pet of my own and while I have 2 nieces, 2 nephews and 4 dog nephews, I don’t often write about them as part of ModlyChic They may appear in the occasional post, but I’m not about to partner with a dog walking service, even if the pay is good, because it is not something that is relevant to my life. Just as diaper brands or baby food isn’t. On the other hand, if I can get ‘cool aunt points’ for something - I’m all about that, because that’s my life.

Treat this as my profession - because it is. I try and treat all of my blog collaborations with the utmost professionalism. This means arriving on time to events, completing tasks on time whenever possible, being upfront with brands about what I can and cannot deliver, composing posts that are well crafted and thoughtful, etc… While blogging and being an influencer may not be a traditional 9-5 job, it is something that I treat as I would any job that required me to clock my hours and give my best.

Be positive. When I first started blogging I toyed with the idea of doing a ‘what not to wear’ series where every week I would feature someone I saw out of the streets that was dressed poorly, or could be dressed better. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized a series like that would set a certain tone - a tone of negativity that I didn’t want. Instead, I try to uplift. I try to provide words of encouragement, clothing inspiration, affirmation and positivity. This is the other reason I don’t share negative reviews of products I don’t like. I share what I do like and hope that inspires someone. No need to share the stuff I hate.

Engage beyond the superficial. Let’s face it fashion and lifestyle blogging can be a really superficial field. We share pictures of ourselves in clothing we like, at events we attend, with makeup/beauty products we’re using, with food we’re making or eating, etc… It can be very me, me, me. But it doesn’t have to be. I work hard to make my posts a balance of fashion, beauty, fitness, and food topics, while also sharing some deeper thoughts. I spend time thinking about the captions to each Instagram post; trying to make them personal, engaging and, at times, inspiring. I mull over blog posts for weeks before publishing. I even intentionally cultivate an Instagram feed that has a selfie only every other post in order to illustrate that life is more than great selfies.

What am I missing? Do you hold yourself to a blogger code of conduct? Do you have a question about blogging and what all it entails?