Post journalists must refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything—including photographs or video—that could be perceived as reflecting political, racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish our journalistic credibility. This same caution should be used when joining, following or friending any person or organization online. Post journalists should not be involved in any social networks related to advocacy or a special interest regarding topics they cover, unless specifically permitted by a supervising editor for reporting and so long as other standards of transparency are maintained while doing any such reporting.

Post journalists should not accept or place tokens, badges or virtual gifts from political or partisan causes on pages or sites, and should monitor information posted on your own personal profile sites by those with whom you are associated online for appropriateness.

It’s far more detailed than that little blurb gives away. Worth reading and more importantly – discussing. Should journalists have fewer rights than the average Joe? Should the average Joe also adhere to these guidelines?

The fact is, people have been talking trash on the internet since its inception. Many have been using aliases, but those are getting easier and easier to track every year. Do you really want to have your name, your job and your family associated with some of the things you say online?

Perhaps I’m the wrong person to be asking that question, given my own Twitter habits. I swear, get into arguments etc, all under a pseudonym that everyone and their donkey knows belongs to Wendy Sullivan. My “good name” is ruined.

Or is it?

For some, outlandish behavior on the internet – under a real or assumed name – is part of their “act”. For me, hyperbole and polemics rule the day. I get attention. Perhaps people don’t want to separate the wheat from the chaff where my musings are concerned, but enough do, and that makes my shtick worthwhile.

If I worked for the WaPo, I wouldn’t have the freedom to do that. I wouldn’t have the freedom to develop my own deranged little niche.

So what’s fair here?

It’s a sickness, I admit it.

When I’m working, I have my laptop on my lap, and my BB next to me. I will email and tweet from either one at any given time. I check my email compulsively – some might say maniacally – hundreds of times throughout the day.

I need what my friends refer to as a “Twitervention”.

Actually, two weeks ago a Very Bad Thing™ happened to my BlackBerry, and I lost service for a fortnight. For two weeks I was unable to roll over in the wee small hours of the morning to check my email. For two weeks the ability to check my Tweets 1500 times from the train platform was taken away.

And you know what? I survived. Ok, the first few days kinda felt like I’d had my hands cut off, but after that, I just got used to not checking in. I didn’t get all new-age-get-on-the-cover-of-Oprah or anything and start saying how great my life was without being tied to technology. That’s all bunk anyway. I didn’t feel any more or less free for not having a BlackBerry, and I think my tweeting only went down by about 20%.

Social Signal has an article with Seven ways to break the habit of compulsive e-mail and twitter check-ins. Most of them are inane touchy-feely type things, but I like the second one:

Declare a Twitter sabbath. Observant Jews go without electronics — without turning on electricity! — from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. You don’t have to keep kosher to discover the benefits of 24 hours offline each week. If a day without e-mail feels unimaginable, try a day without Twitter. I went three whole days (!) this past long-weekend, and enjoyed the opportunity to experience memorable moments without boiling them down to 140 characters.

It’s worth attempting, though I think I’d have to shut the power off in the apartment to achieve it.

I schmooze. I hobnob. I gadfly. I charm many local business people into taking me for many lunches (a cost saver in down times How to Eat When You Can’t Afford Food). I go for 5 à 7 cocktails with people that make more money than me. They pick up the tab (or, How to Drink Well When You’re Broke). I put on jeans and go for coffee, or a suit and get my butt on TV. I work on my podcast.

I go to political and social events in my area and meet people who know people that know people.

And then I email the hell out of everyone. I don’t spam them, but I make sure they remember meeting me. I make sure they know what I do, who I do it for, and what I can do for them.

Do they immediately jump up and start throwing money at me? Er, rarely. And if they do, I can betcha next month’s free cocktails that it won’t be for my writing services! But regardless, a relationship is formed. We are aware of each other; perhaps we follow each other’s work. And that means when the day comes that we can be of use to each other, the connection has already been made.

Personally, I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve needed something (business cards, tech support etc) and said “Let’s keep it in the family”. I’ll choose one of my own regular contacts to do the work long before I’ll source a stranger. Why not, really? It benefits both parties – one gets a job done, the other gets paid to do a job – and it shows ongoing support and loyalty to those in your inner circle.

So, what do you do if you are an antisocial cellar-dwellar who would rather cut their own hands off than go have a drink with a casual acquaintance?

You get the hell over it.

No one lives in a vacuum, no matter how hard they try. You want to make a living? You’d better start charming the pants off the people who will be paying you (not literally, unless you’re really pressed for cash). I’m prone to panic attacks and suffered debilitating shyness and separation anxiety as a child. But you know what? I grew up. My mother died, leaving me with the stark realization that I didn’t have a mommy to hide behind anymore, so I’d better learn to deal with the human race. If I can do it, you can, too.

One will often hear me say how every contact/opportunity/gig/travel destination has been a result of my blogging life. And that’s true. BUT… eventually I had to walk away from the keyboard and meet the people on the other end of the Internet.

So invest in a haircut (or befriend a stylist and get one for free or at a discount), cut your nails, put on a clean pair of pants, and get out there. The world is waiting to discover you.

I’m a consultant. People come to me for information on blogs and social media, and I have the answers at hand. When did that happen?? Well, I guess it all started on February 11, 2004 when I logged into Blogspot in a fit of pique, and my political blog was born. Since then I have kept at it, creating other blogs along the way – some lasted, some didn’t – and becoming a contributor to other sites. I have my own podcast and the usual accounts on Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn. I actually use them. So when people have questions, they come to me.

Sweet deal.

The idea of social networking has been around as long as the Internet has, with chat rooms and BBS. But now it is becoming more streamlined. Facebook helps you find friends you haven’t seen since childhood, or set up an action committee. MySpace launches indie bands and gets bored teenagers into trouble. LinkedIn is a networking site for professionals and their communities. Twitter is for the little ADD in all of us.

I use LinkedIn so that people seeking writers might find me there. There’s a Q&A section that can not only be very informative, but can help spread your name and recognition. I keep my work info as updated as possible so that people know I am active.

Twitter is where I go to a) hang out, b) bitch about politics in 140 words or less, and most importantly c) tell people what I’m working on at that moment.

Are you using the Internet to its full potential? Every single gig I have gotten has come through some type of blog (including my own) or on-line job site. In writing my own blog and in reading others’ I have been able to form relationships that have led to writing or research jobs. Someone who reads me hears that I’m looking for work, and someone who reads them drops me an email. All of a sudden, I have clips. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!

If you are not involved in social networking yet, get on it! Sign up for a free LinkedIn account and tell people what it is you do. Tell them your specialty. Tell them who you’ve worked with/for in the past and what you have on offer now. And send me a contact request!

And if you’re not blogging, why not? Back in February, Deb from Freelance Writing Jobs (bookmark her site – do it now!) wrote about why writers need to blog.

Talk to Other Writers

One of the reasons I stuck with FWJ for so long is because of the great discussions we have here. I do believe this is the best community. I learned so much from the other writers who visit my blog. Many times my community inspires my blog posts. I’m always touched by how willing everyone is to share information and ideas. I wouldn’t have met many of you if not for blogging.

Build Up a Reputation

A blog is a great way to build up your online reputation. If you offer useful information, people will trust you not to steer them wrong. They’ll also recommend you for gigs.

Learn About Other Resources

Through blogging I learned about other blogs and bloggers, great websites, books and tools to help make our job easier.

I suppose I could write an e-book called Everything I Need to Know I Learned From My Blog… Stay tuned – maybe I will! And if I do, naturally it will be available here on my blog. You’ll hear about it on Twitter…