Voting like our lives depend on it.

Vote or die.

To the younger generation these words will forever be remembered as the famous words spoken by the rapper P. Diddy  in order to promote his “Vote or Die” campaign during the 2004 presidential election. Although the word choice is extremely harsh, insinuating death will come to you if you do not vote, not to mention the fact that words uttered by P. Diddy may be seen as completely irrelevant to some the fact that this campaign was conducted on “MTV” which is a major network show that appeals to the younger generation may have helped to increase voter awareness amongst 18-29 year olds.

According to a post from The Circle for Research and Civic Learning and Engagement, youth voting surged by 11 percentage points in 2004. That is a major leap from the percentage of younger individuals voting previously. Arguably, it could have nothing to do with P Diddy’s campaign, but you could also draw the conclusion that a major contributing factor to this rise was MTV stepping in and encouraging the younger generation that their vote really does matter.

With the help of places like MTV and sites like youngamericanvoters.com the word is being spread to the younger generation that each vote contributes to a greater cause, and that greater cause is the future of our lives, our children’s lives, and even our grandchildren’s lives. Although speaking of grandchildren is in the far distance for most of us, in order to encourage the younger generation to step it up and vote we need to make it clear that it’s not only this point in time that matters. Legacies and policies of presidents can carry on forever so in order to ensure a future full of opportunities for ourselves and those in which we care about we need to vote people!
Speaking from a twenty-two year old perspective I see the effects that a president and political party can have on the economy. So although I am not a fan of P. Diddy, nor do I believe we will all literally die if we do not vote, I do encourage all younger people to realize the importance that one vote can have on an entire nation.  So by branching out in anyway we can whether that be through MTV, websites, blogs I encourage any and all younger voters to get out there and cast your vote to help ensure the safety of your families and the future of your careers.

If you would like information on how to vote in your state, check out the website my classmates and I have created to help make this whole process a little easier at: http://voteabsentee.wetpaint.com/?t=anon 

Breaking down ethics, one blog at a time.

So we are all aware of the unspoken code of ethics we all as individuals are to live by. We are to live, laugh, and love as much as we can and we are never to lie, deceive, or cheat. These rules go without saying when talking about every day life. But what about when it comes to the online world or shall I say “blogosphere?” Should the online world adopt a SPJ or PRSA code of ethics which creates guidelines for bloggers to follow in order to form some sort of control over what is being written? Or are we taking it one step to far and placing control over something that was never out of control in the first place? I do not believe the blogosphere needs an online code of ethics to perform to its full capability.

In order to be seen as a credible source, bloggers actually have to be credible. They need to deliver information in an honest manner in order to gain a following. A blogger who writes deceptively and/or one-sided will live a very short online life in terms of readership. Not only do we want voice to come through in a blogger’s work to intrigue us, but we also want fact. According to a recent post I read on cyberjournalist.net they said that “integrity is the cornerstone of credibility” and designed a modified version of the SPJ code of ethics and created guidelines in which bloggers should follow in order to be credible, because as we know, not all bloggers are journalists so therefore the same code of ethics should not be all encompassing.

So as I mentioned, most bloggers who are writing in the hopes of being read not only want to but actually need to seen by their readers as credible in order to gain a following. In reality then, a code of ethics already exists amongst the blogosphere. We trust that the bloggers in which we are familiar with will convey truth in their work and it is rather easy for us as the readers to decipher the real vs. the phonies amongst bloggers. Truth and justice already exist in the online world, so why would we need the government coming down and slapping a code of ethics on something that was never unethical to begin with?