2014 Blogging Archaeology eBook

archaeologists take to blogging, this will help to provide a moreaccurate picture of archaeology to those who are interested.EthicsI believe that not only should more CRM archaeologists blog, but weshould specifically blog about CRM. However, CRM archaeologists workwithin a complex web comprised of project stakeholders, clients,regulatory agencies, and regulations. We must, therefore, consider theethical implications of our writing.I, like many of my colleagues, am a member of the Register ofProfessional Archaeologists (RoPA, members referred to as RegisteredProfessional Archaeologists or RPAs), and I have found that the RoPAcode of conduct (RPANET.org n.d.) is a useful guide for determining theethics of archaeology, as it reflects the realities of CRM work andcommunicating information. It has been one element of my developingcode of ethics, though I have also had to rely upon others that weredeveloped specifically for online communication including the BloggersCode of Ethics at cyberjournalist.net (@Stylehatch n.d.), and Rebecca’sPocket weblog ethics guide (Blood 2002). Though hardly exhaustive,these sources provide guidance to the blogger, and consideration ofRoPA’s guide is especially relevant to CRM archaeology bloggers.What follows is the code of ethics that I have developed during myblogging career. It should be noted that these are my own personalguidelines and do not constitute legal advice for bloggers. Readers ofmy blog will, no doubt, observe that many of my entries do not meet thiscode. As this code of ethics has developed in response to feedbackfrom clients, colleagues, and readers, as well as my own changing viewsof both CRM and public communication, I have discovered that mymore recent entries are quite different from my older ones. While I don’tfeel that anything I have posted violates the interests or rights of mycolleagues, clients, or project stakeholders, I do feel that keeping to thefollowing principles improves my ability to protect them:Blogging Archaeology Page 25