A blog is a tool individuals can use to share their insights, express their opinions and communicate with others. The Graziadio School seeks to provide a safe and instructive environment for students to take advantage of this emergent social forum. The following guidelines and best practices offer a framework for successful blogging within our academic structure.

Terms of Conduct
Please note that students, staff, alumni and faculty are legally responsible for their commentary and content, and can be held personally liable for it. Pepperdine University will assume no legal responsibility should outside parties pursue legal action against a blogger for their postings within the University domain. In addition, employee and student conduct guidelines and their consequences do apply to content posted by them on Pepperdine University websites and/or weblogs. See, e.g., the Computer and Network Responsible Usage Policy and the University Ethics Policy.

Responsibilities and Obligations
Each blogger is expected to post material pertaining to his or her experiences in graduate school. Discuss how those experiences have changed your perspective, how you have resolved the issues at hand and suggestions to other students regarding specific issues impacting the graduate student experience.

1. Each blogger who elects to blog is expected to fulfill that promise and contribute in a timely manner. Entries may be as short as 250 words (about one double-spaced page) or as long as 650 words (3-4 double-spaced pages). Posts may be longer if the subject matter warrants. Pictures also may be posted when appropriate. Video and audio may be provided to support, or substituted for, a written essay. Bloggers are obligated to make requested changes to submissions and follow direction if provided.
2. Each blogger should consider blogging as an extension of the classroom. Therefore, any content that would be considered inappropriate for the classroom will also be inappropriate for the blog. This includes, but is not limited to, profanity; racist, sexist, discriminatory, threatening or defamatory remarks; personal attacks or derogatory statements or information that may be considered personal and/or embarrassing to another person.
3. Each blogger is encouraged to expose his or her personality in a responsible manner. Almost all successful bloggers write about themselves, about families or movies or books or games, or they post pictures. People like to know what kind of a person is writing what they’re reading. For purposes of blogging for Pepperdine, endeavor to relate your personalized posts to classroom lessons and/or business practice. Always protect your identity and personal information, as well as the personal information and privacy of others.

Pepperdine reserves the right to remove content and links it deems inappropriate. Blog posts will be managed by appropriate staff and reviewed for formatting, grammar and spelling before they are published. Posts will be evaluated to ensure classroom appropriateness is extended to the blog environment.

Pepperdine appreciates your contributions and we are pleased you have elected to represent the Graziadio School during your time as a student. If you have any questions or comments regarding your blogging experience, please do not hesitate to contact me at graziadioPR@pepperdine.edu.

Happy blogging!

F. Douglass Gore
Director of Public Relations
Graziadio School of Business and Management
Pepperdine University