I’ve been having some insightful conversations with some like-minded bloggers lately, and in the wake of recent events I’ve decided to pen down some of my thoughts on blogger etiquette.

Bloggers have a lot of opinions on how PRs should behave (I being no exception), and while I do have some advice for PR folk as well, I’d like to ask my fellow bloggers when was the last time we paused and self-reflected? How do WE behave, and what do we do that leads for PR people to treat us with disrespect? I’ll leave you to chew on that food for thought, but meanwhile, I’ve jotted down some points on what I think should be mandatory blogger etiquette:

1. Be Honest: First and foremost, decide whether you want to evaluate a restaurant and/or it’s food, or if you want to be a food/restaurant promoter. In case of the latter, try to find the positives, but never, ever lie. Without your credibility, you’ve got nothing.
2. Be Supportive: There is strength in unity. Don’t be crazy competitive, what’s meant for you won’t escape and what isn’t meant for you will never reach you. Focus on your own work and doing your best. Don’t kill yourself over what projects others have scored and you haven’t.
3. Don’t Waste Food: Have some decency. Don’t over-order. Don’t waste food. Request smaller portions if you want to sample a larger variety, and if you still have leftovers, have them packed up to give to a cleaner or your security guard, or even to take home. You should know how much your stomach can take, so how about focusing on feeding that more than your eyes.
4. Don’t Abuse your Privilege: If the invite says you plus one, that means you plus one. If for some reason you couldn’t bring a plus one, that doesn’t mean you pack food to take home for four. It’s cheap and tacky and gives all bloggers a bad name. And then we complain about PRs being insulting and putting “limits” on our total spend.
5. Don’t Act Entitled: Treat the severs with respect. You’re not the celebrity you think you became overnight as soon as you entered the CVC code to buy those extra 40k followers. Calm your mitts, we aren’t starting a debate on buying, we’re just talking about your ‘tude. Stay grounded, no one likes a diva.