Wikipedia describes "mores" as "a collection of strongly held norms or customs. These derive from the established practices of a society rather than its written laws."

At the risk of writing down something that is usually held more in practice, we at FM thought it would be a good idea to describe the values and mores that we sense our authors support. I've circulated these around to a few folks who are going to join our network, and so far the response has been positive.

Our goal is not to ask that folks sign something, but rather to declare a shared set of mores which guide authors who participate in our network. Much of this may seem obvious, perhaps even overstated. But then again, it's often the most obvious stuff that bears declaration.

Here's what we've come up with. We'd love your input, either in comments below, or in email.

Authors who join the FM network of sites hold these values in common:

- Voice and Point of View. Strong voices and intelligent point of view drive robust conversations.
- Accuracy. Some FM sites may be journalistic in nature, others may not. Regardless, FM sites strive to be accurate with regard to anything posted as fact.
- Community. Weblogs are conversations, not lectures. The community that gathers around each site is the essence of its value, and we treat that community accordingly. We listen and respond to feedback and incorporate it into how we manage the site.
- Responsibility. We take our role as a voice in the community we serve seriously, and feel responsible for our own words. If we make a mistake, we correct it. We don’t seek to harm others or use our sites maliciously.
- Transparency. We err on the side of disclosure to our readers. If we have an interest in something we’re writing about, we disclose it. To the extent we can be, we are transparent about our site’s statistics, practices, and policies.