Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ, has posted a welcome to bloggers to join the union on the Guardian’s Comment is Free site.

Last month the union admitted it’s first full-time blogger, freelance Engadget writer Conrad Quilty-Harper.

In the post, Dear said the change to the union’s membership would better reflect the shape of the industry and that those questioning such decisions fail to recognise ‘the changing media landscape’.

“Bloggers may be particularly concerned that they get paid a fair deal for their work or that their copyright is protected. Many are also interested in protecting journalistic standards,” wrote Dear.

“They believe that employers should devote the same level of care and attention to a piece of work online as you would in any other part of the industry. That’s not always easy, given the scant investment in journalistic resources that too many companies are willing to make in their online operations.”

Dear added that the role of the union would remain ‘as vital as ever’ in the face of new technology and new media platforms for news.