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Does the blogosphere need a code of conduct?
By Wolfie | April 17, 2007
There’s been talk lately of introducing a code of conduct for blogging; the well-documented case of Kathy Sierra’s death threats has galvanised certain commentators (including Tim O’Reilly at Radar O’Reilly) into formulating a draft document, that they propose become an Internet law.
Various other commentators have suggested that this is not the best idea in the world and Steven Hodson at WinExtra has suggested that the proposed code is “pretty well the rules that we should be following in our daily lives as they are”. He also says “What makes you think that when simple life rules like these can’t even be followed in real life that having some code of conduct is going to make one bit of difference when it comes to blogs.”
Whilst appreciating his point of view, I would have to answer - from my own experience - that there does seem to be a need for some sort of governance being available. As I have said in a comment on another blog, I’ve not been blogging or commenting on blogs for very long (perhaps three weeks at most) and I’ve been somewhat caught out by the amount of personal attack that goes on. Certain bloggers or comment-ers seem to have no tolerance for an opinion that does not tally with theirs and immediately go for a personal attack on the person who is against their view, rather than trying to present an argument that will persuade the nay-sayer to their way of thinking.
This rush to personally attack doesn’t seem to carry over from real-life; it is possible to have a conversation in the real-world during which two opposing view points can be heard. That is, after all, at the very heart of democracy. Of course, it does not always end well in the real-world, either, but after the argument is over the comments are not still hanging around for everyone else to see and start everything up again.
I’m thinking particularly of two comments that I made in my first week or so; one was an attempt to make a valid point on a blog dealing with a sensitive issue, the other was an attempt to make a light-hearted comment during a bad movie debate. In hindsight, both comments could probably have been phrased better, but the first especially was intended to be a serious comment to further the debate. For both, I was personally attacked in comments by other people.
Since then, and in light of further comments that have gone back and forth subsequently, I have now realised more fully the way in which the blogosphere works; there are many people who write blogs and comments that are good people. They would not personally attack someone who disagrees with what they say but would try to present a reasoned argument to bring the other person round. Unfortunately, there are as many - if not more - people who don’t care how reasoned your argument might be; if you don’t agree with them, they’re coming gunning for you in any nasty way that they can think of.
It’s taken me a little while learn this lesson, but it will govern my blogging life from now on and I am sure that the number of comments I’m likely to make on other blogs will be drastically reduced, to avoid being personally savaged.
If this is the reality of the blogosphere (rather than just one person’s unfortunate introduction to it), perhaps we do need that code of conduct; perhaps we need something that points out to people that it’s not OK to be abusive to people just because you don’t agree with them; perhaps we need to try and get along with each other a little better here in cyber-world.
The Internet could well be the ultimate tool for free expression but that is a double-edged sword; there is the potential for it to degenerate into something that no-one wants to use anymore because it’s not safe.
- - -
So how does this effect this blog? Well, it’s like this. All posts from now on will allow comments, but all comments are moderated and Akismet-filtered, and anonymous comments are not permitted. I don’t expect everyone to agree with my opinion - debate is, after all, what this sort of entry is supposed to be encouraging - but if you want your comment to get through please be civil. Explain why you don’t agree with me, rather than just calling me names; persuade me with reasoned argument that you’re right and I’m wrong. Likewise, if you’re responding to a comment that someone else has made, be polite. Comments that make what I feel is a personal attack on myself or others who have commented will be deleted. Essentially, don’t just think about what you want to say, think about how you want to say it. That way, we can all gain from the experience.
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:: Where is Barbados in the Blogosphere « Barbados Underground had this to say:
[...] blogger who appears to be more eloquent than we can ever be echoes a similar opinion over at The Wolf’s How blog. BU says that we must be careful to use the concept of blogging in the best possible way given [...]
3:57 am :: April 18th, 2007:: caribbeancomment had this to say:
Thanks for that well reasoned argument about the need for regulation. I have just been touching on the topic of too-free use of personal attacks in blog comments. hoping that commentators will see the need for moderation. But indeed you hit the issue well on the head: some do not know how to be moderate, so they need to be moderated. I think that a blog administrator has that duty. Clearly, there will be some administrators who will use their role to allow personal attacks and foul language, but we hope that they will remain the minority and on the fringes. I too am new to blogging (http://caribbeancomment.wordpress.com) but hope to follow the lessons above. Good luck.
11:45 pm :: April 18th, 2007:: The Wolfs Howl » Blog Archive » Don’t comment on a feminist blog when you’re drunk… had this to say:
[...] was the debate that raged around this post that lead directly to writing this post, and creating my [...]
4:15 pm :: December 23rd, 2007