Perhaps inevitably, some bloggers have criticised a proposed 鈥渃ode of conduct鈥� designed to curb the harshest online criticism.
A pair of internet luminaries suggested the code after a prominent blogger complained of threatening messages posted on her own blog and other sites.
Publisher Tim O鈥橰eilly, credited with coining the phrase 鈥渨eb 2.0鈥�, and Jimmy Wales, who founded Wikipedia, proposed the Blogging Code of Conduct after Kathy Sierra, a friend of O鈥橰eilly鈥檚, cancelled plans to appear at one of his conferences because of the threatening messages.
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鈥淎 culture is a set of shared agreements that allows us to live together,鈥� O鈥橰eilly wrote in a blog posting calling for the voluntary code. 鈥淟et鈥檚 make sure that the culture we create with our blogs is one that we are proud of.鈥�
A first draft was released this week, but it has riled some bloggers, who accuse its authors of acting like media overlords and disregarding free speech.
Community standards
鈥淚t鈥檚 simply unbelievable what鈥檚 going on here,鈥� says a commenter using the name 鈥淢arcus鈥� in a message on O鈥橰eilly鈥檚 website. 鈥淪o-called 鈥榗ommunity standards鈥� are merely the latest example of the agents of normalcy and entrenchment subconsciously attempting to organize, dictate, tame and pacify.鈥�
The proposed code calls for bloggers to ban anonymous comments and delete messages if they are abusive, threatening, libellous, false, and if they violate promises of confidentiality or an individual鈥檚 privacy. 鈥淲e take responsibility for our own words and for comments we allow on our blog,鈥� the draft code states. 鈥淲e won鈥檛 say anything online that we wouldn鈥檛 say in person.鈥�
The code also calls for ignoring 鈥渢rolls鈥�, or those who posts inflammatory messages. 鈥淲e believe that feeding the trolls only encourages them,鈥� the draft says, going on to quote the adage: 鈥淣ever wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it.鈥�
O鈥橰eilly suggests that bloggers who adopt a finished version of the code would adorn their websites with an icon of a sheriff鈥檚 badge bearing the words 鈥渃ivility enforced鈥�, while those who chose not to could mark their websites with an icon of a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse and the words 鈥渁nything goes鈥�.
Anything goes
鈥淚 like civility but prefer the 鈥榓nything goes鈥� badge,鈥� writes blogger Joe Hunkins. 鈥淐ensorship is a slippery slope when you are dealing with bright people who want to take legitimate but mean-spirited shots at others. I hope these efforts, which are needed, do not dumb down the debates.鈥�
Some other bloggers also complain that even a crude bar on anonymity could help control comments in countries with governments that are intolerant of free speech.
David Sifry, founder of Technorati, a site that tracks and searches blogs, points out that bloggers can easily remove what they see as inappropriate contributions from their own sites. 鈥淥ne of the core principles that the Internet is built on is the principle of free speech,鈥� Sifry says. 鈥淚f you really are a jerk, I don鈥檛 have to read what you say.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure a code of conduct is the answer,鈥� adds Mike Tippett, co-founder of NowPublic, a news service that relies on volunteer contributors. 鈥淚t makes about as much sense as me wearing a badge to have a conversation. It won鈥檛 make a difference.鈥�
