Blogger Code of Conduct
Tags: stopcyberbullying
This article from O’Reilly Radar (not Bill O’Reilly, you political wonks, the tech O’Reilly) about a Blogger Code of Conduct sounds like a good set of guidelines for people (bloggers and blog-readers) to follow. (Read it!)
I’m going to add one thing that really irritates the shi’ite out of me: fake email addresses from trolls. That’s the same damn thing as “anonymous,” in my book, and anonymous commenters are cowards. Believe me, I have less than zero interest in spamming anyone–I have enough email to deal with as it is, without asking for more by sending you email. So why do I want it? It’s because it shows you aren’t afraid to own your words. Consider this the law: if I don’t like your comment or don’t like you (as in, a troll) and you leave a fake email address, I’m not approving your comment. There are some people I know and like (one who isn’t even part of the VRWC, so can the “echo chamber” bullshi’ite) who use fake email addresses (I’m not sure why, but whatever), but I won’t delete those comments. They’re regulars and/or semi-regulars here. Not fair? Tough shi’ite. This isn’t a court of law, it’s a blog, and you don’t have a right to a “fair trial” with commenting here. My blog. My rules.
O’Reilly Radar also lists the community guidelines used at BlogHer:
We embrace your diversity of opinions and values… but we insist that your content may not include anything unacceptable.
We define unacceptable content as anything included or linked that is:
- Being used to abuse, harass, stalk or threaten a person or persons
- Libelous, defamatory, knowingly false or misrepresents another person
- Infringes upon any copyright, trademark, trade secret or patent of any third party. (If you quote or excerpt someone’s content, it is your responsibility to provide proper attribution to the original author. For a clear definition of proper attribution and fair use, please see The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Legal Guide for Bloggers)
- Violates any obligation of confidentiality
- Violates the privacy, publicity, moral or any other right of any third party
- Contains editorial content that has been commissioned and paid for by a third party, (either cash or goods in barter), and/or contains paid advertising links and/or SPAM or “Stupid Pointless Annoying Messages.” For BlogHer’s purposes, we define SPAM as anything that qualifies as nonsense* unrelated to the discussion, either in comments on a blog or in our forums. This nonsense may take classic forms (e.g., simple links to unrelated content that are often advertising or e-commerce), or more insidious forms.
BlogHer’s co-founders define and determine what is “unacceptable content” on a case-by-case basis-and our definitions are not limited to this list. We reserve the right to change these standards at any time with no notice. We also reserve the right to remove links to any content at any time.
I’ll be updating the comment policy here to reflect the above, with a few differences. As I’ve said before, it’s time for the blogosphere to grow up. Obviously, I’m not averse to adult language, but if it’s used to attack my regular readers, yer outta here.
So why post this today? No, it’s not an April Fools joke. I don’t know what the hell got in the water lately, but the trolls have been unusually active around the blogosphere in general lately, and the Kathy Sierra incident sparked a “Blog against cyberbullying” thing on Friday (which I obviously missed). I’m continually amazed at the comments I see left up at certain blogs I like; I can’t make them change their own practices and won’t ask them to, either (it’s their blogs, not mine), but I don’t want to have a blog where the commenters make people leave in disgust. Not that I do as of now; I don’t get a ton of comments here anyway, but those who do comment here are usually among the saner and more intelligent I’ve seen on teh internets (thanks, y’all). I’d like to keep it that way–I won’t turn this blog over to mouth-breathing drive-by trolls.
* Exception: Particularly insane rantings that only embarrass the commenter will be approved, as long as they aren’t spam. We need entertainment, too.
Zendo Deb says:
So the “legitimate” press can violate privacy - by oh say publishing lists of concealed carry permit holders, even when those lists include women with restraining orders trying to hide from abusive ex-partners - but us mere bloggers need to “grow up” and not do things like that.
Right.
Zendo Deb says:
And just how would the Jim Zumbo mess show up under this regime? Just to pick an example - not at random, of someone who pissed off a whole segment of the world - not just the blogsphere
Beth says:
OK, I plead ignorance on Jim Zumbo. Clue me in.
Hey, I don’t like that the press can do that shi’ite either. But really, I’m talking about the cretins that go around dumping home addresses in comments–stuff like that. Not to mention the incidents where the Angry Left™ pulls crap like digging into other bloggers personal histories in order to discredit (in their deluded minds) another blogger (case in point: Matt Sanchez). And that’s not even addressing the horrific shi’ite I saw last week about Kathy Sierra, which was fortunately killed by wordpress.com admins shortly after it was posted on a wordpress.com blog (also fortunately not picked up by the blogosphere, because it was extremely invasive from a very, very creepy character).
Really, I’m not changing my policy much at all–I just mean to put it in writing. I don’t put up with most bullshi’ite that I see at other blogs in comments (racism, pointless ad hominem attacks, etc.). Why some others do, I have no idea. The only thing I’m really changing is zero tolerance for “anonymous” (fake email) trolling. It annoys the shi’ite out of me when people shi’ite in comments and don’t have the guts to put their pathetic names to what they say in public to strangers. It’s just plain old ugly, bad manners, more appropriate among…I dunno. People raised by animals? Can’t say children, ’cause my own knows better. Like I said, there are regulars here who use fake emails (it’s obvious), and that doesn’t bother me. I understand and can respect their desire to do so, as long as they remain civil. But for trolls? Hell no. My email address is available, after all (against my better judgment, and in direct conflict with my FREE TIME!).
Beth says:
OK, I found the Zumbo thing. Honestly, I don’t see how it relates to this at all, unless people went around posting his home address and phone number in retaliation, inciting people to violence–which I seriously doubt, knowing how active 2nd Amd. advocates don’t fuck around like that. Sure, he pissed off a hell of a lot of people, and justifiably so. But not knowing much about the backlash, I really can’t say much about it, except the New York Times’ article is a laughably hypocritical piece of trash. (Of course, that’s nothing new.)
;-)
Beth says:
One more thing:
Regime? Nobody’s saying it could or should be mandatory for all blogs, Deb. I’m just sick and tired of seeing it all over the b’sphere, and I won’t put up with it here, nor will certain other blogs. It would be nice if the discourse in the b’sphere would improve as a result–eventually, anyway. ‘Cause really, poo-flinging is just stupid and juvenile. It sure doesn’t further anyone’s arguments, to say the least.
And at worst, I’ve seen specific instances of people trashing the recently deceased, abusing people who have lost their spouses, attacking their children, stalking and actually physically confronting bloggers, shi’ite like that. That’s the kind of shi’ite that makes me not want to be associated with blogs at all.
mesablue says:
a blog where the commenters make people leave in disgust.
Wizbang is like that for me. I used to be a regular and liked most of the discourse between left and right commenters. Now, they let every post get hijacked by the same idiots who parrot the same tired screeds over and over. It went from a cool place to a complete mess.
Elvis says:
Bethany,
Have I told you lately that I lurv you?
Just checkin’. Give ‘em hell, dahlin.
Luv ya, mean it.
Elvis
Beth says:
Lurve ya right back, Elvis!
Mesablue, that’s exactly one of the ones I was thinking of. ;-) (Jawa’s another–I love that blog, but really despise the commenters.)
Bratty Brother says:
Once Jawa is out of beta-Minx and full on Minx, like the medium in Poltergeist I will be able to say:
“This house is clean.”
:mrgreen:
Beth says:
Wheeee! Tons of smiley faces!!! :OMG:
:orly: :yarly:
Beth says:
now to get them IN ORDER… :hair: