From Wikipedia:
Behavior
The Blogger’s Code of Conduct is a proposal by Tim O’Reilly for bloggers to enforce civility on their blogs by being civil themselves and moderating comments on their blog. The code was proposed in 2007 due to threats made to blogger Kathy Sierra.[99] The idea of the code was first reported by BBC News, who quoted O’Reilly saying, “I do think we need some code of conduct around what is acceptable behaviour, I would hope that it doesn’t come through any kind of regulation it would come through self-regulation.”[100]
O’Reilly and others came up with a list of seven proposed ideas:[101][102][103][104]
- Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog.
- Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.
- Consider eliminating anonymous comments.
- Ignore the trolls.
- Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an intermediary who can do so.
- If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.
- Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in person.
These ideas were predictably intensely discussed on the Web and in the media. While the internet has continued to grow, with online activity and discourse only picking up both in positive and negative ways in terms of blog interaction, the proposed Code has drawn more widespread attention to the necessity of monitoring blogging activity and social norms being as important online as offline.
I discovered this paragraph on Wikipedia. I had searched information on blogging based on a discussion here between Elena and Cargo. I thought the Bloggers Code of Conduct was a good place to start discussion.
Let’s face it, despite our critics on other blogs, Moonhowlings is pretty well known for attempting to be civil. We don’t always meet our goals but we at least value decency. I think #1 is probably the most important. I also know that people have made fun of us because we are a regular part of the discussion. We were probably the first local blog to be regulars in the discussions. The ridicule didn’t change our behavior.
I think the proposed Code of Conduct could go further. Contributors often mistakenly think they have free speech. Perhaps they do, on their own blog. However, blog owners absorb the liability for what is printed on their blog, not the contributors. That’s one of the reasons comments come down. Elena and I don’t plan on being sued over what someone else has said. On the other hand, saying someone is a jackass is simply an opinion. Saying that Joe Blow is a jackass and steals money from his employer is a libelous remark without strong documentation. That statement goes beyond opinion.
So let’s have a discussion. What should rules for a blog be and why?
So, have at it. What do you think?
It’s pretty much what I do. I get an email for each comment and if it’s out of bounds, I’ll delete it. I used to edit the individual comments that broke the rules – just to make a point – but it wasn’t worth it. At one point before the last election (i think) people were posting as other electeds – and saying just terrible things about other electeds. It got seriously out of control so I took my blog offline and required registration for a bit.
All of that has cost the blog in terms of comments but I write the blog more for me than anything else. It’s great to be able to get information out to folks but I’m not a reporter…
Andy, thanks for sharing. You do an excellent job as a local blogger. I must confess, when I say “local blogger” I sometimes do it with a sneer because of the blogging behavior of some of the local bloggers. I do not include you under the sneer, ever.
Having added my disclaimer, I recall when you had to alter business as usual. I missed the worst of it. I appreciate the coverage of City issues. You aren’t a reporter but…you generally fill folks in to what’s going on from a local government point of view. That is really helpful when we don’t have local papers. I don’t count the Patch stuff as a local paper. Keep up the good work.
To all–
One of the biggest problems here has been that our blog has evolved. We didn’t own it in the beginning. We were the hired help. Snicker. The previous owner was far more egalitarian than Elena and I are. We never promised anyone anything. If I think something is over the top, we take it down. I simply don’t care. Once everyone understood that their first amendment rights (as they perceived them) didn’t mean crap to me….things got better. The owner(s), as you and I both know, assumes all the responsibility of what is said on a blog, not the contributors.
So we have been through change of name and change of owner and change of focus. Nothing is the same other than we were hired hands on the original blog. Our focus has expanded far beyond immigration and we don’t just stick to local topics. Like your blog, we have people across the political spectrum weighing in. I consider that a strength.
I have been blessed with rumor. One local blogger apparently told his/her contributors that I have special software that tracks people and collects their IP addresses. I don’t have special software. I am not the CIA or the FBI. I use WordPress with webhosting. It does show an IP address. Having said that…SOOOOOOOOOOO…Anyone using WordPress and a webhost gets to see the IP addresses. Nothing magic about that. And what does an IP address show me? Not much at all. I particularly like the county ones. That really helps me track down people. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Since the clarion call went out warning people about my secret spy mission, things have been calmer. That blogger did me a favor…cutting out some of the mental cases. Thanks! and you know who you are.
PS –Greg uses WordPress also and he has a lot better technical skills than Elena and I do. 🙄
Many good blogs out there. Rule 7 is a tough one. You do a good job.
It’s too bad that other local bloggers don’t follow these reasonable rules.
Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog.
Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.
Consider eliminating anonymous comments.
Ignore the trolls.
Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an intermediary who can do so.
If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.
Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in person.
Seems like a reasonable list.
Every blog is private property. I’m actually more polite on the internet since I want to keep visiting. I can be more blunt in public, or at least, I’m willing to be, if I have to.
However, if you “take responsibility” for the comments…you may be held liable. There are actual court rulings detailing what is the liability rule about the amount of responsibility a blogger has for other persons’ comments.
Furthermore, allowing anonymous comments is a personal decision. If you allow them, why delete them? Easy enough to require a registration of some sort. Furthermore, anonymous comments or pseudonyms are a time honored tradition.
Having seen completed unmoderated comment threads and strictly moderated threads…those that moderate strictly lose a lot of content. Usually the moderation ends up being used to restrict disagreement.
I think this blog strikes a good balance.
HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
My comment about moderation is “awaiting moderation.”
I have no idea why either.