[iDC] Bloggers Code of Conduct

[Trebor Scholz]

"Don't speak-- point," seems to be the modus operandi of many mailing lists. Isn't it better attention economics to share such information through the
del.icio.us' network feature or other social bookmaking and referral systems? 

Let me point you, however, to a few links surrounding the recent discussion on Tim O'Reilly's "Bloggers Code of Conduct" triggered by death threats
against the blogger Kathy Sierra. If you did not come across this conversation yet, get a speedy introduction here:

Death threats against bloggers are NOT "protected speech" (why I cancelled my ETech presentations)
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2007/03/as_i_type_this_.html

CNN Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ6IxYaD774

Exclusive Interview About Free Speech Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGtVGfP2Mg&mode=related&search=

Cyberbullying is the term used to refer to bullying and harassment by use of electronic devices though means of e-mail, instant messaging, text
messages, blogs, mobile phones, pagers, and websites. "Bullying on the sociable web" may be a better term as "cyber" sounds really all too 80s. And
Kathy Sierra is surely not alone. Jeneane Sessum reports 11,000 results for Google search results on her name and death threats. And bullying is hardly
limited to the WWW.

Jeneane Sessum
http://allied.blogspot.com/2007/04/as-long-as-everyones-able-to-leave.html

Now, Google spits out 139,000 results for a search on the "Bloggers Code of Conduct." Tim O'Reilly wrote, “Yes, you own your own words. But you also
own the tone that you allow on any blog or forum you control. Part of 'owning your own words' is owning the effects of your behavior and the editorial
voice you foster. And when things go awry, acknowledge it.” 

After NYT and BBC responded, O'Reilly quickly grabbed his credit card and bought http://www.bloggingcode.org/. Being the first means that you own the
conversation. Jimmy Wales joined O'Reilly in setting up a wiki on the topic. O'Reilly suggested, “the idea of sites posting their code of conduct might gain
some traction given some easily deployed badges pointing to a common set of guidelines.” Badges? A-list certificates?  

In the United States it is a federal crime to anonymously "annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person" via the internet or telecommunication system,
punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment." But it's not always easy for an individual to track down a bully online. 

I think that bullying is definitely not just limited to blogs. It appears online and off. It is mainly focused on youth and often targets young women.
Trolls sometimes harass people writing on mailing lists. Online visibility may also attract stalkers. I'd be curious what you think about the actual proposed
guidelines. What can be done to stop bullying on the sociable web (and beyond it)?   

-Trebor

Code of Conduct Wiki
http://blogging.wikia.com/wiki/Blogger%27s_Code_of_Conduct

1. Responsibility for our own words, 2. Nothing we wouldn't say in person, 3. Connect privately first 4. Take action against attacks 5. a) No anonymous
comments OR b) No pseudonymous comments 6. Ignore the trolls 7. Encourage enforcement of terms of service 8. Keep our sources private 9. Discretion
to delete comments 10. Do no harm 

O'Reilly's Draft
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/04/draft_bloggers_1.html

BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6502643.stm
Guardian 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,2054181,00.html
NYT
http://tinyurl.com/24ps3e

O'Reilly is surely not the first to consider ethical guidelines for the sociable web. 

EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/

Society of Professional Journalists  Code of Ethics
http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Blogher Community Guidelines
http://blogher.org/community-guidelines

http://wiki.nethique.info/wiki/Nethic_Charter_for_blogs

More comments:
David Weinberger
http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/code_nah_codes_maybe.html

danah boyd
http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2007/04/07/cyberbullying.html

Linda Stone
http://surfette.typepad.com/surfette/2007/04/theoretically_g.html
http://blogher.org/node/17319
http://blogher.org/node/12104

Not on board:
Bloggers Code of Conduct - Please NO!
http://radio.weblogs.com/0121664/2007/04/02.html#a935

Civility my arse
http://blogs.theage.com.au/media/archives/2007/04/civility_my_ars.html