Bloggers Propose Code of Conduct

akintayo writes "The New York Times reports that in response to the recent brouhaha, some technology bloggers have suggested raising the level of civility on tech blogs by implementing a code of conduct. Kathy Sierra, a technology blogger and friend of O'Reilly was subjected to threats and insults from readers and other bloggers. In partial response, O'Reilly and others have proposed a code of conduct which could include restrictions like the outlawing of anonymous accounts."

Comments

Wanna be famous? Be prepared for exposure.

[Qbertino]

It's that simple (see headline). I do feel sorry for her and the shock she's gotten from some sick person photoshopping her into some porn scene or something and I really like her books (I got two of them myself) but there is one thing you should be prepared for when going public, be it as a popstar, a politician or a professional writer and blogger, and that is exposure.
There are a measurable amount of sick people out there who get a hard-on from doing stuff like this. It's a perfectly normal state of things - like the slugs in your garden. Not very nice to look at, but in some way part of the ecosystem. In a way I feel sorry for these people.

US proves the argument is bullshit circa 1776-...

[Tjp($)pjT]

It is not only desirable but essential that anonymous posting be allowed. It represents protected political speech. Had the revolutionary treasonous personages that founded the United States not been able to publish under pseudonyms then we would likely have been under British rule for a while longer than we were. It was essential to preserver in day to day life while propagating the injustices of each locality to the whole of the advent nation. In current perspective where shield laws and whistle-blower laws are circumvented by prosecutorial misconduct, abuse of police powers and general guile to obtain the identities that should be protected; where our society huddles in fear and gives away freedom after freedom denying future generations their inalienable rights unless they, like their forbearers, are willing to make personal sacrifices to regain those freedoms for the whole of their society and reestablish a covenant of just freedoms and liberties, we can not and should not consider banning anonymous speech.

Those temporary grants of trespass to our basic rights we give the government in times of dire need are seldom temporary and rarely recovered notwithstanding great protest from the body public.

There are other options.

[Pento]

Richard Kyanka has, what I think, a better reaction to the situation.