Promoted by Steven D. Renee has a few constructive ideas about how to address the problem of online abuse.
Also posted at the Independent Bloggers’ Alliance
I was thinking of the whole issue of online abuse and harassment this morning as I was scrambling to leave for work on time. And I had this “Aha!” moment–or maybe more accurately a “Duh!” moment. Took a lot of self control to head out the door rather than tossing up a post before I left.
It amazes me that anyone who is a self-proclaimed “gate-crasher” would have a thought process so limited and lacking in creativity that he sees this as a choice between adopting an onerous blogger code of conduct and dismissing the issue entirely. People will likely remind me that said gate-crasher has a new baby and he’s operating under sleep deprivation conditions. Fair enough. But the question would then be, what excuse do all of his supporters–both the vocal ones and the ones who simply remained silent on this issue–have for not asking the question, “If we agree that the Blogger Code of Conduct is not a good idea, what other ideas can we come up with?”
Anyway, as I was grabbing my jacket and tripping over pets this morning, I thought about the fact that many blogs have a publicly displayed Privacy Policy. (I’ve even seen one in orange.) I think it is the least one could do to have a publicly displayed Anti-Harassment Policy. It could be as simple or as detailed as the blog owner desires. But I think it is completely reasonable, for starters, to expect that the posting of death threats on a blog would not be allowed. And, if such threats were somehow posted, the blog owner(s) would remove the threatening material as quickly as possible.
Click the graphic below to visit Working to Halt Online Abuse, a volunteer organization that was founded in 1997 to fight online harassment through education of the general public, education of law enforcement personnel, and empowerment of victims.
Personally, I don’t see what is so onerous about the concept of community standards, a general agreement and expectation that the blogging community won’t tolerate hate speech and will shout down violators and if necessary remove their right to participate in cooperating fora.
But as this seems to be a real stretch for some, yes, let’s start blog by blog. Thumbs up.
i’d suggest any appearance of a death threat is not only removed by the blog owner, but reported to the authorities.
Renee, thanks for the link. I went ahead and contacted them about the upcoming Take Back the Blog! Blogswarm, if you had not, by chance.
BTW, semi off-topic but not really – the traffic to the TBTB Blogswarm has been pretty heavy thus far, in no small part from your awesome promotional efforts but also from the efforts of folks like Jill Filipovic and Lindsay Beyerstein. It’s seems to be growing on its own!
Thanks. I actually hadn’t contacted them. I’m working overtime hours this week, and won’t have as much time for blogging.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2006/7/19/111545/864
Here’s a link to a diary I wrote months ago explaining why I believe the nomenclature of the rating system could be a contributing factor to online abuse. I cross-posted the diary at DK and ironically had to remove it at the request of an administrator because it became infested with spiteful spats that were being carried on ad infinitum long after it scrolled away into oblivion.
IMHO in order to halt online abuse, each poster must take responsibility for being thoughtful about his or her use of language, and calling another person a “troll” is not a thoughtful use of language. Promoting a thoughtful use of language is not the same as restricting anyone’s right to free speech, but sets clear lines of demarcation between users and abusers, making it easier to see trouble coming and nip it in the bud. Institutionalized name-calling desensitizes us to abuse of language and is the first tiny skid down a huge slippery slope that can lead to much more serious offenses. IMHO.
Thanks for this link mm, it was really good to read again and to catch the comments I missed before.
It feels great to be part of a community that grows toward civilization. The ripples are spreading outward.
Thanks, Alice, I agree wholeheartedly!