Is it too late to bring civility to the Web?First, I don't think that a code of conduct can be agreed upon by even most bloggers. The appeal of a blog is that you can say what you want and with some effort, if your words are appealing enough, you can build an audience. If your words aren't appealing, then you will build no audience. The blogosphere is the ultimate in the market place of ideas.
The conversational free-for-all on the Internet known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place. Now, a few high-profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discourse.
Last week, Tim O’Reilly, a conference promoter and book publisher who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0, began working with Jimmy Wales, creator of the communal online encyclopedia Wikipedia, to create a set of guidelines to shape online discussion and debate.
Chief among the recommendations is that bloggers consider banning anonymous comments left by visitors to their pages and be able to delete threatening or libelous comments without facing cries of censorship.
A recent outbreak of antagonism among several prominent bloggers “gives us an opportunity to change the level of expectations that people have about what’s acceptable online,” said Mr. O’Reilly, who posted the preliminary recommendations last week on his company blog (radar.oreilly.com). Mr. Wales then put the proposed guidelines on his company’s site (blogging.wikia.com), and is now soliciting comments in the hope of creating consensus around what constitutes civil behavior online. (links in original)
Second, as the "owner" and manager of this site, I have the option of deleting comments by anyone, not just anonymous posters or completely denying comments. I have never had to delete comments nor do I intend to. However, I do maintain the right to do so and have never intimated otherwise. Likewise, I expect other bloggers to maintain their sites in a similar fashion, indeed it is that very expectation that forces proper behavior upon me since I believe my comments may add to a discussion in some meager way. Being uncivilized means I make no real contribution.
Third, civility is a matter of personal honor as far as I am concerned. The very anonymity of the blogosphere and the comments that are possible means that you don't have to look someone in the eye and call them nasty names, disparage their heritage or make lewd or racist remarks. If you cannot debate ideas without attacking a person whom you have never met and hold such animosity for that person based solely on their ideas, no code of conduct will ever force or entice you to be a better person.
My Mama always said, "If you can't be civil, be silent."
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