We Don’t Need a Blogger Code of Conduct

April 12, 2007 by Ben Yoskovitz 30 Comments

You can’t police the blogosphere with process and systems. Nor should you.

I completely understand where the Blogger Code of Conduct is coming from, the sentiment is a worthy one, but it won’t work.

Those that decide to support the Code of Conduct are already abiding by its basic tenets: Be nice. Be smart. Be reasonable. Be open.

Those that don’t follow those basic rules of engagement just won’t follow the Code. If the Code were to reach critical mass, people could make judgment calls on which blogs they would read and participate on based on whether the blogs followed the Code or not, but it’s unlikely to reach that critical mass. And people can make those judgment calls without a Code already; let’s give them a bit of credit.

Many of the Code’s ideas make complete sense. Why wouldn’t you follow them?

But to try and implement a system and process for blogger interactions is impossible. Since the beginning of time people have been communicating as they saw fit – rightly or wrongly. There’s a place for dealing with issues of Free Speech, hate speech, etc. and I completely support smacking people around who abuse the rights we should cherish so immensely.

I read what I want to read. I hang out where I want to hang out. I socialize with who I want to socialize with. And I make decisions on what I personally publish, knowing full well that every single word I write sets the tone for how people perceive me. If you don’t realize that you should stop blogging completely.

When you blog, you put yourself out there. Often forever. Online content doesn’t disappear.

Systems and processes like the Blogger Code of Conduct are typically implemented as a knee-jerk reaction, the result of something done by a very small minority. Yes, there’s a ton of absolute garbage online. Hate speech. Flames and personal attacks. Death threats. It sucks. And if it’s against the law, it should be stopped. But ultimately a huge percentage of people already follow their own Code of Conduct, and it’s generally a decent one. The anonymity of the online world and the security of being behind a computer do increase the number of jerks, but it’s still such a small percentage. Just look around at all the great bloggers, great communities and open conversationa that people are having.

A Blogger Code of Conduct won’t stop the jerks. Ignoring them is your best bet. And if they take things too far, find out if you have legal recourse, get help and go after them.

Bret

Agreed. A blogger code of conduct is a futile attempt to impose responsible behavior on a someone bent on being irresponsible. Nothing anyone can say will stop such people from being annoying. It’s a fact of life that wherever large groups of people gather with the best of intentions, the party poopers will follow.
Rowan Manahan

I totally agree Ben. “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around the laws”
urbanmike

Bloggers are an unorganized group with no governing body or global legislation. ISPs and software providers would be able to implement governing rules best rather than a community driven initiative. A code is at best an ideal to uphold, rather than a standard to expect.
Ben Yoskovitz

Rowan – I think your quote is perfect.

Urban Mike – The ideal is what matters. And what is obvious to anyone is that it’s very easy to interact and socialize with people who uphold a code you find appropriate. When people go against decent human communication they’re dealt with by being ignored, ostracized, or penalized in some way.

The problem is that people who behave stupidly are always the loudest. Nice people, kind people, complimentary people usually don’t speak as loudly or brazenly as the jerks.
Bret

Agreed. A blogger code of conduct is a futile attempt to impose responsible behavior on a someone bent on being irresponsible. Nothing anyone can say will stop such people from being annoying. It's a fact of life that wherever large groups of people gather with the best of intentions, the party poopers will follow.
urbanmike

Ben, spot on about the jerks. I just listened to a podcast with Anil Dash (dashes.com) of six apart. The discussion was about comments and keeping visitors accountable for their comments.

You can control comments, not sure you can control independently run blogs with a code
Rowan Manahan

I totally agree Ben. “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around the laws”
urbanmike

Bloggers are an unorganized group with no governing body or global legislation. ISPs and software providers would be able to implement governing rules best rather than a community driven initiative. A code is at best an ideal to uphold, rather than a standard to expect.
Ben Yoskovitz

Rowan – I think your quote is perfect.

Urban Mike – The ideal is what matters. And what is obvious to anyone is that it's very easy to interact and socialize with people who uphold a code you find appropriate. When people go against decent human communication they're dealt with by being ignored, ostracized, or penalized in some way.

The problem is that people who behave stupidly are always the loudest. Nice people, kind people, complimentary people usually don't speak as loudly or brazenly as the jerks.
urbanmike

Ben, spot on about the jerks. I just listened to a podcast with Anil Dash (dashes.com) of six apart. The discussion was about comments and keeping visitors accountable for their comments.

You can control comments, not sure you can control independently run blogs with a code
Francis

Ooooh, the blogger code of conduct! I gotta behave now or they’ll put me under “blogger arrest” and throw me into “blogger jail”!

Indeed, this document is as silly as it is pretentious, much like some of the long mission statements that can be found on corporate sites. Seriously, All we really need to know we learned in kindergarten.
Francis

Ooooh, the blogger code of conduct! I gotta behave now or they'll put me under “blogger arrest” and throw me into “blogger jail”!

Indeed, this document is as silly as it is pretentious, much like some of the long mission statements that can be found on corporate sites. Seriously, All we really need to know we learned in kindergarten.
Evelyn

Thank you, Ben, for giving us some credit and sharing with others that bloggers do have brains and a little bit of class… most of the time. 😉
Evelyn

Thank you, Ben, for giving us some credit and sharing with others that bloggers do have brains and a little bit of class… most of the time. 😉
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Mat

While I agree Ben, that an explicit Code of Comment is largely unnecessary, I do sympathize with what Tim O’Reilly was trying to do.

In the update (http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/04/code_of_conduct.html) to his original Code of Conduct post, he describes how he was aiming for something akin to “Creative Commons” badges which allow an author to state his intent regarding the sharing of his material.

It seems to me that most blogs implicitly (or sometimes explicitly via Terms of Use) have some semblance of a code of conduct already. Using badges, and having a *modular* approach for people to define what they value, seems to me to be a nice way to let your community know where you stand on the many areas of grey that exist in the blogosphere:
– do you accept anonymous comments?
– will you delete posts?
– how aggressively will you police your comment thread?
– etc

Anything that allows us to strengthen our respect for one another and raise the overall level of discourse in the blogosphere is a good thing, as far as I’m concerned. This isn’t about censorship, it’s about creating loose standards we can all agree to that define what it means to be a good Netizen.

So I would not be so dismissive of the “Code of Conduct” idea just yet. I think we need to stew on this some more…

[For your own benefit, I suggest you read Tim O’Reilly’s response, linked to above, and the associated comments]
Mat

While I agree Ben, that an explicit Code of Comment is largely unnecessary, I do sympathize with what Tim O'Reilly was trying to do.

In the update (http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/04/code_…) to his original Code of Conduct post, he describes how he was aiming for something akin to “Creative Commons” badges which allow an author to state his intent regarding the sharing of his material.

It seems to me that most blogs implicitly (or sometimes explicitly via Terms of Use) have some semblance of a code of conduct already. Using badges, and having a *modular* approach for people to define what they value, seems to me to be a nice way to let your community know where you stand on the many areas of grey that exist in the blogosphere:
– do you accept anonymous comments?
– will you delete posts?
– how aggressively will you police your comment thread?
– etc

Anything that allows us to strengthen our respect for one another and raise the overall level of discourse in the blogosphere is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. This isn't about censorship, it's about creating loose standards we can all agree to that define what it means to be a good Netizen.

So I would not be so dismissive of the “Code of Conduct” idea just yet. I think we need to stew on this some more…

[For your own benefit, I suggest you read Tim O'Reilly's response, linked to above, and the associated comments]
Ben Yoskovitz

Mat – thanks for the comment. Detailed and well-thought out as usual.

I did read the bulk of O’Reilly’s response although I think therein lies one of the problems – it’s long. Too long for most people to want to go through.

How many of us get a ton of inappropriate comments? I get spam, which I deal with no questions asked, but I rarely get a lot of comments I would deem stupid, pointless, or abusive.

So do I need to spend a thousand hours on such a discussion? Is it worth my time to focus on civility and all the nuances and intricacies of dealing with the big issues O’Reilly is discussing for the handful of comments I might get that I don’t think are worthwhile?

That’s not to say I want to keep my head in the sand. I’m a member of the blogger community as much as the next person, but I think there are very few blogs/communities of a certain size where the issues O’Reilly is discussing make a difference.

For the rest of us, we already play nice.

I do agree that the direction O’Reilly is going in now with the feedback he’s received makes a lot more sense than before. And that’s great. The blogosphere responded, and he’s rolling with that, admitting mistakes, changing what needs changing.

If reasonable and fairly standardized “terms of use” come out of the discussion that bloggers can then apply to their blogs easily, I’d support that, although I’d still say that for most of us it’s unnecessary.
Ben Yoskovitz

Mat – thanks for the comment. Detailed and well-thought out as usual.

I did read the bulk of O'Reilly's response although I think therein lies one of the problems – it's long. Too long for most people to want to go through.

How many of us get a ton of inappropriate comments? I get spam, which I deal with no questions asked, but I rarely get a lot of comments I would deem stupid, pointless, or abusive.

So do I need to spend a thousand hours on such a discussion? Is it worth my time to focus on civility and all the nuances and intricacies of dealing with the big issues O'Reilly is discussing for the handful of comments I might get that I don't think are worthwhile?

That's not to say I want to keep my head in the sand. I'm a member of the blogger community as much as the next person, but I think there are very few blogs/communities of a certain size where the issues O'Reilly is discussing make a difference.

For the rest of us, we already play nice.

I do agree that the direction O'Reilly is going in now with the feedback he's received makes a lot more sense than before. And that's great. The blogosphere responded, and he's rolling with that, admitting mistakes, changing what needs changing.

If reasonable and fairly standardized “terms of use” come out of the discussion that bloggers can then apply to their blogs easily, I'd support that, although I'd still say that for most of us it's unnecessary.
Carolyn Manning

The idea of what amounts to the bloggers police is absurd. I totally agree with everyone here (especially love Francis’ terms: ‘blogger arrest’ and ‘blogger jail’).

NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!!
Mat

To characterize it as the “bloggers police” is even more absurd.

Please read the actual proposal.
Carolyn Manning

Think as you will, Mat. Your comment, though, just proved my point: you’re free to say what you want and you said it pleasantly and with civility. We need no one to tell us how to play nice; we do it all by ourselves.

FYI, I did read the proposal and, even though it has its points, I find the idea of a code distasteful.

Just my humble opinion.
Carolyn Manning

The idea of what amounts to the bloggers police is absurd. I totally agree with everyone here (especially love Francis' terms: 'blogger arrest' and 'blogger jail').

NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!!
Mat

To characterize it as the “bloggers police” is even more absurd.

Please read the actual proposal.
Carolyn Manning

Think as you will, Mat. Your comment, though, just proved my point: you're free to say what you want and you said it pleasantly and with civility. We need no one to tell us how to play nice; we do it all by ourselves.

FYI, I did read the proposal and, even though it has its points, I find the idea of a code distasteful.

Just my humble opinion.
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mirzania

Late catching up with this, but it seems to me that any form of a ‘code of conduct’ smacks of political correctness at least and policing at worst. 1984 springs to my mind too…
mirzania

Late catching up with this, but it seems to me that any form of a 'code of conduct' smacks of political correctness at least and policing at worst. 1984 springs to my mind too…
Awebus

I agree Friend. I chose wordpress as my blog platform hoping to find considerate people, and that is what I have encountered.

I figure there is enough meaness in the world to go around, and responsible bloggers have no obligation to help perpetuate it.
Awebus

I agree Friend. I chose wordpress as my blog platform hoping to find considerate people, and that is what I have encountered.

I figure there is enough meaness in the world to go around, and responsible bloggers have no obligation to help perpetuate it.

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