I Got Your Code Right Here · Wednesday April 11, 2007
This whole Blogger’s Code of Conduct thing is really getting out of hand.
I won’t rehash Matt at SvN’s take or Dave Slusher’s commentary on it, because they’ve laid it out pretty much the way I would.
What I will do, in inauguration of this blog, is propose a much simpler code than will ever come out of a committee.
It doesn’t attempt to enumerate every possible offense.
It doesn’t start down the road to an MPAA/ESRB type rating system for the blogosphere. Badges? Really? How long do you suppose there’ll only be two of them?
While it’s not open to revision by anyone but me, I’m not going to get my feelings hurt or think less of you if you don’t follow it.
Actually, I might think a little less of you if you’re all in my face about it, but in that case what do you care?
My goal was to make it as simple as possible, but no simpler. I’ve got it down to four rules consisting of 54 words, and it may get shorter still.
Here we go:
A Simple Code for Posting on the Web
- Say Everything As If Speaking To Everyone (because you are)
- If You Must Be A Jerk, Don’t Be An Anonymous One (because that’s cowardly)
- Encourage Others To Abide By This Code (because it’s neighborly, plus recursive rules are fun)
- When Others Don’t Care To Abide, Ignore Them (because they’re not worthy of your time)
That’s it.
Just about everything reasonable I’ve seen proposed can be seen as a restatement or expansion of one of these rules.
The real key is that I trust you to handle those restatements and expansions for yourself, rather than saddling up a civility posse to round up every last possible offense and corral them off behind a cute little icon.
I even got the code its own domain (with free bonus emphasis!). edit: The domain is still making its way through DNS, so here’s an S3 version.
As Ken Kesey may or may not have said, “Take what you can use and let the rest go by”.
— Rod Knowlton
Tell me what you know
Rod,
Well said. I actually, and apparently ironically, added to the Rules of Cricket @ TT’s STC site. Then my duck got shot – I’m still not sure why. Perhaps I should call Dave M – several folks have suggested I do so. Anyhow, from one 64er to another, good luck all over you!
Tim
— Tim Humphrey · May 24, 12:41 PM · #
I had a friend recently tell me that cozying up to the latest conformities on blogging is basically defeating the purpose of embarking on a new writing era. Blogging is unique, so to standardize it kills it. That said, I agree with your simple rules. :-)