Blogosphere: November 2007 Archives
World On the Web: Rules of engagement
Tony Woodlief explains how he's going to handle debate in the comboxes: "I will endeavor to exhibit, and will only engage in discourse with those who exhibit, the following qualities." Those are Civility, Logic, and Humility. About Civility he writes: "I think in a Comments forum, however, which endeavors to be something like a roundtable discussion, and where the participants know relatively little about one another's lives, I ought not to attribute motives, ridicule someone's point of view, or speak in a generally combative or mean-spirited manner. Civility doesn't require that I refrain from disagreeing with someone. It means that I begin with the assumptions that: 1) I may be the only Christ someone meets today; 2) the person I'm addressing has good motives; and 3) my responsibility is to make a valuable point, not to score points."
OpenCongress - "Congress, I'm Watching" Widget
A little blog gadget that allows you to notify the world which bills you want to see pass, and which you want to see fail. (Via Captain's Quarters.)
Likelihood of Success: Orthomom blogger fights and wins on blogger anonymity
Ron Coleman, who serves as General Counsel of the Media Bloggers Association, looks at a New York Internet anonymity case: "An opinion can be harmful, and there is no inherent reason why the victim of slanderous opinions should not know who is uttering them. Short of fear of the Klan or the local drug kingpin, most anonymous commentary is simply a matter of moral cowardice. But it is well established that defamation suits have a way of chilling even meritorious free speech. Until we find a way to make people accountable for what they say that does not hinge on legal sanctions, this unfortunate form of asymmetrical assault will remain with us."
WSJ.com: News Corp. Says Business Strong, Sees End to Journal Web Fees
The firewalls may be coming down on the Wall Street Journal's website. "On WSJ.com, [News Corp. head Rupert] Murdoch said, 'We are studying it and we expect to make [the site] free and, instead of having one million [subscribers], having at least 10 million-15 million in every corner of the earth.' He said he believes that a free model, with its increased readership, will attract 'large numbers' of big-spending advertisers." WSJ has been one of the few fee-for-access success stories in the online publishing world. (Via Club for Growth.) Good news for bloggers who want to link to WSJ stories.
