Sparked by Mitch Harper’s guest post on John Chow’s blog I started doing some research on the matter of the oh so widely discussed “code of conduct” which Tim O’Reilly would have set.

Misinformation
The title of this guest post is “Will You Adhere to the New Blogging Code of Conduct?” The following statement is the one that caught my attention:

Tim O’Reilly (cited as the founder of the Internet) has put together a blogger’s code of conduct. It includes 9 modules and can be seen here:

The post goes on to mention the nine “modules Tim would have put together”.

After researching the matter a little (I just spent half an hour checking some links out, and reading around) it became clear to me that Tim never set any “modules” of a code.

The Blogging Wikia has started working together on the development of a code of conduct, following Tim’s advice. They split the code up in modules and advise bloggers to choose which ones of those modules apply to their blog and use it in the blog.

So what’s up with all this?
Not so long ago Kathy Sierra was harassed. This harassment took large proportion, even death treads were sent. There was some name calling, she accused some people of being part of the whole mess, others for allowing the mess, so actually also being part of it. It went so far that she canceled a speech at some conference, in fear for her life.

In light of these developments Tim suggested that some code of conduct was construed. In his Call for a Blogger’s Code of Conduct he proposed some ideas, which were put on the table in a discussion at on of his conferences. “These thoughts are just a work in progress, and hopefully a spur for further discussion”, Tim writes.

About a week later he supplies a Draft Blogger’s Code of Conduct. This would be used to get the development of the BCC rolling.

Tim explains
In an interview with Wired Tim explains that this proposed code of conduct is not a set of rules.

I’ve come to think the call for a code of conduct was a bit misguided. A lot of sites have their own terms of service that are a lot like what I proposed for the code of conduct. And I was just saying, let’s get the best of the breed, let’s figure it out, so somebody who wants to have one of these doesn’t have to think it all up for themselves.

This is not something like an MPAA rating system. It is just to find a way to change the way comments are moderated. He mentions Slashdot, where comments can be voted up and down (same as with Digg).

Most blogging platforms don’t have that kind of control. I want to get an attempt together to get some good moderation plugins on all the major blogging platforms, so people have other options than simply deleting.

Tim explains how this who “code of conducts” discussion got started

The whole (code of conduct) was a reaction to Chris Locke’s original statement, you know, “I didn’t say that so I have no responsibility.” And I’m going, “Wait a minute, yeah, you do. You’re the manager of a site that was getting progressively nastier, and you let it happen.” It really started with a reaction to this idea that a site owner can and should disclaim comments on their blog.

(Bold type added by me)

Conclusion
There are several things clear in this post:

• The code of conducts is just supposed to be a set of guidelines that people can use on their site.
• This BCC should be the base for some good moderation structures for the major blogging platforms.
• This code of conduct is not a set of rules people will try to force you to live by in the blogosphere
• When you write in your blog (or anywhere else), make sure you present the right facts. Even if you thing you have your facts straight, make sure to research the topic enough to be able to present info.
• When writing, make sure you write in a way that people would not thing that you read something somewhere, and hurried to write something about it (even if you did)

Update
Tim has summarized the lessons learned so far:

• The poor choice of the “badges” I proposed, together with a reiteration of why I thought badges might be useful.
• The need for a more modular code of conduct, a set of axioms rather than a single monolithic “code of conduct” or “terms of service.”
• A suggestion of some moderation mechanisms that might be more effective than a code of conduct.
• A discussion of constructive anonymity vs. “drive-by anonymity”.
• An acknowledgement that a “code of conduct” should be reviewed by lawyers lest bloggers incur additional liability for commenters.
• Why I think civility matters, despite all the nay-sayers.

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