http://cavlec.yarinareth.net/archives/2007/03/30/what-some-folks-can-do-if-they-choose/

Tony Hung is right in saying that the debate really circles back to setting and enforcing a comments policy. But I agree that each individual also has a responsibility, as good net citizens, to do their part.

Thanks for a great read; I’d somehow remained unaware of this whole brouhaha til I read your piece here and some of the links you kindly provided.

Lame…yes, definitely. Well-intentioned…yes and no.

My feeling, in a nutshell, is that as soon as a blogger sets out to share their material with the world (or “publish” it, just as a paper of magazine might), their “baby” has been instantaneously launched into the sometimes cruel world where folks will sometimes be unkind.

Human nature being what it is, there will always be some percentage of sociopaths preying upon others, and cyberspace can be their ideal vehicle for some of the same reasons it appeals to all who utilize it for “good” or “bad.” .

I agree that anonymous commenting is an essential component of online discourse. Some bloggers (myself included) choose not to reveal their real name online. Reasons for this can vary, but one of the infinite choices open to bloggers is not only to “publish” quickly and easily, but to maintain a modicum of privacy. To me, this can make a great deal of sense, especially since when one chooses to post one’s real name, photos of one’s family, children, neighborhood, etc., one can open oneself up to some very real dangers to life, limb, and property.

Bloggers, especially those of some repute, are public figures in the same sense that any newscaster, writer, or celeb is. This leaves the individual very vulnerable, since the media, mainstream or not, tend to pick apart polticians, movie stars, and other celebs in a merciless fashion unknown in “kinder, gentler” times. Back in the day, the public was kept unaware that FDR was wheelchair bound or that JFK was an alleged womanizer. Now, of course, there is no “gentlemen’s agreement” of the press, nor any “right to privacy” in the traditional sense, especially in this brave new digital age..

Thus, IMO, the blogger leaves him/herself open to the same type of scrutiny, criticism, harassment, and even stalking or death threats which plague virtually any other public figure. Unfortunately, there are bad people out there, and this just comes with the territory.Furthermore, if being obnoxious or rude or uncivil were a crime, our streets would be a lot emptier and our jails a lot fuller than they are even now.

For the same reason, I think anonymous comments are valid. Some people may lose their jobs if their views or experiences are made known, for example. Not every anonymous commenter has nefarious intentions, and anonymity, as others have noted, is part and parcel of freedom of speech, even when it is distasteful. If the KKK have the right to march through a town under cover of their hoods, this same anonymous freedom of speech applies to anonymous bloggers and commenters as well, for better and worse.

Everyone has their own threshold for criticism and their own definition of what is uncivil. This is why the first amendment is so precious–because without it, anything that offended anyone could be banned, and it would be a very bland and boring cyberworld indeed.

I think an individual blogger has a perfect right to set up his or her own rules within the confines of their own blog/universe, but to try to codify this to me smacks of “moral” bullying at best and totalitarianism at worst. The fact that blogging is so easy to initiate does not exempt one from the slings and arrows of outrageous trolls, and it would seems wise for those entering any public arena or creative endeavor to be aware of the very real value of developing a thick, calloused skin. Women, IMO, are no more or less vulnerable than anyone else who puts themselves “out there,” for trolls are an equal opportunity offender, who take particular delight in tormenting those who can’t easily handle it. .

Thanks again, Eric, for a thought provoking piece!.

A “standardized” code is just not going to work from site-to-site, as you say. A golfing site will likely have different standards from a horror film site, for instance.

And you’re right in saying that anonymous comments offer both the lowest resistance to taking part in the conversation (an essential component of blogging: posts are just the start of an ongoing dialogue) and a versatile tool to allow people to interact with the author and other commenters at a level with which they are comfortable.