Ebony's Pearls

From time to time, people make some motion or other to establish rules for everyone in this group or that. The internet and blogosphere are no different. I know there's a Journalist's Blogging Code of Ethics which isn't really terribly different from the regular journalist's code of ethics, just translated to a new medium.

And there have been half-hearted emailing group codes of conduct and ethics. I've been dead set against a standardized set of behaviors for emailing lists for almost as long as emailing lists have existed. I'm OK with each list creating their own customized set of rules and expected behaviors. In fact, I encourage it. But I dislike the thought that the same set of rules would apply to a venting group as applies to a dog training group or a prayer circle.

The rules just don't cross over completely or well.

I feel the same way about blogging. There are so many diverse blogs out there - persoanl ones, special topic ones, group blogs, "expert" blogs, and high traffic Big Name blogs. Yes, I'm OK with each of them creating their own set of rules and codes of conduct. But I will fight against any attempt to standardize a single set of rules to fit all blogs.

It's not a One Size Fits All world, and it certainly isn't a One Size Fits All blogosphere.

O'Reilly seems serious about creating a One Size Fits All blogger's code of conduct, and I have some serious issues with that.

The biggest one is that O'Reilly's Code is best suited to group blogs and for high traffic blogs run by people who claim to be experts.

The other 90% of us bloggers would be unduly burdened by his proposed Code of Conduct.

First, I'll take it in points, then I'll propose a more realistic base line of blogging behaviors that can be adapted or altered to fit us small, insignificant bloggers.

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And now that I've strayed completely off topic, I will go away and think up another post.

Behind hte cut, because it's a meme.

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