Blogging Code Of Conduct

Last week the BBC reported that
prominent blogger Kathy
Sierra has been the subject of online death threats. (Don’t’ click the
Kathy Sierra link unless you’re prepared to read some gruesome stuff.)  Tim
O’Reilly has called
for a blogging code of conduct. And so my mind has been working on what
Christians might contribute to such a code. Clearly the libertarian ethos
behind much of the Internet has come unglued here, as Christians with a
doctrine of original sin (however understood) would expect. So here are a few
brief thoughts as an obscure contribution to the discussion.

Freedom has a
distinct Christian understanding. It is not freedom to do what I want, it is
freedom from selfishness to serve and love others. The former kind of freedom
is always damaging. Free speech is important, but we need to ask what we are
doing with our freedom.

Journalling has a
long and honourable Christian history as a spiritual practice. People will ‘journal’
their lives as a way of prayerfully discerning the work of God. There are
consequently some similarities with blogging, which is characteristically an
online journal. However there are important differences. The historic practice
of spiritual journaling is a private document; blogs are public. With blogs,
therefore, some discretion must be observed. There are many things I would like
to write about on my blog but I cannot, because it is a public document. Not
everything should go on the web, however much the temptation may be there to
create a lively post or comment.

Jesus extended our
understanding of violence and so Christian bloggers cannot stand aloof with
a smug self-righteousness when reading about the threats of violent death made
against Kathy Sierra. “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient
times, ‘Do not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But
I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, and if you insult
a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you says, ‘You
fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22) Jesus’ words
could be made for some Christian blogs, where there may not be death threats
but the epidemic of flaming is unworthy of a disciple. Flaming gets the hell of
fire, according to Jesus.

Speaking the truth in
love may have been reduced to a cliché in some Christian circles, but it
remains the gold standard. Not the ‘A word in love, dear brother’ that is
usually anything but: some of us are good at truth without love and some of us
think that love without truth is kind – it isn’t. So should anonymity be allowed? Yes if it’s to
protect the vulnerable and create a safe space; no if it covers the guilty.
Should we moderate comments? I do;
I’m happy to have debate and disagreement, but there is a difference between
criticism and a critical spirit.

Those are just a few thoughts that have been circulating in
my mind. Finally let me commend again Tim
O’Reilly’s guidelines, and in particular the way he draws attention to the BlogHer Community Guidelines,
which are very similar to those required by a lot of web forums. Why we should
have a different standard for bloggers from forums is a puzzle to me.

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