KEY POINTS:
Thank you to those people who took the time to email me in response to my column last week on the CYFSWatch blog. Some of the respondents clearly hadn't read the column properly - I was not suggesting that those with a gripe against CYF were malicious cowards. That sobriquet was reserved for those anonymous bloggers who resorted to personal attacks and vicious abuse of CYF staff. Others were concerned that I'd called for the closing of all blogs that contained anonymous entries. They pointed out that on talkback, callers can choose to have a false name and withhold their number and asked, politely and otherwise, whether my stand could be considered just a touch hypocritical.
Talkback radio and blogs are very different beasts. There is a degree of control, for better or worse, on radio which means no one is allowed to resort to personal attacks. If I'd allowed a caller to say some of the things written on the blog, the company would go for a skate and damages would be paid out to the offended party. And even though callers might withhold their real names and numbers, they can still be traced if they need to be held accountable for their statements. Most amateur webmasters don't exercise that same responsibility.
And as for the argument that bloggers need to remain anonymous for their safety - please! That might hold true in Iraq, but I don't think a C-grade media studies graduate has much to worry about as he taps away on his computer in Glendowie.
Oh, there are some excellent sites - David Farrar's, Public Address to name a couple of local ones - and I've been sent a list of blogs from the lovely Rachel who is acting as a sort of technological spirit guide, taking me into a realm of thoughtful, blogs through her recommendations.
So, thank you to those who have taken the time to write but I would still ask that webmasters and bloggers be a little less shrill about their rights and a little more muscular in exercising their responsibilities.
