Blogging on the Brink: Time to Set Standards?
Are bloggers on the brink?
With an estimated 50 million blogs thriving or wavering on the Web, some recent headlines signal changes in the blogosphere: Blog and Beware…Blogger Jailed… Blogger Signs Off With Apology.
Do bloggers need to be regulated to be responsible?
“There’s this Wild West mentality where people think they can do anything on the Web and not be held liable,” says a Harvard legal expert.
Increasingly now, bloggers are being held liable. One blogger was ordered to pay $1.8 million to a Florida man he referred to in a post as “a failed lawyer.” Another blogger was slapped with a $129,794 judgment for falsely stating that a woman’s property was “haunted.”
When a food blog in Los Angeles recently ran an anonymous item accusing a wine bar of health code violations and serving inferior food, the bar’s owners forced an apology from the blogger for the unfounded report. The incident spurred other bloggers to devise a Food Blogger Code of Ethics, in an effort to get culinary blogs to adhere to ethical standards including fact-checking, plagiarism, and conflicts of interest.
“There comes some responsibility with the things you say,” said one of the Code authors. But many food bloggers shrugged off responsibility, saying, “I’m not a journalist, this doesn’t apply to me.”
With voluntary ethical efforts like the Food Code falling flat, many are wondering if the government can—or should—force bloggers to abide by mandated guidelines. Currently in the cross-hairs of the Federal Trade Commission are bloggers who often write glowingly about new products often without disclosing a freebie, a payment, or a business relationship with an advertiser or corporate supplier. The FTC says it will soon act to make traditional truth in advertising guidelines apply to bloggers, too.
“If you walk into a department store, you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk,” said an FTC assistant director. “Online, if you think that somebody is providing you with independent advice and…they have an economic motive for what they’re saying, that’s information a consumer should know.”
Tell us what you think: Should bloggers be mandated to follow a code of ethics or other guidelines? Can bloggers be responsible to self-police? How much control should the government have over what bloggers write?
Liberty Mutual is a sponsor at the BlogHer conference in Chicago on July 24 and 25, 2009. The Responsibility Project booth will be an open forum for bloggers and other attendees to come share their viewpoint on “responsible blogging” – either on camera or by filling out a survey. The video content of the interviews will be available after the conference on The Responsibility Project website at www.responsibilityproject.com/blogher.
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new to blog
What the heck is a blog,,,,,? Is it good or bad? Can i speake my mine. Or do i have to place opinons about misc. on pages or can i placse an add for my bussines, ie misc. general commints etc, If i can do my bus. How would would do that. Please comenttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt. asap. thanks
edie G | 3 months ago
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Mr.
Just stumbled upon this website. Well, here we go again. As soon as someone says something that offends the sensibilities, a group, project, commission or some other entity comes to life. As if we don’t have some grave problems and issues to address, let’s hop on the great American phenomenon that has evolved—BLOGGING. I’ve read most of the posts and one area of definite concern is the horrible spelling, grammar and short quips that appear. Now I must agree with the “Yelling fire in a theater” syndrome. What we do not need is this jump to regulation, particularly by the government. There’s enough regulation as it is. I read an article recently that the F.B.I. has contracted with a firm to set up shop to monitor blogging. Why do they feel a need to do this? I bet the answer is the catch 22-In the interest of national security. Do you really think the terrorists are going to get on the Internet and disclose their most intimate plans? No, this is an attempt to keep track of folks who are candid, active citizens and who might be critical of the moves by the politicians which is imperative. And why are organizations such as P.E.T.A. and Greenpeace being infiltrated? Another McCarthy Era in the making. The bottom line is that we do not need any further oppression and suppression of civil rights, particularly the First Amendment of the Constitution. G.W. did enough of that when he started lining out portions of that sacred document saying that this and that doesn’t apply anymore. Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. America and all ships at sea.
Bill Cody | 3 months ago
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Judge not,that you may not be judged.
how often do we fail to examine our thoughts ? if we were to listen to our hearts still quiet message instead of the LOUD messages of this condeming and destructive social system in which we exist,perhaps justice could bring the results that are intended to be blind and equal to allow for an unbiased jury to pass a fair and impartial verdict that offers the greatest liberty and justice for all.
Charlie E. Bond | 3 months ago
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Ms.
you are realy an inspirational for me. i am realy dying to know how to blog. if you don’t mind i want you to tell me how to blog step by step . so i can have a chance to experece my feeligns to the world.
djeniba | 2 months, 4 weeks ago
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blogging for world peace
I think blogging is the most wonderful advance towards world peace ever. Just think of all the oppression that could have been publicized and stopped before it went so far.
Kay_Sieverding | 2 months, 1 week ago
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Wild Elephant Eco Friendly Resort, Munnar, India
I have stayed in Five star hotels in India and abroad and am used to the luxuries they provide and the way they pamper you and make sure that you patronize them again and again whenever you land up in the town or city in which they operate.
It was by chance that I had an opportunity to visit Wild Elephant Eco-Friendly Resort in Munnar. It so happened that I was booked by my travel agent in another hotel in Munnar and I missed my flight and arrived a day late and it being December could not find any accommodation in Munnar. One of my acquaintances in Cochin suggested “Wild Elephant Resort” and the name sounded interesting to fall for it.
When I called up the Resort they told me that only the Leaf Cottage was vacant as the guest who was due to arrive did not show up and I agreed to take it.
We arrived there at Adimaly town at around 10 AM .The road is fairly good, and you need to take a diversion to the left at a place called Kallar which is 14 kms from Adimaly town .As you take the diversion from the Cochin –Madurai Highway at Kallar and go on Kallar –Mangulam Road you find the denseness of the forest increasing and also pass gurgling waterfalls as you drive along, before you reach this unique resort.
As you are nearing the Resort you can see the vast expanse of the beautiful Tea Estates of Letchmi Tea Estate which is just next to the Resort and also view the Waterfall from where the Resort gets its water.
The place is just mind blowing as far as the Location is concerned and also the cottages and the rooms are so neatly done that you feel yourself totally at Home, especially when greeted with the homely food of the Resort. As I stood on the top of the Hillock where the Resort is situated I had a feeling of Freedom and Liberation which I have never felt within the four walls of the room of any luxurious five star hotel. The reason is simple, the resort is situated in such a strategic location that Nature is all around you in abundance and this makes calm and well being descend on you once you land here.
The Swimming pool is really enchanting at this height and as the Sun comes out and heats the surface jumping into the pool has a great soothing effect, especially as the water which comes into the pool comes from the waterfall which can be seen from the Resort.
We had come to stay here for a night but ended up staying here for three nights instead, during which we went to a place called Anakulam, about 12 kms from the resort and had the opportunity to see about 60 wild elephants which had come to drink water from a stream. We also saw a lot of waterfalls on our way and also hanging bridges made of wire rope and wooden planks. One such wire rope bridge we were told was built by the Resort management for the villagers. The resort staff who looked after us and also took us around for trekking and sightseeing were excellent and the service and the overall treatment was excellent. I want to go back again whenever I am in Cochin and I get a chance to escape from the hotel room in a concrete jungle to a place where I can mix with Nature.
For more details visit the website: www.wildelephant.net
Album Link http://picasaweb.google.co.in/welresmnr/WildElephantEcoFriendlyResortMunnar
Ashok | 2 months, 1 week ago
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isnt that what makes us, "us"?
fed up while i certainly understand your frustration at the obvious disproportionate salaries paid to those who entertain versus those truly in need of help and assistance. what about the discrepencies in salaries inO our educators vs. entertainers, sports figures and the like. helping other countries, being a globallly consciencious country is what in one way makes us American, seperates us from the crowd. Ous country not only talks the talk but we walk the walk
kimberly lagroone | 2 months ago
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A country full of whiners
I am sick and tired of these little wimp PC losers who try to attempt to start laws like this. People forget that free speech is still NUMBER ONE in the constitution. These types of people want to use free speech to prevent others from being able to use use it at all. Racism is covered under free speech. Views that go against what you or I believe are still covered under the first amendment.
Whether these whiners like it or not you may see hear or read something you don’t like in this country and that is the way it should be. Do you know what I do if i find I don’t like something? I remove it from my presence. Change the channel, click a new page, walk away from a conversation or NOT buy the book or CD or rent or buy the game.
Words should never be something you want to prevent considering that these idiots that try and pass these laws or get these radio hosts banned for words may find themselves in the cross hairs one day and nobody will feel bad for them or try to help them.
Basically what it comes down to is that these PC spineless losers have become bored with trying to control what I am allowed to see on tv, hear in music or on the radio and so many other types of media. They have now turned their attention to the internet.
This country has become a country of whiny special interest groups and it is no wonder terrorists want to blow us up!
Joe Alexander | 2 months ago
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Information is the key
When you start looking on the web for something of interest to use either to make some money or just to find something for fun the most important thing you need is plain old information. Information is abundent on the internet if you know where to look, There are many places where you can find the information you need usualy for a price. One such place where you can find information on over 7000 different articles with information on almost every subject you can think of. All this information usually comes at a small price but it is never staggering. The website where you can find a list of all this information and actually visit the sites where the information is located is free to use. This web site sort of acts as a free search engine for information. Its use is free. The information may not be, Find it here. http://www.yourmallsearch.com
Charles Holbrook | 2 months ago
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Somewhere Along the Way
This book was written as an autobiography by Dorothy Holbrook Each chapter is like an episode of Waltons Mountain describing the hardships heartaches and poverty she faced as a young girl from Appalachia and finally as a young 16 year old wife. There is three hundred and sixty six pages,Chapter 61 is a particulary memorable one where a future daughter inlaw’s mentally disturbed Dad pulled a loaded shot gun on Dorothy (and eventualy killed himself) for trying to smooth over relations with the Banfield family for an adopted son and his girlfrind their daughter, The most memorable one is “Duel Of Two mothers” where Dorothy was trampled by a cow that thoght Dorothy was hurting her new born calf. The cow had kncked Dorothy’s 6 year old daughter down and was mauling her and when Dorothy tried to intervene the cow turned on her. This happened on their poor farm in Ohio that Charles her husband’s mother had bought for them.There is also a chaapter describing the family’s disasterous winter and Christmas on the farm farm. There is also a chapter called Mirical on Gillum Branch If Interested the book costs $18 and shipping is free contact Dorothy at 606 836 4694 or at dottyholb@gmail.com The book will also be Autographed to the buyer. All names except Dorothy’s family have been changed to protect the inocent. Each chapter is another story.
Dorothy Holbrook | 2 months ago
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