Centerfield

Normally, I would agree with you, especially on sites like this one that exist for the discussion of topics that are likely to be controversial. But this topic reeks of But there is a section of the blogosphere that is actually dedicated to getting things done in the tech industry. What's the end goal? To ensure maximum debate or to ensure maximum content production? I'm not the biggest fan of Creating Passionate Users (Kathy S's blog), but a lot of people are. If poor conduct by a few s*heads causes her to stop blogging, then we're all the worse off for it. If an opt-in identification policy means a large group of people can keep receiving the content they want, then that's their business. They lose the benefit of freer debate, but they keep Kathy and all the other "normal people" who wouldn't blog if

they knew that part of blogging is developing a tough skin and knowing how to deal with death threats. I'm not enamored with Tim's solution at all, but the 'can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen' chorus ain't cutting it either.

If you can't stand the heat, you can customize your kitchen to suit your needs.

While I am appreciative of the virtues of civility, I am unpersuaded that incivility is best cured via a one-size-fits-all policy that enforces civility.

IOW, to each blog its own. There are plenty of different good models out there that foster the sort of civility (or its lack) that suits the given blogger. And that's as it should be, IMO.

But any death threat ought to be a criminal matter. Forget Emily Post and go with the FBI. There's no point in addressing death threats with a blogger's code of conduct. A much better approach would be to take such threats with deadly seriousness, investigate them, and put some folks in jail. And do so prominently. Anonymous death threats are not a new thing, they're an old and especially cowardly action. And I'm all for using 21st century methods to hold such cowards to account.

Once someone who was mentally imbalanced (I found out later from other bloggers on the site, he had posted the medication he was taking and had been banned before for behavioral problems) was berating me and threatening me everywhere I posted on the blog. Eventually, and stupidly, I told him to back off or I would have some Russian friends of mine pay him a visit. We both did not know who we really were or where exactly we lived. Anyway, he informed the board he had construed my remarks as a death threat and had called the FBI in NYC, so I played his bluff and called the FBI myself. I told an agent what I said, why I said it and the board pages the thread had taken place on. Despite telling me not to worry, they did tell me that plausible threats (even from behind usernames) could be followed up in investigations. They took my number, handle, and told me if they had any questions, they would call me back. A friend who is currently directing safety for NASA's shuttle program told me not to sweat it. He often spoke to the FBI in order to get approval for friends to visit NASA and get the “special tour”. You need a background check for this. Still, some posters were so upset about the incident they never posted there again. BK has a point.