Blogging Threatened by Impending Legislation – Be Warned and Be Armed

According to a post by Owen Winkler at Asymptomatic, blogging is being threatened by impending legislation in the US government. If you’re not into reading the links in the previous paragraph, here’s the gist: Republican Jeb Hensarling of Texas sponsored a bill that would add words to the federal election laws that would exclude the […]

Blog Exercises: Site Policies and Bloggers Code of Ethics

It’s time to start working on all of your site policies, one by one. So far, we’ve touched on some of these in Blog Exercises: The Don’ts of Blogging, Blog Exercise: Taking a Risk With What You Blog About, Blog Exercises: Comments and The Blog Bullies, and Blog Exercises: Quoting and Blockquotes. The basic policies […]

Blog Exercises: March Current Events

It’s time to blog the news and current events in our Blog Exercises for March. The first Current Events exercise was in January, and it featured some ideas to help you get motivated to blog some news and current events. Find a way of making the news or a current event tie in with your […]

Blog Exercises: The Don’ts of Blogging

Did you know there is a Blogger’s Code of Conduct? It’s on Wikipedia. Initiated by Tim O’Reilly, it is as follows: Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog. Label your tolerance level for abusive comments. Consider eliminating anonymous comments. Don’t feed the trolls. Take the […]

January 18: Join Reddit in a National Blackout Day of Protest Against SOPA

On January 18, join Reddit and the country in protesting SOPA. Reddit announced they will black out their site January 18 for 12 hours in protest of the US government’s pursuit of the horrible SOPA act: The freedom, innovation, and economic opportunity that the Internet enables is in jeopardy. Congress is considering legislation that will […]

Blog Resources: Researching the Research, Finding the Facts, and Seeking Supporting Evidence

As part of my ongoing series on blog resources, covering the many online resources I use to help me blog, you can tell that I don’t deal with rumors or guesses. I like facts. I don’t mind a few estimates, but I like being right when I make a claim or statement, so I work […]

Things I Want Gone from the Web in 2007

Here are a few things I want gone from the web in 2007 – and forever – along with a few things I want you to do to make the web a better place in 2007. Kill All Popup Windows In every shape and form. Out-of-control Advertising Web pages, specifically blogs, are now looking more […]

Blog Challenge: Blog About Those Who Dare to Speak Out

According to a news story on BBC News, Amnesty International is asking bloggers to show their support for freedom of speech. The human rights group also wants web log writers to highlight the plight of fellow bloggers jailed for what they wrote in their online journals. The organisation said fundamental rights such as free speech […]

Are Blogs Now News Sources? Google Thinks So

According to Micro Persuasion, Google has added Google Blog Search to the Google News search bar links. Hmmm, that’s interesting. Blogs as “news” or “news resources” is still a hotly debatable point. Most blogs merely rehash the news with opinions and conjecture. A few actually report the news though, which challenges the fine line between […]

Ethan Zuckerman: Blog Anonymously with WordPress.com

Ethan Zuckerman offers a way for bloggers to blog anonymously with WordPress.com. Blogging anonymously is not for just anyone. Zuckerman is very clear that this technique is for those who are blogging at the risk of their lives, not trying to hide because it’s a “cool thing to do”. The process consists of a series […]

Will Stopping Overseas Online Gambling Payments Impact Bloggers?

There is a lot of news out today about the new US legislation passed to help end Internet Gambling within the US border. According to stock market reports, the international gaming companies are losing money as their share prices drop after the announcement that the US House of Representatives and Senate approved a bill this […]

One Year Anniversary Review: Blogger’s Rights and the Risks of Blogging

The issues of protection for bloggers, bloggers rights, and copyright protection for web content is still an evolving issue. As more people find freedom of expression in blogging, other people seem to find more excuses to stop or control not just what they say but how they say it. There is even a guidebook for […]

Do You Need Permission to Use Feeds

I recently wrote about asking permission to include a blog in your blogroll and asking permission to link to website or blog content, and now I want to know if you need permission to publish a feed on your blog. This is a complex issue. Like blogrolls, I think it is a compliment to include […]

Reporting Spam Blogs – Splogs

Quick Online Tips recently posted “How to Complain and Report Spam Blogger Blogs”, a good look at the procedures you need to take to report, and hopefully remove, splogs. A splog is a “spam blog”, a blog that copies content from other blogs without permission (though there might be a link back), using that content […]

The Committee to Protect Bloggers – Risking Your Life for Your Words

Abhijit Nadgouda of iface, someone I don’t know personally but consider a friend, recently introduced me to The Committee To Protect Bloggers, a part of Civiblog, a multi-blog hosting service acting under “an international initiative with the aim of giving voice to individuals and organizations involved in global civil society.” I’ve written about a lot […]