Cyberbullies and Kathy Sierra

If you are a blogger you've probably heard about this already. I've been neglecting my blog again, so I'm late in posting on this topic. Regardless, it's worth mentioning.

Kathy Sierra (first bio in the list) is a standout woman in technology. Published author, game developer, speaker and blogger. Unfortunately this made her a target. Better bloggers than I have written about her and a great place to start with a number of links is my friend the Digital Medievalist's site. It's made the CNN.com tech video list, as well, in the wake of a sympathy blogging boycott movement. Kathy Sierra (right now) the #1 search term on Technorati.

Freedom of speech. An almost sacred right. I'm all for it. But while the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America prohibits Congress from inacting laws that would abridge that right, there is no such protection of your speech on another person's blog. The blog owners have the right, and I would say an ethical duty, to delete death threats and other comments that would cause a person to have real fear for their safety. And if the blog owner decides they also have a right to delete sweet, inoffensive posts about parakeets, that's ok, too. It's their blog. If you want to have your freedom of speech, you're welcome to it - on your blog.

If you read nothing else - please read Kathy's post about this. How could what was done to her in anyway be condoned?

"kathy sierra"
"Bill of Rights"
"Dawno"