How do you handle your blog comments? I’m not asking just about the ones that come into your own blog, but the comments you give as well.

As the administrator of an online blogging community I read quite a few posts a day, as well as posts from the dozen or so blogs I subscribe to.  I also cruise the net just to read different blogs. So, I read a lot.

As far as commenting goes, I see everything from no comments allowed to full out flame wars, but the best of what I see is engaging back and forth conversations that are debates.

From a blogger stand point, I always welcome opposing views, as long as they aren’t outright torch sessions that border on name calling. Maybe it’s my argumentive nature, or maybe I just like the entertainment. But what is more likely the truth is, I understand that when I write a post, it is my opinion or viewpoint. That doesn’t make me right in anyone else’s mind but my own.

I will debate my stand until the other side gives up, or I relent and agree they are correct. I am comfortable with admitting I am wrong or that there are two or more sides to every issue.

Sometimes I’ll write a post just to piss some folks off, and I’m disappointed when everyone who comments agrees with me. This means I’ve tuned into the a community that thinks like I do (not all together a bad thing), but it also means that my blog isn’t getting much in the way of new traffic.

I know when I read some other blogger’s post and scan the comments afterwards, if I see a disagreement, I’ll stop and reread the post to see what I missed.

When I comment, if I disagree, I will write my point of view in a civil and maybe fun manner. Never degrade the blogger or any other commenter, this is a sure way to get people to quit commenting or even reading the blog. I would never want to be the cause of damaging another bloggers blog, but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything they are writing.

There are deeper issues at the core of all of this. Issues of censorship and prudence. Some believe that to agree even if you don’t is the just and right approach. I see that as a lie. If to no one else, you lie to yourself. You sell yourself out in name of socially acceptable good form. You become a sheep.

Now, I can hear someone in the back say that if you don’t agree, then don’t comment. That to me is another form of censorship. If you can give your opinion in a civil and exacting fashion, then you should be allowed, and I support anyone who wishes to educate or open our eyes to another point of view on the same topic.

My opinion is important to me, but it is not infallible. I know this and am comfortable with this. I also know that if I am brave enough to write my opinion, I had better be damn well brave enough to defend it and not be hurt because not every reader thinks I am all seeing and all knowing. By god I don’t want THAT onus in my life.

So tell me, am I all daft when it comes to blog comments, or do you honestly agree with me?

© 2009 – 2010, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

LONDON, August 25 /PRNewswire/ — As the global phenomenon of blogging continues to sweep the USA and Europe, online resourcing firm Eazyrecruit is advising both employers and their staff to guard against the potential pitfalls of keeping an online diary.

The warning follows a number of high profile blogging cases both here and in the UK, in which employees were sacked for disparaging their employers on the internet. American flight attendant Ellen Simonetti was famously fired for posting a picture of herself in her uniform on her fictitious ‘diary’ page, while more recently, a bookstore employee, Joe Gordon received his marching orders for complaining about his boss on his personal weblog. With cases like these becoming increasingly common, we can expect to see more and more bloggers paying for their right to free speech with their jobs.

However, as Richard Annington, CEO at Eazyrecruit explains, it’s not just the employees that suffer as a result of their online indiscretions: these types of disputes can prove to be costly and difficult for employers too.

He explains: “As blogging disputes continue to dominate the headlines, it’s not surprising that employers are becoming increasingly worried about incurring the wrath of a disgruntled employee with an online axe to grind. Furthermore, because blogging is a relatively new phenomenon, many businesses aren’t sure what can be done to guard against it.”

According to Eazyrecruit, it is possible to bring a defamation claim against an employee – but this is an expensive and uncertain process. A much more simple and effective method is to update your company’s internet policy.

Richard continues: “There’s no need to put an outright ban on employees keeping online weblogs – after all, what they do in their spare time is up to them. However, it’s perfectly reasonable to introduce a clause in your existing internet usage policy which stipulates that employees who maintain a personal website or online diary cannot use it to make comments about their employer.”

This will make it clear from the outset what will and will not be tolerated. More importantly from the employers’ perspective, if the policy is breached then internal disciplinary proceedings can be initiated without the need for an expensive court case and adverse publicity.

Richard concludes: “Taking precautions before a potentially problematic situation arises is the best solution all round. Employees need to know where they stand and employers should be explicit about what is acceptable behaviour.

“In an incredibly short space of time, blogging has gone from being virtually unheard of to one of the buzzwords of the moment. As the global population becomes increasingly internet literate, we can expect blogging to become a staple method of communication. Businesses which ignore this fact do so at their peril.”

Notes to editors

Eazyrecruit is an online resourcing firm which works with organizations to reduce their cost per hire and eliminate their need to use recruiters, print advertising and job boards to hire staff.
Published Aug. 25, 2009
Copyright © 2009 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
Syndicated stories and blog feeds, all rights reserved by the author.

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

August 28, 12:36 PMSalt Lake City Single Moms ExaminerRachel Tobin

A single mom is blogging her way through her son’s battle win cancer.  Her five year old son, Mio, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, or ALL.

The blog, The Enemy in Mio’s Body, just started in August.  She is telling her story and reaching out for help.  One entry, titled “Setting Things in Motion” she goes into the different fund-raising and organized praying that have been arranged by loved ones:

How do I begin to beg? I humbly admit that yes, we do need your help. I would have wanted Mio to have a normal life and yet here we are faced with the biggest battle. There are warriors putting things in motion and if you’d like to extend your help, no matter how little or how far, it would be an honor for us if you’d bet on my son’s life by participating, sharing the word or simply looking into these projects that Mio’s loved ones are preparing for us.

I encourage you all to click on the blog, with them good luck, and help out where possible.  Any mother would be heartbroken to watch her child battle cancer, and as with most things, that pain is only magnified as a single mom.

Articles on Jaycee Lee Dugard: Jaycee Lee Dugard, a single mom impregnated by her kidnapper, Jaycee Lee Dugard Found, Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Lee Dugard

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

Do the Couch Potatoes have to dominate everything?

Written by Jennifer Martinez
Posted Friday, August 28, 2009 at 1:58 PM PT

Here’s some good news for couch potatoes: IBM is developing a remote control that lets you blog and tweet while you’re watching TV, according to the Baltimore Sun. Big Blue filed a patent for the remote control back in April.

It’s just the latest example of how TV is becoming more social. Verizon FiOS subscribers can now view Facebook and Twitter widgets on their TVs, and earlier this summer, Vizio said people will be able to access the two social sites through its new televisions. As Liz Gannes explains on GigaOM Pro (subscription required):

The best technology solution for those solitary couch potatoes isn’t particularly wacky or paradigm-changing, but that’s kind of the charm. Put simply, it’s text chat. It’s not a difficult concept for either users and providers. We all know how to IM with friends, and TVs and computer monitors are quickly becoming one and the same. Now it’s just a question of when and how your conversations with friends will overlay your TV watching.

With IBM’s device, whenever you want to share comments about what you’re watching, you’ll have the option of choosing from a list of pre-loaded comments or writing your own. The remote control will also let you take a picture of the program you’re watching and insert it into the post.

Once the patent is finally approved (a process that isn’t known for its speed), we’ll have an alternative to today’s “two-screen solutions” — or chatting on your laptop while watching TV.

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.