Archive for the 'blogosphere' Category

Bad behaviour

Published on 2 April 2007 in blogosphere and web. 0 Comments

It’s been an eventful week in the blogosphere, and it feels strange to have been merely observing (with a puppy in my lap or chewing things) and not blogging my own responses or comments. I’m referring to what happened to Kathy Sierra, of course. It amazes me that some people (see the comments) can say that Kathy’s making “a big deal” of the fact that she’s received death threats just for the attention, and that she should just get over it.

Well, if someone told me they wanted to kill me, and posted pictures of me, with a gag over my mouth (or whatever the heck that is), and then said it was just a joke and that I should just get over it, well, they shouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t just get over it. Threatening someone isn’t a joke, and then claiming your bad behaviour is just a joke, is a cop out. And if going to the police is just attention-seeking, well I hope the unfunny cowards get caught. I wonder if they’d like that sort of attention…

It really irks me that arguments for free speech can be misused by such people to justify their rude and indecent behaviour. I’m not saying that anyone can stop anyone else from saying what they think, regardless of how rude, ignorant, misguided, or downright hateful they are. But that doesn’t mean that that sort of behaviour is acceptable, anywhere. I don’t know how you can stop people from saying (or even thinking) such things, but I do think that it is important that we make a stand against such behaviour. (I really liked Nancy White’s post on the issue.)

To Kathy Sierra, I don’t know you at all but I did read your blog, and I hope you and your loved ones are okay!

Friday morning

Published on 15 March 2007 in reading and blogosphere. 2 Comments

Where did the morning go?

In lieu of blogging, this is what I’ve been pondering this morning:

Jessamyn’s Australian photos.

Is Twitter already a passing fad? (I don’t think so, but then who knows?)

The forum on library20.ning.

How to Save the World: An Imbalance of Power, and Nobody but Yourself.

A recipe for making your own corn chips.

The 3rd Pea has arrived! Congratulations! (Actually I read this yesterday, but must share)

I usually read blogs via RSS but recently I’ve started picking one out of my feeds and going to the blog itself, just for a change. This morning I’ve been looking at Librarian of the Possible. I am still pondering your posts, and find your suggestion that instead of using the termcollections, we think of content, intriguing, Sideshowmatt!

Twitter

Published on 11 March 2007 in Twitter, experiment and blogosphere. 4 Comments

I was resigned to not blogging tomorrow - I don’t know a) if I’ll have much any access to a computer, and b) if I have access to a computer if I’ll have much time to do any blogging - but I will have my mobile phone, and perhaps the periodic update won’t be impossible after all. (I was going to lug my Tablet down to Margaret River with me, but I’ve decided I won’t because its wireless card isn’t working, and even if it was, I think that expecting wireless access is overly optimistic.)

Assuming the mobile phone network exists when I get down south today, I’m hoping to do the odd update on my whereabouts and doings using Twitter. (Thanks for digging up the number for non-US users, Morgan! I don’t know why I couldn’t find it - it was driving me bonkers!)

What is Twitter, you ask? Basically it’s a site that allows you to post little snippets about what you’re doing, using either the web, Instant Messaging, or SMS.

Twitter’s doing the rounds in the biblioblogosphere (thanks to David Rothman for reminding me of Libworm!) at the moment. As usual there are roughly two different views of it - the w00t! crowd who love it, and the why would one bother? side. I think I tend toward the woot/positive side. I do agree with Liz Lane Lawley’s point that really only people who know me would want to know what I’m doing. Others have asked how Twitter could be applied to our work - well, we’re not all about our work, are we? We might want to socialise, keep up with our friends, and so on? :)

Some are also asking why or how one would remember to post updates every minute of the day - my response is, why would you do that, unless you have something you want to tell your friends? It’s just another way of communicating, I think.

So, if you do want to see what I’m up to, feel free. I’ve also stuck a “Twitter Party Badge” (displaying what my two friends and I are up to) in this blog’s sidebar.

Having said that, I really hope that mobile phone coverage is okay down there.