A number of interesting questions were brought to light in the banter above regarding community building and maintenance:
1. What is the relationship between an online community and its manifestation in the social physical world?
2. How does a group build a community on and off line?
3. What constitutes community support?

Regarding ethical online etiquette:
1. Should commenters remove their comments if the discussion becomes too intense?
2. Should the administrator be the sole controller of comment removal?
3. If there was only administrator control and a commentor requested removal should the administrator comply with the commentors request?
4. Who owns and controls online speech? What are the rules and responsibilities?
5. Where does an administrator draw the line between free speech and offensive online talk?

KQED provides comment guidelines for our users in an attempt to create a safe and open space to express opinions. The focus of our guidelines has been on what speech we reserve the right to remove if the comments are offensive. We have not had to address the issue of commentors removing their own speech since this issue was just brought to light through this post and because Blogger software does not provide an option to prevent logged in users from removing their comments. So, the constraints/freedom of the technology as well of the novelty of ethical issues continues to shape the blogosphere. I am pleased that KQED’s BAB can provide a space to explore these unique ethical issues specific to online interactive media.

. . . . . . . . . . .

I take Sam at her word, period, that she’s been under terrible stress for any number of reasons. Compassion and even mercy are good medicine for anyone who’s at that point, and I am surprised to see any vituperative comments about the issue of community when it comes to Sam Breach. She’s put more energy into the food blogging community than any single person I can think of. Sheesh.

Meanwhile, I didn’t attend that event for reasons of my own. I like Bruce and appreciate his work (though I don’t think of it as a blog, per se—no problemo for me, I still subscribe!), think the world of Heidi and what she’s created (forum, blog, photography!), and never fail to learn something while enjoying Alder Yarrow’s good stuff. But a panel didn’t interest me, not under those circumstances. I think I already know what’s happening with food blogging because I read my feeds…186* of them! (The vast majority are food blogs, of course.) The audience would, in my eyes, include people curious about food blogging, and I can satisfy my curiosity by reading my feeds and their comments.

I hope things settle down soon, all ’round.

Be well, everybody.

. . . . . . . . . . .

I think the world of Sam. She makes me laugh, she inspires me (and so many people), and she’s so down to earth. I’m not taking sides, no way.

I still love that The Commonwealth Club chose to feature food bloggers albeit the ones always featured.

Perhaps “community” is more of a loaded word than I thought. Call me crazy, I have always thought of it as a positive one. It doesn’t mean we are all Stepford Wives or like the same things or want the same things from blogging! No one ever said this!

Inherant in blogging IS community. Whether it’s made up of people we like, love, or despise. If we didn’t want the attention from others we would not post our words on the www, we would keep them private, like a real diary.

Me myself I love the dialogue, the active participation, even the critique. This is one of the very reasons why I started Eggbeater.

So thank you all for speaking up, voicing your joy and wonderment, your spite and malice. It makes lively conversation fodder n’est pas?

Maybe someone should start a thread for all bloggers all over the globe:

What Is Community & What Does It Mean To You?

By the way? I take this community seriously. Just as seriously as I took it six years ago when I started writing for Television Without Pity and got all sorts of hate-mail for cranking on Jennifer Love Hewitt and Star Trek at Television Without Pity. Just as seriously as I took it when I started my food website to keep track of my post-publishing-culinary-school endeavors. And now you’re personally castigating me because I choose to go to Qi instead of the Ferry Building? Jesus, man. My site has NEVER made it into the press. Hell, most of the SF Food Bloggers don’t even know who I am, but I’m HUGE in Angola! Yet? I live, and I persevere, and I get deals and contracts. Yes, I do this professionally and I do love it. Even if it is freelance.

I don’t need the “ligitimization” of the Commonwealth Club event to make me feel good about what I do. I didn’t go to Qi simply because I wasn’t invited to be on the panel thingy at Commonwealth or had “sour grapes,” I went to Qi because I was aware of it AHEAD of Commonwealth, and I like tea and booze (not vodka). Calm down, dude.

I asked a friend why they attended the panel, and their response was enlightening: “It is witnessing the dialogue and the exchange of ideas in a much more visceral and communal way than reading blogs or listening to NPR” that makes these panels so interesting.” Which is exactly why I was hoping for a bit more participation from those in the blog community.

And you know what? Some of us actually take this stuff seriously, even professionally. So spare me the integrity lecture. When flippant comments get deleted for one reason or another (and the Bobby Brown bomb gets dropped – are you shitting me?) then I think integrity becomes a valid discussion point. Am I wrong here? Try saying something to someone in person and then try to take it back, snatch it out of midair. Pretty tough to do. The simple fact that you can do with the comments on this site is disturbing.

Yes it’s annoying that the same people get mentioned in the press all the time. Snore. I haven’t made the press in years (with the exception of Pete Wells now infamous column and thank god, because if he’d a left me out I would have ripped him). But it seems to me that most bloggers crave that type of attention. Witness the lists to articles about them in magazines and newspapers proudly displayed on their home pages.

My original point, was that here was an event that not only provided the legitimization that most bloggers seem to crave, that I was questioning why hardly any showed up to participate. Apparently, they “had the hump” as Sam said in her now deleted comments, so they went to another event instead. Sour grapes, whatever, fine. I’m too old for these free vodka things anyways, and I’m obviously outta the loop here for taking the discussion seriously.

I don’t normally participate in these type of dialouges but now I am driven to do so because the commenter “Lia” made it personal. That is inexcusable.

Sam has such an outstanding level of personal integrity. In addition she has done more to elevate the level of engagement within the food blog community. Leave her alone already!

Now to contribute to the intent of the original purpose of this discussion. Bruce, why in gawd’s name do I want to spend good money to hear about something I’m already swimming in? And for that matter why would we all want to show up and sling arrows at someone? I’m a bit perplexed by your suggestions and provocations. Frankly it’s also annoying that the same people get the press every single time. Yawn. There are many of us out here working pretty hard to delivery fresh, well-written content daily.

As to community, well I will say this, “the emperor has no clothes.” Don’t let anyone fool you everyone who blogs wants some form of validation be it community/friendship or there name in lights in a respected magazine. I have made a few friends in the immediate food blogging community (SF). I’m flattered that I have quite a few more around the world. I’ll also be completely honest, I have come up against petty schoolyard antics in the immediate community. I take that merely as a sign that I must be doing something right.

Just to clarify, the Commonwealth event was never billed as a community meeting for food bloggers. Here’s the original description:

“Food Blogger Face Off: The Bay Area is home to many fascinating food blogs. The content is fresh and witty, the recipes sublime and the recommendations and reviews priceless. Here is your chance to meet the creative talents behind the most popular Bay Area blogs. The panel discussion will focus on the people behind the blogs – how they got started, how they keep going and what’s next.”

Bruce – it is nothing to do with Kqed that I choose to remove the comments and it does not call in to question their integrity – only mine.