I am pretty upset by the idea that bloggers, and female bloggers in particular, are becoming targets of hate and threats. So, I was interested to find out a bit more about some resources and guidelines that others have been working on to self-police the blogosphere.

BlogHer, a network of women bloggers on all topics, has community guidelines aimed at stemming the kind of problems now facing Kathy Sierra and others. I publish this blog for many personal reasons but also in the hopes that others find it an open place to discuss. However, without hesitation, I will not publish anything I deem disrespectful of me or other readers (which has never happened, btw), just as I don’t allow spam to appear here. I hope other bloggers will think about these issues and pitch in – it would be a shame to have someone as smart as Kathy Sierra and others, quit blogging because it became an inhospitable space.

Another issue that is looming large in blogging the past few months is legalities. I haven’t gone over it in depth yet, but Electronic Frontier Foundation has a comprehensive guide to legal issues for bloggers. Ignorance is no excuse!

Please share any interesting community guidelines or legal resources if you have them. It would be nice to have a variety of perspectives on this.