The New York Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting has revised their permitting rules and have re-open the comment period until Dec. 13.  From their website:

The New Film Rule Proposal

Under the new draft of the proposed rule, a permit would be required if equipment or vehicles are being used by the production or if the filming activity creates an obstruction. “Equipment” is defined as film cameras, videocameras, lights, sets, and other production related materials, but does not include hand-held devices or tripods.

“Obstruction” is defined in the proposed rule as the assertion of exclusive control over a public space resulting in the obstruction of one or more lanes of a street or walkway, or when production activity results in either less than eight feet or one-half the width of the sidewalk or passageway (whichever is greater) being available for unobstructed sidewalk use by pedestrians.

A permit would not be required if the production uses hand-held devices or tripods, its activity does not present an obstruction, and it is not using equipment or vehicles. An optional permit would be available in these instances, and would not require liability insurance.

The rules would also not impact press photographers, who are routinely credentialed by the NYPD, or student filmmakers, who meet their insurance obligations by coverage through their school’s insurance program.

As a general matter, City agencies’ procedures for the issuance of permits must be contained in formally adopted rules. The City Charter’s rulemaking process requires that City agencies publish proposed rules for public comment. Public comment is now open for this current draft of the rule, with a hearing scheduled for December 13, 2007.

More at PictureNY>>

With stenciled Bolex camera protest signs and no permit to assemble, some 400 people demonstrated at a downtown Manhattan rally on Friday to protest New York’s moves to alter rules that govern filming and photography on the city’s streets. On that same day, members of NYC’s independent film community met with the Mayors Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting (MOFTB) to discuss the proposed changes. The announcement by the NYC MOFTB that it would institute formal and potentially restrictive rules for those engaged in filmmaking or photography in and around the city has stirred vocal criticism (and increasing media attention) in the final days of a public comment period. Read the article>>

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.