While some may see the blogosphere and the behavior of its participants as a new phenomenon, it isn’t difficult to find an appropriate predecessor model. That model is found on the streets of any metropolitan area and it is called traffic and the prevalence of road rudeness…or in its extreme…road rage.

Granted, personal attacks and snark on the internet are not likely to lead to fatalities, but if computers had wheels, it certainly would.

The problem on the highway or the internet isn’t going to be resolved through a badge system. Did anyone attend Easter mass yesterday and witness the value of symbols…no not the crucifix behind the altar or the statue at the entrance; I’m talking about the pretty new Easter outfits…complete with bonnets and bow ties. These are the outfits worn by the same people who also attend Christmas mass every year without fail…and then get into their shiny clean vehicle and race out of the parking lot without ever yielding to the old woman walking to her car that is parked in the back row because she forgot that it was Easter Sunday and foolishly arrived at the same time she does each and every Sunday.

Read more on the relationship between blog civility and Easter Bonnets…here:

http://www.thoughttheater.com/2007/04/web_civility_and_easter_bonnets.php

And to the unfairly oppressed, please use your best judgment (as some great figures of our past have used pen names when warranted), but for most the people most the time to stay concealed? I see more down- than upside in the long haul. That’s not how humans do their best work. Anonymity is a pre-condition to anti-social behavior.

And by “anti-social behavior” I mean things that most people would be ashamed to do in broad daylight in front of people who know them. I’m not talking about “speaking truth to power” or other social organizing to effect positive change.

In our work with , we’re getting amazing participation rates within neighborhoods. I think one reason so many people subscribe (20% of Burlington, Vermont in our first seven months) is that they feel safe and known, and they know who else is allowed on their neighborhood forum… only the nearby neighbors.

I’ll shush now.

I say more power to them as they spread their “antisocial” ideas (ie, ideas that go against the loud “real-world” voices of the rich and privileged and powerful).

“Boorish behavior is largely kept in check by the same system that’s been in place since the dawn of humankind… act like a jerk toward the people around you and pay the social price.”

A social price that’s usually too high for the less powerful in society to pay for their honesty.

I guess folks are concerned about identity theft to a degree. But it’s likely more a case of scale. It’s hard to be anonymous in a village of 1,000 inhabitants, but it’s easy to disappear into the crowd in New York City. And most of the internet is more like NYC than Mayberry.

Nasty anonymous online behavior appears to be increasing and is getting more attention in the mainstream media.

It’s no wonder… anonymity can breed antisocial behavior. Like wearing a mask in a crowd… fun to blow off some steam at Mardi Gras or a Halloween bash… but a little bizarre to keep your face covered year-round at work, on campus, around town. I guess it works for Batman… but he has his own issues.

The neighborhood forums hosted by Front Porch Forum are limited to residents only. And each message includes the writer’s full name, street, and email address. No masquerade… just straight shooting from the person next door and around the corner. Boorish behavior is largely kept in check by the same system that’s been in place since the dawn of humankind… act like a jerk toward the people around you and pay the social price.

Can this approach be applied more broadly? More at http://frontporchforum.com/blog