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Steve Gilliard, 1964-2007
It is with tremendous sadness that we must convey the news that Steve Gilliard, editor and publisher of The News Blog, passed away June 2, 2007. He was 42.
To those who have come to trust The News Blog and its insightful, brash and unapologetic editorial tone, we have Steve to thank from the bottom of our hearts. Steve helped lead many discussions that mattered to all of us, and he tackled subjects and interest categories where others feared to tread.
Please keep Steve's friends and family in your thoughts and prayers.
Steve meant so much to us.
We will miss him terribly.
Kim: "A Female Blogger Who Got Death Threats"
Labels: blogosphere, wingnuttery
Blogger Kathy Sierra
Thanks to Kim for finding this important story and commenting - THANKS KIM!
The original story is totally incredible to read:Blog death threats spark debate
Prominent blogger Kathy Sierra has called on the blogosphere to combat the culture of abuse online.
It follows a series of death threats which have forced her to cancel a public appearance and suspend her blog.
Ms Sierra described on her blog how she had been subject to a campaign of threats, including a post that featured a picture of her next to a noose.
The police are investigating while the blogosphere has launched its own enquiry.
One of the issues raised is the question of how women bloggers are treated online.
Ms Sierra, author of popular blog Creating Passionate Users, began receiving death threats four weeks ago.
Since going public on the issue, she has been overwhelmed by the support she has received.
"I agonised about making this post but I hoped it would start a dialogue," she told the BBC News website.
"I never thought it would become so big or be this positive," she said.
While blogging feuds are common, she believes the campaign against her is more likely to be because she is a woman in the male-dominated technology world.
I read the blog in question entry in question and the harassments and
death threats are really beyond typical troll prank posts.
I'm shocked that one of the co-authors of "The Cluetrain Manifesto"
(which originally started as a website--and was later turned into a
book--that stated the obvious: that successful markets really begin
with conversations between the seller and the potential customer and
the seller tries to meet the needs of the customer based on those
conversations) has been named as being a member of a recently pulled
blog called meankids.org whose members are largely responsible for the
harassments and death threats.
I have never heard of this blog or of Kathy Sierra before seeing the
BBC News story and she doesn't strike me as being a hateful
right-winger like Anne Coulter. Apparently she writes about
technology-related issues and it's been hinted that she may be paying
the price for being a woman writing about traditionally male-dominated
fields. Even if it is sexism at work, it seems beyond the pale to
threaten someone's life simply because you object to something she
wrote in her own blog.
- posted by Kim