onfocus

Anil's discovery about We Blog related comments spam is just another reason why better identity management is needed for open weblog comment systems. Beyond an identity bank like I mentioned a few days ago, I think there are some other steps weblog authors could take to weed out unwanted comments. First, create a quick "terms of posting" that lets people know what is acceptable and what isn't...and publish it where people will see it before they post. Also, enforce consequences for violating the terms. I'm not sure what that should be. Maybe making the IP Address of the offending poster public (this is like putting up bad checks at your local food joint) would help. Blocking that address (or range of addresses) from future posting could be the way to go, though it's trickier with large ISPs. I think the real key is heavy moderation. As soon as someone violates the terms, delete the comment; no note that you've changed something, no email to the offender, just delete. The idea is that trolls and spammers will get bored when no one listens. (But we all know how well that works for email.) These aren't long-term solutions, but they could help while the ratio of unwanted contributors to good contributors is still low.

Goodbye Meg and Jason. I'm sad they're leaving the Bay Area, and I'm very happy for them.

Mark Pilgrim's discussion of how to stop spam in comments is very interesting. I don't have an answer for it, but I think it also brings up another important issue related to comments: persistent identity across sites. I think there are a couple of types of people who post comments. Some people have a carefully constructed Internet identity that is linked to their real-world identity. They care about how they are perceived on the Web because it affects their real-world lives. Others post anonymously with pseudonyms, and they don't care how that username is perceived because it isn't linked to their real-world life. I think there's a place for both types of posters, and the level of identity-revelation should be voluntary. I think this difference causes friction though, and it could get worse...especially as it relates to persistence.

How do I know that "WackyD00d" posting on site A is the same real-world person behind "WackyD00d" posting on site B? Especially when current weblog comment systems allow the user to put anything they want into the name, url, and email fields. How would the real person behind "WackyD00d" posting on site A police the use of his/her online identity on a site they don't control? Abuse could hinder discussion. It doesn't seem to matter if everyone is posting anonymously, but when real-world reputations are on line it could be problematic. For weblogs to be taken seriously as a place for discussion, I think this problem needs to be addressed.

Requiring a login with email verification could provide some protection, but you run into the problem of putting up a barrier to conversation...especially if you have to register on every site that you'd like to participate. I think some sort of central "Identity Bank" that generates a pgp-style key that could be included with comments across sites could work. It would be a barrier (though lower than a login), and there are some privacy concerns. (I wouldn't trust my info with Passport/Microsoft, for example.) But somehow offering that option to people who care about their online-offline identity link could help. And I think it could be done like PGP, where no one company has the keys to everyone's ID. Mabye it could even be done with PGP somehow.

I saw Bowling for Columbine last night in a packed house. Michael Moore seems to have taken that Shaw quote to heart, "If you tell people the truth, make them laugh or they'll kill you," because parts of the movie are hilarious. Some of his arguments were frustrating, but he had many, many good points to make. Certain sections reminded me of Manufacturing Consent, because event after nauseating event is shown in succession and it's not fun to look at the negative aspects of our society. But I think it's necessary to confront those aspects if we want to change them. This film brings you face to face with the violent side of American culture and its effects on everyone. And it's worth going to see it for Marilyn Manson's insightful comments alone. The audience I saw it with erupted into applause at the end.

washington post : 100,000 Rally, March Against War in Iraq : "Tens of thousands of people marched in peaceful protest of any military strike against Iraq yesterday afternoon, in an antiwar demonstration that organizers and police suggested was likely Washington's largest since the Vietnam era."

El Capitan is a huge wall of granite in Yosemite Valley. This weekend we hiked a little ways up from the valley floor so we could get a better look at it. Beyond the view of El Capitan looking up, we had a great view across the valley:



As we were enjoying the view and studying the giant rock, I saw something unusual but had an idea what it might be. Some binoculars confirmed it: it wasn't a bird or a strange rock formation, there were people climbing the sheer face. We kept tabs on their progress for a few hours, as we could see them from anywhere on that end of the valley. It was windy at times when we were surrounded by trees, and I can't imagine what it must have been like for them exposed on a cliff face.



We eventually left, so we didn't get a chance to see much of their descent. But at times they were swinging what seemed like fifty feet back and forth as they descended. To get a feel for what their view and ascent must have been like, check out the photos that go along with this article. crazy. (I think the climbers we saw were on a different path.)

half dome

A few months ago I knew that SQL Server had some XML features built-in, but hadn't yet taken the time to look under the hood to figure it all out. (And the MS docs leave something to be desired.) Then I got a chance to be a technical reviewer for a book called SQL Server 2000 XML Distilled. I came up to speed very quickly as I read about the thinking behind the XML features and tested all of the example code. The book is out now, and I just got a copy in the mail the other day. It looks great, and I'm looking forward to re-reading it in its final form; and having it handy as a reference.

The book has nine authors, and I was one of thirteen technical reviewers. I'm amazed that projects with that many distributed people involved can work out so well, but the folks at Curlingstone are on top of things. The only drawback was the schedule. Curlingstone is located in Scotland, and the reviewed chapters were always due on their Monday morning (my Sunday night, around 1am). Being a procrastinator, I had some late Sunday nights as I finished going through chapters.

The soundtrack for this week has been DJ Shadow's The Private Press.

Lots going on offline. And I'm going to be offline all weekend. The blog suffers.