Kathy Sierra: Welcome to the “Other Internet”
Posted by Karoli in Technology March 27th, 2007
Kathy Sierra has what I consider to be one of the best blogs on the Internet. Creating Passionate Users is an example of brilliant content, graphics and positive blogging all rolled up into one blog. How ironic, then, that she should find herself at the receiving end of the dark side of the internet: trolls, threats and anonymity.
Bloggers are reacting with predictable and gratifying outrage. Many are outraged, some are disappointed, others are sick over it. All of those emotions have run through my head tonight as I struggled with what I wanted to say here about it.
Death threats and other online sniping are bad enough, but this is even worse, because the escalation of the threats had a garden to grow in on a site called MeanKids.org — a team blog written by some high-profile bloggers — bloggers who might be considered “A-List” bloggers. Danah Boyd calls the content of this site “completely unacceptable”, and from the few cached posts I was able to pull up on a Google search, I’d agree with her. As Danah points out,
The content by the sites’ creators (again, prominent bloggers) was completely unacceptable - misogynistic, racist, and horrid speech. Their words were bordering on hate speech so it’s not that surprising that anonymous commenters took it one step forward.
The site was ultimately pulled down by the owner, but he created another one was created by one of the original meankid.org participants — and this one gave rise to Kathy Sierra’s last straw.
I am outraged, sickened and disappointed, too. But I’m also concerned, because this has been a long-standing problem with online interaction, and if we do not find a way to self-regulate activity like this, we will be facing legislative activity. What happened to Kathy Sierra happens to kids on MySpace every day. It’s a real problem. Nancy Willard has an outline and notes on cyberbullying (PDF) and a new book out that addresses this issue in the context of kids online. Here is her definition of “dangerous online groups” (p.3):
Dangerous Online Groups
- Angry teens becoming involved in hate groups or gangs with
- Or forming their own troublesome youth groups
- Find acceptance from like-minded peers or adults
- Leads to contagion of unhealthy attitudes and behavior
This defines my area of deepest concern: Some leaders in this ‘community’ we call the blogosphere were involved in the creation and maintenance of a sub-community that fostered unacceptable speech and in so doing, set a precedent for hateful, unacceptable online interaction.
The problem is, this isn’t an isolated event. I’ve noticed a trend that seems to have begun around October or November of 2006. Violent Acres, Heaven Nose, and MeanKids.org were all created between mid-October and mid-November. Another site, katherding.com was also created at around the same time; however, that site identifies its contributors and is more satire than outright meanness. The others, however, are much meaner and nastier than that. In an ironic twist, HeavenNose claims the victory for outing the Trainwrecks.net bloggers by posting their names, addresses and phone numbers — only they didn’t quite hit the right targets, causing the harassment of innocent, unrelated parties.
Here’s the other trend: The targets, for the most part, are women. It seems that it’s okay to post sexist, misogynist, rank, disgusting remarks as long as one takes aim at women. Maryam Scoble was one of the latest MeanKids.org targets and they spared no barbs in their efforts to ridicule and humiliate her.
Denise has a great post asking how we can stop this. She asks:
What gives someone the right to photoshop a kid’s photo. What gives someone the right to put a noose around Kathy Sierra’s neck? What gives someone the right to make sexual comments about a woman? What gives someone the right to degrade and threaten another human being - often a woman?
This is the ‘other internet’, inhabited by those who cloak themselves in anonymity and drop drive-by hate speech nuggets just hoping to get a reaction. This is the internet that operates in the dark, under the guise of free speech which isn’t really free at all, but is actually very costly. This is the internet that cries out to be freed from the burden of law-making and regulation, but is unwilling to self-regulate and moderate themselves. This is the internet which invites others to cross a line they might otherwise not cross in the name of freedom. This is the internet borne of those who do not believe that they should operate in the dark the same way they do in the light.
If any good comes out of Kathy’s fear, pain and anger, let it be an open dialogue about how to end this madness as a community, without calling out for new laws, new regulations, or action from the Ones who do it For The Children.
Is the answer OpenID? Is it some sort of unique identifier that we all own as part of our agreement to participate in online interaction? I don’t know. But I do agree with Denise: It’s time to look at what causes this and how we can stop it.
Nancy White recently wrote a post about collaboration, commenting, and having her buttons pushed. Her punch line:
Listening is a key part of collaboration. If a word, a phrase or a post shuts us down, we lose.Language sure can open up or shut down a conversation for me. Or a collaboration. When a label someone else uses hits my hot button, it is harder to stay in the game. When an assertion that strikes me as over the top hits my hot button; same thing. My hot button can be the end of a collaboration, and kill many from starting.
My question: How can we create communities where button-pushing is no longer the norm, where it is no longer acceptable to be so outrageous, so utterly off-the-wall-outside-the-limit, and where everyone is mindful of the impact a word, a label or a button can have on the community and on the collaboration?
Update: Robert Scoble expects an apology from all concerned after seeing the cached version of what was written about Maryam. I agree — an apology would be the least they can do. Some of the folks mentioned in Kathy Sierra’s post have responded with specific answers, apologies, or shutting down. Doc Searls posted what he knows and calls for the facts to become known before making judgments.
Update #2: 3/28/07 - Commenter Dan G corrected me on who created the second site, and I’ve corrected my text above to properly reflect the sequence. Thank you, Dan G. Also, Doc Searls has posted an email he received from Alan Herrell where he says he’s been hacked and his identity stolen along with his wordpress and typepad identities.
Technorati Tags: Kathy Sierra, blogs, blogging, censorship, hate speech, online community
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…living life in 19/7 time 
[...] For a more timely and thoughful opinion a defer to Drums’ article at odd time signatures. [...]
I troll around quite a few blogs and by and large, I treat the content as being the opinion and sentiment of the author and that’s just fine and dandy.
If the author uses their blog to make money, more power to them.
When they blog and pretend to be an authority on blogging - I tend to gag a bit. Kathy Sierra makes me gag a lot. Her vision is narrower than that of a keyhole peeper with cataracts.
She is just another L Ron Hubbard of the blogosphere - full of bloated nonsense - which she passes off as being something akin to the elixir of life.
What offends me is that she makes money selling books that are essentially worthless to gullible and vulnerable members of the public.
Yes, this sort of thing happens a lot in blogland and most of us just shrug it off with “some you win, some you lose” and we move on.
Kathy Sierra has not only lied her lily white butt off and besmirched a superior author who references everything he writes, but she’s used technorati as her mouthpiece and will doubtless increase her profit from cancelling her gig by a factor of 10.
She’s just offended that not everyone takes her word as gospel and actually had the means and the temerity to say so.
I couldn’t give a tinker’s cuss about Kathy Sierra or any of her ilk. I feel sorry for everyone who spends their hard-earned on any of her pathetic books. She’s shallow, she’s a liar, they are her victims.
NOT hiding behind anonymity,
Paul Ritchie
Australia.
[...] with cyber-bullying, and Hugh McLeod of Gaping Void has some thoughts as well, as does Karoli at Odd Time Signatures. Technorati Tags: anonymity, blogs, threats | Share This | Sphere [...]
You might want to read Liz Henry’s take.
This is reminding me of the to-do over AutoAdmit and Jill of Feministe. Jill’s response to the threats against Kathy Sierra.
And Paul? You are entitled to your opinion about Kathy Sierra, but she is also entitled to safety.
I agree with everything that is covered above. However, I don’t know why the article must steer toward the fact that the victim is a woman.
Levi,
The very nature of the threats and harassment requires that it be approached as a gender thing. There was clear intent on the part of the harasser(s) to demean with sexual images and sexually charged threats.
Does it happen to men, too? Absolutely. But generally not with the sexual references — it’s violent and ugly, but not sexual as a general rule.
Paul, you don’t have to like Kathy Sierra to recognize the wrong that’s been done. You even acknowledge that what was done was wrong when you deny being the one to do it.
We are all entitled to feel safe and to take steps to ensure our safety. We’re obligated to protect the safety of our children. Your opinion of Kathy notwithstanding, there is really no excuse for creating and fostering a place where people can feel free to harass, belittle, and threaten others.
[...] this post at Pandagon, and this post at Mathewingram.com and this post at BlogHer, and this post at Odd Time Signatures. Tech blogger Robert Scoble went on hiatus in response not only to what happened to Kathy Sierra, [...]
[...] threatens Kathy Sierra and everyone starts throwing my name into the argument as if it were me who told her to shut her [...]
[...] to know is how did the anonymity that everyone loved before become the evil of today. The so-called “Other Internet.” Most parents have the basic sense to tell their children to at least keep their MySpace profiles [...]
“The site was ultimately pulled down by the owner, but he created another one” - incorrect.
Very nice post. However, some of the things you’ve written are inaccurate. Heaven Nose never posted the personal information of the trainwreck administrators. I followed the whole thing and never saw that happen. Also, have you seen their site? It’s just a bunch of photoshopped pictures that parody different things. I don’t think the Heaven Nose or Violent Acres blogs can be compared to what happened on the meankids.org site. I don’t think you wrote this post very responsibly.
Not anonymous.Violent Acres?
I read that blog everyday, it contains nothing that bullies you. Rather it helps you in a rather Violent and welcome to the Real world way.
My Advice? Stop seeking attention, by playing victim.
Some Women base their life on seeking attention.
If you are a catholic, you should think that you’re going to hell, however nice you are.
You Broke 1 commandment and committed a deadly sin called Vanity.
When you play victim, some people rush in to give you a shoulder to cry on, ok fine enough thats good for you no?
BUT, when you play Victim, some people think you are weak and I read some of you’re posts, you speak like a very strong independent women, BUT you play the victim card now. Why ? Why you lie right to your readers faces, Say untruthful things about your neighbor and place yourself in the center of everything?
You know what some people do when they see a weak person? They get Motivated to kick them down, because their chances of winning against a cry-baby is very good.
Throw away the Victim card, and Be Strong.
But ofcourse some people lie about their strength, all i can say Is I show no sympathy to a Lying Vanity Drama Queen as yourself.
Be strong and you will rise, be weak and you will fall. You are falling.
You think I’ve never been Bullied on-end?
You think I never got Internet Stalkers?
You think when I reached the age of 16 I didn’t know how to handle them?
How old are you ? 1 ? 2? 4 Years old?
Get a Grip and Grow up !
Advice is not bullying.
You want advice, find out who these anonymous people are and Pay them back.
also the best form of tackling bullying is Ignoring them.
V at violent acres does that, shes smart.
She doesn’t Help her bullies get More Hits and more money from the ads.
YOU SERIOUSLY THINK ITS STOPPING HERE, because of the Police?
They’re probably laughing their Heads off, because you fell for their Bait.
If you ignored them, whats the point of them continuing to harass somebody that doesn’t show the slightest bit of reaction.
They found the perfect specimen to test their Insults and Threats on.
Unfortunately its you.
You said you’re scared to go out of your house?
Thats so sad. Grow up.
Who the hell is going to attack you for nothing?
Their Objective was to make you scared.
They managed. You fell for it.
again I will not sympthatise with you.
Dear Graham,
Learn to read, please. I’m not afraid to leave my house at all — I was quoting someone else. I don’t need or want sympathy.
Have a great day.
Dear Karoli,
Sorry If I misread, i was directed here from another website and only now I noticed my mistake, how ignorant of me to do so.0_o
Same to you.
The irony of the situation is chokingly delicious. I don’t think I could take another bite. If Kathy Sierra had remained anonymous, the same anonymity she and many others in the blogosphere are railing against, it would be difficult to target her, her family, her image, or her gender for such, admittedly frightening, comment. Of course, if the nature of the job lends to a certain amount of celebrity status that is beyond your control, then unfortunately these types of comments are an unavoidable consequence of the choice in career. If so, you are again faced with a choice: accept these consequences or change careers. If the belief spreads that instead of taking responsibility for these choices we must force the population to behave in a way that we find suitable, we will find ourselves on a slippery slope of unappetizing ends. I understand that the behavior on meankids.org is reprehensible, that’s why I don’t go there or any of the other websites that promote an agenda that is morally contrary to my own: KKK sites, Kiddie Porn, FOX news, etc. But they have a right to exist. If a law has been broken, alert the website and other authorities to try to ban or isolate the offending party. This has been done. If a tirade on the subject is warranted, about hurt feelings and the way it has affected the lives of those involved, have at it. But, please, let’s not make this into a widespread regulatory discussion. We need to take personal responsibility of our actions AND reactions. The bit about our children being at risk of falling in with a bad crowd of questionable moral judgements has existed well before the internet, and it is STILL the job of the parent to guide them through those pitfalls. Not mine nor anyone else’s out in cyberland. How can we “create communities?” By monitoring our own actions and beliefs. Unless you want to go the route of tyranny. Be careful what you ask for.
On the vast expanse that is the wired, there is only anonymity and celebrity, and very little, if any, gray. Choose wisely.
PS. Kudos to anyone that has profited from this affair! I wish I could, but that’s not my style.
[...] want to address a piece of an interesting comment today on my original post about Kathy Sierra. Roark says the following: I understand that the behavior on meankids.org is reprehensible, that’s why I [...]
Check this out http://heavenblows.blogspot.com/ Heaven Nose and Violent Acres are all the same
Kathy juxtaposed two events: Meankids criticism of her books and drawings and the nasty blog comments from her own board.
If I may clarify a few points I noticed in the comments:
* Kathy produced works that are as open to criticism as anyone else. Her gender didn’t play a role in that criticism. Various world-leader men, male tech writters, and colorful clown outfits were criticized.
* She was aware of the MeanKids site since Feb. 8. and even posted, “It’s about f’n time. It’s always Tara Tara Tara.” in reply to Frank’s post. Frank and Kathy go back a few years, as friends as far as I read.
* There was never a photo of a noose *around* anyone’s neck. It was an icon near a picture of a person.
* The so called “sexual comments” referred to a satirical interpretation of the suggestions within a diagram she made; had the drawer been a male, I suppose male related metaphors would had been used — so technically, they were a sort of “sexual comment” but not the derogatory type being portrayed. She wasn’t called any derogatory female specific names.
* No one on the site said anything directed at anyone or directing anyone to do harm to someone. Ever.
My comments and criticism happened a full 10 days before Kathy’s outraged. Criticize me for what I wrote. But please don’t confuse what I wrote with a death threat. It was criticism, some of it was childish, nonetheless, it wasn’t a threat to anyone.
I’m sorry if she received death threats from an estranged wacko.
Kathy needs to clarify her accusations and make it clear she’s blaming whoever posted on her board. The distortion has gone on long enough.
Best Regards,
Joey
http://charmingbitch.typepad.com/charmingbitch/2007/03/check_this_out_.html#more
Joey,
Your comment fell into my spam queue — my apologies for not approving it sooner.
At this point I’m not sure what you wrote and what you didn’t, so I can see why clarifications have not been made.
As for the time lapse between when the last post was made and when Sierra made her first post, I can think of several reasons why she waited, not the least of which was the possibility that she was trying to overcome her own anxiety about keynoting at eTech. When it became apparent that she couldn’t overcome it, she cancelled and posted the reason for her cancellation.
Whether or not you INTENDED that image as a threat, she interpreted it that way. Now I know that you’ve commented on her blog and elsewhere claiming the ‘noose’ comment was aimed at someone called ‘Kat’, but again — it’s impossible for anyone to know since we can’t see it as it was posted. Still — it was interpreted as one, and honestly, it’s likely that I would have interpreted a noose hanging near my head as a threat, too, particularly when accumulated with the threats posted in the comments (particularly the baseball bat comment).
[...] my head tonight as I struggled with what I wanted to say here about it,” begins the writer of Old Time Signatures in a lengthy and thoughtful piece on the subject and asks, “How can we create communities [...]
#11, from “sara”, that’s from heaven nose, they always access in the early AM because they are across Europe. and no they did not post the trainwreck admins information, they just emailed it to trainwrecked people and encourage harassment after they would leave a comment &ask them to email their ’story’ to heaven nose , i’ve seen proof. and so “sara” can lie but in fact they do try to find real names of anon people and use it against them, threaten family, so any body who says
It’s just a bunch of photoshopped pictures that parody different things.
is lying out right
#11, from “sara”, that’s from heaven nose, they always access in the early AM because they are across Europe. and no they did not post the trainwreck admins information, they just emailed it to trainwrecked people and encourage harassment after they would leave a comment &ask them to email their ’story’ to heaven nose , i’ve seen proof. and so “sara” can lie but in fact they do try to find real names of anon people and use it against them, threaten family, so any body who says
It’s just a bunch of photoshopped pictures that parody different things.
is lie out right
#11, ’sara’, that’s from heaven nose, they always access in the early AM because they are across Europe. and no they did not post the trainwreck admins information, they just emailed it to trainwrecked people and encourage harassment after they would leave a comment &ask them to email their ’story’ to heaven nose , i’ve seen proof. and so “sara” can lie but in fact they do try to find real names of anon people and use it against them, threaten family, so any body who says
It’s just a bunch of photoshopped pictures that parody different things.
is to lie out right
sorry for duplicate