Category Archives: Social software

Bloggers warned that law applies to them too

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In the FT today..useful thoughts if you manage a user generated content site in the UK. BTW defamation law is part of journalist’s law training. Maybe someone should do a course on law for bloggers?

PS: I spoke to a helpful contact in the Department of Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform who said the area was down to industry to lead on, & that while Government was looking at copyright that user generated content was a very difficult area — for a whole host of issues such as the location of servers in different jurisdictions, and the fast moving size/nature of the web preventing scoping of the problem, to name but two issues.

Bloggers warned over defamation

By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson

Bloggers and social network users are in danger of falling foul of defamation, copyright or harassment legislation when posting comments online, according to a survey by DLA Piper.

Only 5 per cent of internet users said they were clear on their legal responsibilities, the law firm found. “The combination of confusion and complacency about the relationship between the law and [user-generated content] puts users at risk as they come under increasing scrutiny online,” said Duncan Calow, a digital media partner.

Only 42 per cent of bloggers thought they should be held to the same libel laws as journalists, the survey of 2,000 adults found.

* Plus another angle on the same report with story in the Guardian on backing for a law for bloggers.

Corporate social networks need impassioned people

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Interesting report from PC World in US in growth in corporate social networking. I particularly like dthe concluding paragraphs as they ring tru for my experience — some art as well as science then?:

Businesses planning to implement social networking need to bear in mind the major implementation issues are not technical issues, Happe warned.

“It’s community development effort, making sure people know about it, bringing them in and getting them used to the social construct of this,” she said, adding: “you can’t force people to communicate so if you don’t have an impassioned group of people it’s going to fall flat.” (my emphasis).

“These communities are extremely good at prioritizing information,” Happe said. “It’s like flash mob. If a community sees an idea and thinks it’s really exciting and everybody starts participating in it, the company can recognize that this is something that maybe they should spend a few resources investigating.”