Site Administrator
Joined: Sep 06, 2006
Posts: 1920
Location: Canada
|
There is a huge difference between having an opinion and using your blog to harass someone. Let me educate you Bill.
Bullies, at one time could only be found on playgrounds now they are on the internet and they are using blogs and webpages to spread rumors and lies. What do blogging host providers like Blogger do about this, nothing.
Quoting from my son’s article. “Cyberbullying is when a group of people send, post, or put up sites about you that contain death threats, hateful comments and other rude and unwanted sayings about you.”
Cyberbullying is defined as sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the Internet or other digital communication devices.
Cbs news aired a story where a young boy was harassed online. Someone created a website about him. Whoever created the page requested that others join in. They posted lewd, sexual comments, smearing his reputation. They accused him of being a pedophile. They sent abusive email to him.
Other kids have been threatened online, had parodies made about them, things posted about their family. It is something that has gotten way out of hand and don’t give me no bull that it is their freedom to do so.
Just as the playground has bullies, so does the internet, but with the internet people hide behind anonymity and the thing is that individuals stumbled upon these webpages, forum posts or blogs and they believe what’s being posted.
A child’s reputation can be destroyed. The sad thing is that it isn’t just teen’s cyberbullying, adults do it also. These grown adults are the same children from the school playground that called you kindergarten baby and took your milk money.
Internet users are creating blogs and websites that target other online users. Can you imagine someone creating a website or blog centered all on you, which says how much they hate you, an entire website or blog dedicated to just you? Ah how special. Well no actually it can be quite damaging. They post private emails, edited photos of you with offensive comments, hate messages about you, anything they think that discriminates you. Just where does the madness stop?
These sites list and make horrible claims about you and even your family. It is similar to the kind of bullying you dealt with on the school yard as a child. Internet bullies tease and ridicule their victim. This can have damage on your offline life as well. Cyberharassers get this sense of satisfaction every time you react to them. It is like a notch on their belt. They are like a rapid dog foaming at the mouth and their bite can be just as damaging. It all comes down to a matter of power, control and domination. They feel in power when they are getting you to react.
CyberHarassers will even group together, send out emails to your friends and if it is a community such a forum board they will join and create conflict. The purpose of this tactic is to wind members up.
They are also very manipulating in their tactics. If they don't get their way they will attempt to befriend anyone who they think they can convince to take their side, in an attempt to make you the victim. Harassers know very well that they can create conflict by getting at least one person out of a group to second guess your character. Once they have that they will in return use that to further flame you.
They even will use your isp provider or web domain host’s terms of service rules against you, they provoke an angry response to their abusive email to you and then they send the abusive email to your internet provider or hosting company.
Defamatory accusations can ruin not only a business, but the website owner’s reputation as well. Defamation can be immensely costly to a business, because the cases are civil, it costs the website owner in the end should they decide to take the individuals to court to sue for damages that is if the victim even can figure out who her attacker is. Unhappy customers and members will blog about a business or website.
These blogs can often be seen first when a business or website owners name is searched for in search engines. Unhappy members may also target the websites staff and any happy member whom speaks positive about the website.
When a service like Blogger allows such harassment they send a clear message that they condone it. Google recently refused to remove racist blogs from blogger. The one blog posts the names, addresses and photographs of people it does not like. One of the blogs also included incitements to violence in the (moderated) comments section.
Having been to both blogs, all I can say is that these are hateful blogs owned by neo-Nazis. Freedom of speech is meant for far noble purposes then protecting those that feel that they are above the law.
Judge Edward Fadeley, Retired Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court stated “Today’s blogosphere is a veritable Wild West of verbal ambushes and shootouts, with very little fear of legal recourse to keep character assassination, defamation and dirty business tricks in check.”
Daniel Lyons, in a Nov. 14, 2005 Forbes article says “Blogs started a few years ago as a simple way for people to keep online diaries. Suddenly they are the ultimate vehicle for brand-bashing, personal attacks, political extremism and smear campaigns. It’s not easy to fight back: Often a bashing victim can’t even figure out who his attacker is.”
They are both correct!
Bully On-Line Is a great website that identifies the different types of harassment and bullying.
Again when do we say enough is enough?
_________________
Help Support Blogger Talk Blogging Community|
Rose DesRochers - World Outside my Window
|
|
