There seems to be something of a trend happening lately. Actually, it more like a well-known phenomenon online has finally spilled into the public spotlight when the story about death threats against blogger Kathy Sierra broke into the news. Another web kerfluffle became news when the Washington Post reported that anonymous postings in an online forum had cost some law students job opportunities. That same forum later exacted the same price of one of its founders.

In the wake of Kathy Sierra's story, move women spoke up about similar experiences; stalking and threats of violence from anonymous commenters on their own and other blogs. Now a famous female author is making claims of not-so-anonymous cyber-stalking. more

It's not nice, I know, to gloat over another person's misfortune, but in this case I think it's alright to marvel at the wonders of Karma. Last month I blogged about a website called AutoAdmit, where some law students say anonymous comments cost them jobs. The owner of the site, Anthony Ciolli, refused to remove those comments after the students, citing freedom of speech as the reason. 

Funny how the worm turns. Via Majikethise comes news that Ciolli was recently turned down by a law firm himself. more

Well, I don't' know if it can make you a "star." But it's getting easier, and a lot more fun, to create, remix, and experiment with video online. And with a presidential election gearing up, bloggers are asking both parties to make debate video accessible and editable on the web. The "remix" potential here is, to put it mildly, huge.

I don't have a lot experience with video, but in the past month I've used video on my blog a few times, in a few different ways, and saw a leap in my traffic when people discovered my videos and linked to them. Not bad for a guy who doesn't know much about video, which means if I can do it anyone can. You just have to know what to use. more

I don't like to think about it much, but I remember where I was for a number of disasters and tragic events. In some cases I remember who called to check on me when events happened closer to home. When the Oklahoma City bombing happened, my phone rang with family members calling to ask if I worked near a federal building. (I worked in downtown D.C., a few blocks from the White House.) I even got a call when the Heaven's Gate cult suicides were discovered. 

The events of September 11, 2001, however, stand out in my mind as indicating how  technology changed the way people cope with these events. Today's tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, the way students and faculty used social networks and text messaging to communicate during the shootings, provide another example. more

I almost bought it. A moment of nostalgia almost made me long for "the good old days" when you had to go to a record store and rifle through the bins if you wanted to buy music. I really should have expected it, after hearing the news that iPod sales have topped 100 million. 

But I think I can be forgiven a momentary lapse. After all, I had my first "dream job" working at a record store (just using the term "record store" is dating myself, for sure), and went to college in a town that was known as the "Liverpool" of its time.  more

It was a bigger response than I expected, to a post that I almost didn't write. Two weeks ago I came across a post on Booman Tribune that made mention of a "blogroll purge." I didn't know of any such "purge" at the time, so I filed it away with a note to look into it later.

It it took me another week to return to it, and start researching to find out just what had happened and how. I took it all in, and wrote a post about it after debating with myself over whether I should or not. I'd spent the past few weeks at work putting together a blog training that included pouring over a lot of writing about the subject involved, and I decided it would make good material for a post. more

I know I just asked you to do this, but I want you to do it gain. Just bear with me here and Google your name one more time. Now, look at the content that comes up in your search results. How much of it was created by you? If the answer is "not much," you may have a problem.

Right on the heels of posting about the importance of your online reputation, I came across this ComputerWorld article [Via Web Worker Daily] which suggests that failing to establish your own reputation online can undermine your job search. more

I want you to try something right now, especially if you've never done it before. (And if you haven't, why on earth not?) Google your name. (If you've got fairly common first and last names, try using quotations.) Done? Good. You've just taken the first step to discovering who's saying what about you online. 

In other words, you've plugged into your online reputation. Didn't know you had one? Unfortunately, if you've ever applied for a job, been in the news, or had a doctor's appointment you may be the last to know about your online reputation. You may also be surprised at what you find there.  more

I gotta make this quick. I may not have much time, because in thirty minutes I may not be be able to use my computer. Not because I'm going on a trip to some obscure location that doesn't have internet access. (Why would I do that?) Not because my internet connection is down, or because there's anything wrong with my computer.But because I might just decide to shut it down.

It's not that I can't shut it down. I mean, it's as easy as pressing a button or clicking my mouse, right? I can shut it down any timeI want to. I just need a good reason. You know, just to be sure I really want to. more