There is a belief that bloggers are fond of the pile-on and that the solution/fix doesn’t get as much traction. Let’s see if Tim’s response to the extremely controversial C&D letter sent by CMP to it@cork gets more, less or equal attention? Where did I first learn about Tim’s response? From the del.icio.us most popular list this evening. What post is second from the top of techmeme and probably will make it to the top before the night is out? Tim’s response. (Update: it is the top story as of 7:29pm PST).

I think it’s too convenient to say bloggers only report the bad and not the good. Only interested and focused on the problem and not the solution. I think the comments area of blogs and the fact that people like Tim can use his own blog to respond gives the chance for a new conversation to start. A healing one, if you will.

Tim’s response to the situation is thorough and heartfelt. I see where he’s coming from and he admits there was a breakdown in communication and the C&D never should have gone out. He then suggests that Tom should apologize to him for “the way he stirred up the mob.” It’s that part where I disagree with Mr. O’Reilly. Tom Raftery posted facts and explained his side of the story. Where did he stir up the mob? Weak.

It’s the lawyer’s fault here and I see no need for Mr. Raftery to apologize. At the very least the CMP counsel responsible should have their send a C&D card revoked for all future O’Reilly deals. Let’s not shoot the messengers here and furthermore, let’s not try to make it sound like the echo chamber as a whole acted improperly.

Isn’t a huge part of Web 2.0 sharing? Social networking? It seems like the fundamental principle of sharing the O’Reilly message — the conference, the trademark, the need to protect — was completely botched before this C&D was sent out. If there had been better communication then I, for one, could see what Mr. O’Reilly was saying about the blog commentary being too harsh would have more legs.

As it stands, however, I don’t blame any blogger for calling what they see here.

The crazy commentary that Mr. O’Reilly cites is something we all deal with but there was a lot of passionate, deserved and on base blog criticism and to lump in the crazies with that is wrong. Like any other sort of filtering, you have to filter out the crazy comments (like the one he cited in the comments section), but how he comes up questioning all bloggers who questioned the communication breakdown leaves me puzzled.

Did this post make you go hmm?

Maybe Related Posts (plugin generated)

• O’Reilly lawyers send C&D over ‘Web 2.0′ usage
• Scoble’s comment policy: “I don’t delete comments.”
• Wondir-ing how to respond to feedback?
• Trackbacks now inline, mixed with comments
• WP plugin Bad Behavior and Techmeme bot conflict resolution
• Lump of coal #1: When you try and give feedback and can’t (updated)