Ground rules for blogging

Updates:
Sakmongkol Answers Rocky's Bru
Sakmongkol Answers Rocky - 2

Original article:
An Ugly Side of Blogging. When politician Ariff Sabri who runs the blog Sakmongkol AK47 decided to expose the identity of A Voice after a cyber-spat with the "anonymous" blogger, he was being unethical. He committed an indecent act against a blogger buddy. At least, to me, that was clearly the case. To some others, including Sakmongkol who said it was a rib-tickler, it was not a sin at all. That is how common sense starts to become a rare commodity.

I know A Voice quite well; I have not met Sakmongkol but have heard good things about him. A Voice and Sakmongkol know each other, personally and politically: A Voice has very few good words to say about Khairy Jamaluddin. Sakmongkol seems to have nothing bad to utter about the Umno Youth chief.

But that's okay. Among Umno bloggers, I've observed, pro-Mukhriz operatives can sit down at the same table with their pro-Khir Toyo or pro-Mike Tyson or pro-KJ or pro-Ali Rustam counterparts. There was a time when pro-Pakatan bloggers would put their arms around pro-BN and pro-nobody bloggers but now they don't do that anymore. But that's another story.

I have asked A Voice many times to shed his anonymity and to blog as himself (I asked every Anon Blogger to do that, anyway). Each time, he would say "it's not time yet". Anonymity gives someone like A Voice the freedom to comment on issues without having to worry about being sued or jeopardizing the positions of people close to him or his sources. The ECM-Libra scandal involving Kalimullah and Gang and the Son-in-Law, for example, was very much his handiwork. A Voice also had a hand in exposing the IJN takeover bid orchestrated by certain quarters within the Government/Umno, despite being a staunch Umno supporter himself.

Sakmongkol should not have exposed the ID of A Voice.

If I were to expose the ID of blogger Hard T and who he works for, he would most likely lose his job next week. His employer might sue him and the cops would want to interview him over some pictures he posted recently will know where to find him. I am not the only one who know Hard T. A Voice knows Hard T as well. But we protect his ID. Honour among thieves, some calls it. Or plain common decency, if you like.

I know who Sime Darby Watch is/was, but I will not reveal him to anyone. SatD is another Anon Blogger (he's the one who calls Sakmongkol "senduk" and I can understand why) whose ID is best kept secret. I know someone who knows who Aisehman is, but he never disclosed the identity of this widely-followed blogger. I know nearly all the Anon Bloggers on my blogroll - Mob, Galadriel, Headliner, Pasquale, etc - and many of the pseudonyms in my comment section, but I will never expose them. They won't find it funny if I do.

Not too long ago, a now-retired blogger resorted to publishing the address and other personal details of commenter Monsterball following a cyber-spat. The spats were ugly (regulars would know that all spats involving Monsterball are ugly), but the act of betraying Monsterball when he had trusted you with his ID was not just uglier, it was venomous and malicious as hell.

I will continue to encourage Anon Bloggers to unmask and proudly blog as themselves. But to those who must remain as Anonymous Bloggers, be very careful who you trust your real ID to.

Now please read A Voice's Common Sense and Common Courtesy: Ground Rule for Blogging.

To all who have to work for a living, Happy Workers' Day.