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We fact check your ass

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 by Dave Winer.

A picture named gecko.jpgI don't know what Scoble is up to, but he's my friend, not just the business kind of friend. So it's my job to help him get back on track, or find out why I'm wrong, so I can get back on track.  Permalink to this paragraph

The title of this piece "We fact check your ass" was a synthesis from the early days of blogging. There are a few key ideas about blogging in that short phrase. Permalink to this paragraph

1. There are many of us. Permalink to this paragraph

2. We care about the truth. Permalink to this paragraph

3. We use colorful language.  Permalink to this paragraph

So this leads to a bunch of good blogger behavior, stuff Scoble knows about, stuff Scoble has evangelized. A person who puts his ideas out there takes the risk of putting out incorrect ideas, but that's not a problem if there are lots of people fact checking his or her ass. Permalink to this paragraph

So here's what you should do when you say something that's incorrect. As soon as you realize it, correct it. Maybe offer an explanation, but that seems optional. But first and foremost, fix the bug. Permalink to this paragraph

Everyone is telling him this, but he's not getting the message. Simply say "I made a mistake" and every piece from this point on won't have to guess what happened.  Permalink to this paragraph

PS: TwitterGram explaining this in my own voice. Permalink to this paragraph

PPS: Wired piece posted late yesterday. Permalink to this paragraph



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