Blogetiquette - blog and play nice or else?

The CBC has reported that Tim O'Reilly is proposing the introduction of the Blogger's Code Of Conduct. The first draft of the code has appeared on his website and on Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales' site wikia.com.

The development of the code is cited as a reaction to events such as the suspension of prominent blogger Kathy Sierra's blog due to violence and death threat postings on her blog and on other websites.

Personally, I am in two minds about the proposed code, though I have to admit I have done no more than scan read it at this stage. On one hand I think that basic courtesy and respect for people's rights and privacy should always be a given, hence the code could be a useful tool to reinforce that. On the other hand, in our increasingly regimented society where there are so many rules and regulations for absolutley everything, part of me is a little saddened that the code is deemed necessary, even if it's intended to be self regulated.

Technorati, the blog-indexing company, cites that there are some 74.9 million blogs on the net, so obviously if the code is required not everyone was taught that if you can't say anything nice, you are better off saying nothing at all.