My new best friend, Kevin at Real Lawyers Have Blogs, has finally found a cause I can get behind.  A number of big corporate-types are going to rein in the wild west of the corporate blogosphere (note, not blawgosphere, that small city-state where us lawyer-types post, but the world of BigCorp blogs) by developing The Rules.  They are forming the Blog Council, “dedicated to promoting best practices in corporate blogging.”

So, if this is directed toward corporate blogging, what difference does it make to the rest of us?  First, consider this:

“Every major corporation is struggling with the question of how to use blogs and engage the blogosphere the right way,” said Sean O’Driscoll, General Manager, Community Support Services for Microsoft.  “The Blog Council brings together precisely the people who need to explore these issues together, in a productive and private networking environment. We can work together to develop model policies that set the standard for corporate blogging excellence.”

See who’s talking, Mr. Microsoft.  These are the types that start the ball rolling and keep the rest of us out of the dialogue when all the rules are written.  But once they decide on what’s best for them, they start pushing their weight around, and their weight is considerable.

Would it surprise anyone to learn in a few years that there is a new government blue ribbon commission to create rules for blogging?  And what about our friend and protector of justice, the ABA?  Do you think its unlikely that they will be pushed into the fray after the Blog Council does its dirty work?  Or state bar regulators, who will impose “best practices” on us blawgers in exchange for free copies of Microsoft Windows Anti-Vista (this is the program that will remove Vista after it is discovered that Vista was a scam perpetrated by Microsoft to destroy the computerized world). 

The blogosphere is, at present, the wild west.  Our only constraint is ourselves and our ability to slam dunk others who misbehave.  On the one side, there are the many issues raised by Solove in his Future of Reputation.  But on the other side, we are like a herd of feral cats that will never be brought under control.  That is, unless some really big, strong, powerful Blog Council convinces all the powers that can be brought to bear on us to shut us down upon pain of . . . something.

Don’t discount Kevin’s concern.  Or mine.  This is where the future starts.  Where is stops has yet to be seen, but I surely don’t want to have Simple Justice taken down by some geek at Microsoft because I’ve broken one of the Blog Council’s rules.