LeWeb3: is it over yet ?

Par Netpolitique, dimanche 17 décembre 2006 à 14:20 :: Netpolitique Monde :: #632 :: rss Tags : leweb3

LeWeb3 has been the hottest topic of conversation on Technorati this week (note to David Sifry: this would make for an interesting presentation next year).

One hesitates to call this buzz however, considering the name-calling, anger-fuelled discussions ricocheting back and forth between the titans of the blogosphere. The word “aftermath” comes to mind (“collateral damage” is a close second).

There is a good rule of thumb to determine when a conversation has gone on for too long and gone too far. It’s called Godwin’s law:

As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.

This law of online discussions –more of an adage really- was probably broken sometimes last night when someone commented on Sam Sethi’s blog that Loïc Le Meur “is the worst thing happened to France since the German invasion”.

Godwin’s law FAQ: If someone brings up Nazis in general conversation when it wasn't necessary or germane without it necessarily being an insult, it's probably about time for the thread to end.

Hopefully, Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize laureate who addressed the LeWeb3 crowd on Tuesday morning, and expressed nothing but hope about peace, the internet and the future, is not reading any of this. This is so out of bounds and horrendous that indeed, it’s probably time to call it quit before it gets any uglier.

There is however a new thread that remains to be opened at this point, by the organizers themselves to purge all this anger, open a conversation about what went wrong, what can be done henceforth, and probably start planning early on and in a participatory manner next year’s format and program.

~~Loïc Le Meur has indicated on his blog last night that he was processing all the feedback and would post a response soon~~. Update: Loïc has posted a comprehensive response to the various issues raised during and after the conference. This should make for an interesting -and hopefully civil- conversation.

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