Send a Polite Email vs A Post To A Blog. Thoughts after the Podshow TnC Flurry

Wow, that summed up parts of the blogsphere pretty nicely. What am I talking about? The PodShow’s Music Catalogue’s Terms and Conditions. TnC’s posted, a number of sites go on a big massive “oh my god the sky is falling and Satan is spewing forth polluting the world’s indie music,” some people try to rationalise it, and senior PodShow peeps (including Adam Curry and CC Chapman) voice the question of why “people didn’t just email us.”

Firstly, a blog (to me) is much like a water cooler. It’s a place where friend congregate and can talk about whatever is on their mind. Yes a blog is searchable, but I still see a personal blog as a one to (not quite so) many conversation

You’ll note that these posts are on personal blog, as opposed to being on the TPN Rock website, or even in TPN Rock itself. In my head that’s an important distinction. There is a difference between a personal blog and a website/company blog, and that distinction is key to understanding the argument. This is not a news site – things that I might say here are things that wouldn’t appear on All About Symbian for example. Or in TPN Rock.

There’s also how you frame any discussion, and again that comes down to the type of site. When I talked about the PodShow licence I framed it as “why it’s not good for me.” Not “why it’s the end of all mankind and the downfall of indie music by the RIAA.” Me. Which is what this site is about.

Finally, I actually feel more comfortable talking about this issue here, for all the above reasons, than cold-call emailing someone who’s likely never heard of me, who I have no business or casual relationship with, to bitch about terms and conditions that don’t directly apply to myself.

Thoughts welcome.