I’m not really all that keen on airing dirty laundry, mainly because I’d rather spread good ideas and good news. The world is full of nasty words and deeds. I feel no need to jump into the fray. I’m going to violate this personal policy for a moment, in this post.

In the past, I read some blather about the war between Dave Winer and Adam Curry. I didn’t think much of it. People are people. They fight. I figured that these guys just couldn’t come to closure on the issues. Shortly thereafter it dropped off my radar.

Just recently my interest in Dave Winer was jacked up again. He’s no longer going to be blogging. That’s kind of big news since he’s been doing it even longer than I have. In any case, because of my interest, I found out that he’s engaged in another war, this time with Rogers Cadenhead.

I won’t pass any judgment on this fight. It isn’t mine and it is certainly too far away from the topic of WebWord (i.e., usability). However, I’m bringing it up here because the interaction really makes me think about how people position themselves online. In fact, Dave Winer says this: There’s a virtual Dave and a real one. That’s wacky but I think it fits many people. What does this mean in terms of reputation management? What does it mean in terms of future jobs, future friends, and future projects? How do the two people come together? It is really quite interesting to me.

From a rubber-necking-traffic-accident point of view, I do admit that I like to see the “arguments” that people use to justify their positions. The fallacies fly. Appeal to authority. Appeal to emotion. Ad hominem. Guilt by association. And so on.

This is important to recognize. It is possible that your reputation could come under attack. Recognize the weapons that other people use and be prepared to defend yourself. You can learn a lot about protecting yourself by watching these other train wrecks.

I realize that this little post is all over the place. But that’s what it is: a blog posting. Maybe you’ll get something out of it. There are a couple of little gems for you to mine.

Back to your (ab)normally scheduled usability blog…