We fact check your ass

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 by Dave Winer.

I don't know what Scoble is up to, but he's my friend, not just the business kind of friend. So it's my job to help him get back on track, or find out why I'm wrong, so I can get back on track.  

The title of this piece "We fact check your ass" was a synthesis from the early days of blogging. There are a few key ideas about blogging in that short phrase. 

1. There are many of us. 

2. We care about the truth. 

3. We use colorful language.  

So this leads to a bunch of good blogger behavior, stuff Scoble knows about, stuff Scoble has evangelized. A person who puts his ideas out there takes the risk of putting out incorrect ideas, but that's not a problem if there are lots of people fact checking his or her ass. 

So here's what you should do when you say something that's incorrect. As soon as you realize it, correct it. Maybe offer an explanation, but that seems optional. But first and foremost, fix the bug. 

Everyone is telling him this, but he's not getting the message. Simply say "I made a mistake" and every piece from this point on won't have to guess what happened.  

PS: TwitterGram explaining this in my own voice. 

PPS: Wired piece posted late yesterday.