At the very same DLD Michael mentions, Julia Allison wondered if the Web was going to make us all more dull. She noted that as politicians became more widely known, the more dull they became, partly to be more palatable to a wider audience. On the flip side, she commented that Web personalities, as they became more famous, become targets for the random nut (usually mediated by the relative anonymity and distance the Web affords, too). She told us of a few nasty issues, as did others on her panel. And I heard of others (Kathy Sierra comes to mind) who, like Michael, have had horrible moments, just from being a public figure online. Julie referenced Clay Shirky regarding early tech and how folks need to learn new etiquette. We're just going through that (rough) learning period, I suppose. (security aside, I won't go into adverse health effects Michael has been mentioning for a while – he needs a break)
