Editing Boing Boing

{{Short description|Blog site}}
{{Italic title}}
{{For multi|the April single album (extended play)|Boing Boing (April single album)|similar titles|Boeing Boeing (disambiguation){{!}}Boeing Boeing}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Boing Boing
| logo = Boing Boing Logo.svg
| screenshot = Boing Boing screenshot April 7 2025.png
| caption = Screenshot on April 7, 2025
| url = {{url|boingboing.net}}
| commercial = Yes
| collapsible = yes
| type = [[Blog]]
| owner = Happy Mutants
| founder = [[Carla Sinclair]], [[Mark Frauenfelder]]
| editor = Mark Frauenfelder, [[David Pescovitz]], [[Rob Beschizza]], [[Carla Sinclair]]
| key_people = Jason Weisberger, [[Cory Doctorow]] (until January 2020), [[Xeni Jardin]] (until February 2021)
| launch_date = {{plainlist|
*1988 (zine)
*1995 (website)
*2000 (blog)}}
}}
'''''Boing Boing''''' is a website, first established as a [[zine]] in 1988, later becoming a [[Collaborative blog|group blog]]. Common topics and themes include [[technology]], [[futurism (art)|futurism]], [[science fiction]], [[gadgets]], [[intellectual property]], [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], and [[left-wing politics]]. It twice won the [[Blog award|Bloggies]] for Weblog of the Year, in 2004 and 2005. The editors are [[Mark Frauenfelder]], [[David Pescovitz]], [[Carla Sinclair]], and [[Rob Beschizza]],<ref name="editors">{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/about | title=About Us}}</ref> and the publisher is Jason Weisberger.

One report named ''Boing Boing'' as the most popular blog in the world until 2006, when Chinese-language blogs became popular;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morrill|first1=Dan|title=Boom and bust in the blogosphere : case studies of the blogging industry|date=2008|publisher=D. Morrill|location=[United States]|isbn=978-1439216736|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6q822xv2w4MC&q=popularity+of+boingboing+blog&pg=PT33}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Boing Boing Loses #1 Most Popular Blog on Technorati to Chinese Blog|url=http://www.impactlab.net/2006/05/10/boing-boing-loses-1-most-popular-blog-on-technorati-to-chinese-blog/comment-page-1/|website=www.impactlab.net|date=10 May 2006|access-date=15 December 2017|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215221533/http://www.impactlab.net/2006/05/10/boing-boing-loses-1-most-popular-blog-on-technorati-to-chinese-blog/comment-page-1/|url-status=dead}}</ref> it remained among the most widely linked and cited blogs into the 2010s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jackson|first1=Nicholas|title=Profiling BoingBoing, One of the World's Most Popular Blogs|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/11/profiling-boingboing-one-of-the-worlds-most-popular-blogs/67204/|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=30 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="fastcompany">{{cite web |author=Walker, Rob |author-link=Rob Walker (journalist) |date=30 November 2010 |title=Inside the Wild, Wacky, Profitable World of Boing Boing |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1702167/print |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118082045/http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1702167/print |archive-date=18 January 2012 |access-date=27 March 2012 |work=[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Jatain|first1=Vishveshwar|title=We Analyzed the 10 Most Popular Blogs in the World and Here's What We Found|url=https://www.adpushup.com/blog/we-analyzed-10-most-popular-blogs-in-the-world-and-heres-what-we-found/|website=AdPushup Blog|date=20 July 2015}}</ref>

==History==
''Boing Boing'' (originally '''''bOING bOING''''') started as a [[zine]] in 1988 by married duo Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair. Issues were subtitled ''"The World's Greatest Neurozine"''. Associate editors included [[Gareth Branwyn]], [[Jon Lebkowsky]], [[Paco Nathan]], and [[David Pescovitz]]. Along with ''[[Mondo 2000]]'', ''Boing Boing'' was an influence in the development of the [[cyberpunk]] [[subculture]]. It reached a maximum circulation of 17,500 copies.<ref name=fastcompany/> The last issue of the zine was #15.

''Boing Boing'' was established as a [[website]] in 1995;<ref name="cnetSignificantMoments">{{cite web | url=http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/the-50-most-significant-moments-of-internet-history-49299033/12/ | title=The 50 most significant moments of Internet history | work=[[CNET]] | date=25 September 2008 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Lanxon, Nate | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016021347/http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/the-50-most-significant-moments-of-internet-history-49299033/12/ | archive-date=16 October 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref> it became a web-only publication one year later.<ref name=fastcompany/> While researching for an article about blogs in 1999, Frauenfelder became acquainted with the [[Blogger (service)|Blogger]] software. He relaunched ''Boing Boing'' as a [[weblog]] on 21 January 2000, describing it as a "directory of wonderful things".<ref name=fastcompany/> Over time, Frauenfelder was joined by four co-editors: Doctorow, Pescovitz, Jardin and Beschizza, all of whom previously contributed to [[Wired Magazine|''Wired'' magazine]]. [[Maggie Koerth-Baker]], after a run as a guest blogger in 2009,<ref name="scienceditor">{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/2009/04/15/boing-boing-guest-bl-1.html | title=Boing Boing guest blogger| date=15 April 2009}}</ref> joined the site as its Science Editor, leaving to join a Nieman Foundation fellowship in 2014.

In September 2003, ''Boing Boing'' removed their Quicktopics user-comment feature without warning or explanation. Bloggers commenting on the change at the time speculated that it stemmed from "identity impersonators and idiot flamers" pretending to be co-editors.<ref name="discussionGroupsOrNot">{{cite web | url=http://brian.carnell.com/articles/2003/to-offer-discussion-groups-or-not/ | title=To Offer Discussion Groups Or Not | work=Brian.Carnell.com | date=18 September 2003 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Carnell, Brian}}</ref> [[Xeni Jardin]] was a guest on the ''[[NewsHour with Jim Lehrer]]'' to discuss ''[[The Washington Post]]'''s decision to remove its Comments section on its website, and she spoke from her experience at ''Boing Boing.''<ref name="newsHour">{{cite web | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june06/post_1-24.html | title=Post Web Site Halts Comments Section | publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] | work=[[NewsHour with Jim Lehrer]] | date=24 January 2006 | access-date=27 March 2012 | archive-date=25 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325105616/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june06/post_1-24.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> In August 2007, ''Boing Boing'' staff launched a redesigned site, which included a restored comment facility, moderated by [[Teresa Nielsen Hayden]]. In 2013, ''Boing Boing'' switched from the proprietary Disqus comment system to [[Discourse (software)|Discourse]], an open-source internet forum developed by [[Jeff Atwood]], Robin Ward and Sam Saffron.<ref name="forums">{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/2013/06/27/introducing-bbs-our-new-forum.html | title=Introducing Boing Boing BBS| date=28 June 2013}}</ref>

In 2004, the project incorporated as Happy Mutants LLC, and [[John Battelle]] became the blog's business manager.<ref name="techCrunchProfile">{{cite web | url=https://techcrunch.com/2005/07/01/profile-boingboing/ | title=Profile: BoingBoing | work=[[TechCrunch]] | date=1 July 2005 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Arrington, Michael | author-link=Michael Arrington }}</ref><ref name="p2p">{{cite web | url=http://www.p2pnet.net/story/8901 | title=Who owns Web 2.0? | work=p2pnet.net | date=26 May 2006 | access-date=27 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119211030/http://www.p2pnet.net/story/8901 | archive-date=19 January 2012 | url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Boing Boing'', by the mid-2000s, "had become one of the most-read and linked-to blogs in the world" according to ''[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]].''<ref name=fastcompany/>

The site added advertising over the course of late 2004, placed above and to the left and right of material, and, in 2005, in the site's [[RSS (file format)|RSS]] feed as well. Editor Cory Doctorow noted that "John [Battelle] said it's going to be harder to make a little money to pay your bandwidth bills than it will be to make a lot of money and have a real source of income from this."<ref name="AdAge">{{cite web | url=http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=112221 | title=The Innovators: John Battelle | work=[[AdAge]] | date=1 July 2006 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Creamer, Matthew | author-link=Matthew Creamer }}</ref> The advertising income during the first quarter was already $27,000, and {{as of|2010|lc=y}}, ''Boing Boing'' still "makes a nice living for its founders and a handful of contract employees", but it is no longer a member of Battelle's blog network Federated Media Publishing, Inc.<ref name=fastcompany/>

''Boing Boing'' featured a "guest blogger" sidebar, then stopped the series in summer of 2004. In 2008, the "guest blogger" series was resumed, with guests posting in the main blog for two-week periods. Guests have included [[Charles Platt (author)|Charles Platt]], [[John Shirley]], [[Mark Dery]], [[Tiffany Lee Brown]], Karen Marcelo of [[Survival Research Laboratories]], [[Johannes Grenzfurthner]] of [[monochrom]], [[Rudy Rucker]], [[Gareth Branwyn]], [[Wiley Wiggins]], [[Jason Scott (BBSes)|Jason Scott]] of [[textfiles.com]], [[Jessamyn West (librarian)|Jessamyn West]] of [[librarian.net]], journalists [[Danny O'Brien (journalist)|Danny O'Brien]] and [[Quinn Norton]] and comedian [[John Hodgman]].

In September 2006, ''Boing Boing'' introduced a weekly [[podcast]], "Boing Boing Boing", intended to cover the week's posts and upcoming projects. The show's cast consists of the ''Boing Boing'' editors, accompanied by a weekly guest. In the same month, ''Boing Boing'' introduced a second podcast called "Get Illuminated", which features interviews with writers, artists, and other creatives.

The site's own original content is licensed under a [[Creative Commons licenses|Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license]], as of November 2019.<ref name="ToS">{{cite web |title=Boing Boing Terms of Service |url=https://boingboing.net/tos |website=Boing Boing |date=27 June 2013 |access-date=15 November 2019}}</ref>

In September 2009, ''Boing Boing'' refused to comply with a demand from [[Polo Ralph Lauren]]'s lawyers to remove a post concerning a heavily manipulated image of model [[Filippa Hamilton]], originally published by the Photoshop Disasters blog. The latter was forced to comply with the company's demand by its hosting provider.<ref name="ralphLaurenUncannyValley">{{cite web | url=http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/29/ralph-lauren-opens-n.html | title=Ralph Lauren opens new outlet store in the Uncanny Valley | work=Boing Boing | date=29 September 2009 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Jardin, Xeni}}</ref> Ralph Lauren issued [[DMCA]] takedown notices to ''Boing Boing''{{'}}s ISP and [[Blogspot]], which hosts Photoshop Disasters, claiming their use of the image infringed copyright. Blogspot complied, but ''Boing Boing''{{'}}s  ISP consulted with ''Boing Boing'' and agreed that the image was [[fair use]]. As a result, ''Boing Boing'' issued a mocking rebuttal,<ref name="criticismRalphLauren">{{cite web | url=http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/06/the-criticism-that-r.html | title=The criticism that Ralph Lauren doesn't want you to see! | work=Boing Boing | date=6 October 2009 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Doctorow, Cory}}</ref> using the same image again and posting the takedown notice.

The rebuttal was widely reported, including on frequently viewed websites such as ''[[The Huffington Post]]''<ref name="ralphLaurenApologizes">{{cite web | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/06/emboing-boingem-and-ralph_n_311593.html | title=Ralph Lauren Apologizes For Image of Emaciated Model: "We Are Responsible" | work=[[HuffPost]]| date=18 March 2010 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Shapiro, Lila}}</ref> and [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]].<ref name="photoEditingFlubs">{{cite web | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/11-photo-editing-flubs-digitally-altered-photo-disasters/Story?id=8780937&page=1 | title=11 Photo-Editing Flubs: Ralph Lauren Ad Sparks Controversy | work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] | date=8 October 2009 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Heussner, Ki Mae}}</ref>

On 3 May 2011, the first podcast of "Gweek" was released. ''Gweek'' is a podcast in which the editors and friends of ''Boing Boing'' talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, TV shows, music, movies, tools, gadgets, apps, and other "neat" stuff. In the first episode of ''Gweek'', Rob Beschizza and Mark Frauenfelder discussed subjects such as the video game ''[[Portal 2]]'', graphic novels, upcoming science fiction books, and recommendations of some of their favorite adventure games for mobile platforms. ''Boing Boing'' has since added several other podcasts.<ref name="podcasts">{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/category/podcasts | title=Podcast Boing Boing}}</ref>

In November 2017,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4178417/Gov-Uscourts-Cacd-693711-1-0.pdf | title=Case 2:17-cv-08140-FMO-PLA Document 1 Filed 11/07/17}}</ref> the site was sued by ''[[Playboy]]'', which alleged that a hyperlink to copyright-infringing content at [[Imgur]] and [[YouTube]] was itself illegal.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-court-linking-not-copyright-infringement | title=EFF to Court: Linking Is Not Copyright Infringement| date=18 January 2018}}</ref> A Federal Court dismissed ''Playboy{{'}}s'' claims on 14 February 2018 and Playboy released a statement suggesting that it was standing down on 28 February.<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/playboy-drops-misguided-copyright-case-against-boing-boing | title=Playboy Drops Misguided Copyright Case Against Boing Boing| date=28 February 2018}}</ref>

Cory Doctorow left ''Boing Boing'' in January 2020, and soon started a solo blogging project titled ''Pluralistic''.<ref name="Pluralistic-20yearsblogger">{{cite web |last1=Doctorow |first1=Cory |title=20 years a blogger |url=https://mostlysignssomeportents.tumblr.com/post/640203818282434560/20-years-a-blogger |website=Mostly Signs (Some Portents) |access-date=14 January 2021 |date=13 January 2021}}</ref> The circumstances surrounding Doctorow's exit from the website were unclear at the time, although Doctorow acknowledged that he remained a co-owner of ''Boing Boing''.<ref name="Pluralistic-20yearsblogger" /><ref name="metafilter-doctorow-beatles">{{cite web |title=In the blog world, this is the equivalent of the Beatles breaking up |url=https://www.metafilter.com/186302/In-the-blog-world-this-is-the-equivalent-of-the-Beatles-breaking-up |website=MetaFilter |access-date=14 January 2021 |date=30 March 2020}}</ref> MetaFilter described the end of the 19-year association between Doctorow and ''Boing Boing'' as "the equivalent of [[the Beatles]] [[Break-up of the Beatles|breaking up]]" for the blog world.<ref name="metafilter-doctorow-beatles" /> Doctorow's exit was not acknowledged by Boing Boing, with his name being quietly removed from the list of editors on 29 January 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boing Boing: Wayback Machine snapshot as of 30 January 2020 |url=https://boingboing.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130012547/http://boingboing.net |archive-date=2020-01-30  |date=30 January 2020 |quote=Doctorow's name appears as an editor on the Wayback Machine's 2020-01-29 10:09:04 Boing Boing snapshot, but it does not appear on the 2020-01-30 01:25:47 snapshot}}</ref>

==Unicorn chaser==
A "unicorn chaser" is a practice created by ''Boing Boing'' editors as an [[antidote]] to blog postings linking to sites containing disgusting or [[shock site|shocking images]]. The shocking post would be immediately followed by another post containing a picture of a [[unicorn]]. Xeni Jardin posted the first one (titled "And now, we pause for a Unicorn Moment.") in August 2003 as a reply to a picture of a rash posted by editor Mark Frauenfelder in an attempt to get readers to diagnose it for him.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/2003/08/18/and-now-we-pause-for.html | title=And now, we pause for a Unicorn Moment | work=Boing Boing | date=18 August 2003 | access-date=24 July 2012 | author=Jardin, Xeni}}</ref> It has also been used as an antidote for posts containing photos of a [[brain tumor]], a man who pumped up the skin of his face with [[saline solution]], many different ways to clean one's [[earwax]], and a lengthy discussion of the Internet video "[[2 Girls 1 Cup]]".

On 18 May 2007, ''Boing Boing'' announced that [[Virgin America]], as part of its "Name Our Planes!" campaign, would be naming one of its new aircraft "Unicorn Chaser", after having asked ''Boing Boing'' to suggest a name.<ref name="virgin">{{cite web | url=http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/18/boingboing_names_a_v.html | title=BoingBoing names a Virgin America plane: Unicorn Chaser | work=Boing Boing | date=18 May 2007 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Jardin, Xeni | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716225636/http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/18/boingboing_names_a_v.html | archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref> An Airbus A320 with registration code N626VA eventually joined the fleet with that name.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=MEET THE FLEET|url=http://blog.virginamerica.com/blog/meet-the-fleet|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113084427/http://blog.virginamerica.com/blog/meet-the-fleet|archive-date=2016-11-13|access-date=2021-01-12|website=Flyer Feed}}</ref>

==Boing Boing Gadgets and Offworld==
In August 2007, ''Boing Boing'' introduced a gadgets-focused companion site headed by former ''[[Gizmodo]]'' editor Joel Johnson. Johnson left in July 2009, to be replaced by Rob Beschizza,<ref name="farewellJoel">{{cite web | url=http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/06/farewell-joel-johnso.html | title=Farewell, Joel Johnson | work=Boing Boing | date=6 July 2009 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Pescovitz, David}}</ref> formerly of ''Wired News''. Other writers include Steven Leckart and Lisa Katayama.<ref name="welcomeKatayamaLeckart">{{cite web | url=http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/04/06/welcome-lisa-katayam.html | title=Welcome Lisa Katayama and Steven Leckart to BBG | work=Boing Boing Gadgets | date=6 April 2009 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Johnson, Joel}}</ref> Offworld, a blog covering video games edited by [[Brandon Boyer]], was added in November 2008.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10098933-52.html | title=Boing Boing launches game blog Offworld | work=CNET | date=17 November 2008 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Terdiman, Daniel | author-link=Daniel Terdiman }}</ref> These sites were incorporated into Boing Boing itself around 2010.{{Citation needed|date=August 2014}} Plans to revive the Offworld site were announced in 2015, with [[Leigh Alexander (journalist)|Leigh Alexander]] as Editor-in-Chief and Laura Hudson as Editor.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/2015/03/06/offworld-returns.html | title=Games return to Boing Boing| date=6 March 2015}}</ref> Leigh Alexander and Laura Hudson left Offworld in early 2016 after publishing a collection of selected articles, successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter in March 2016.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1315256652/the-offworld-collection | title=The Offworld Collection}}</ref>

==Boing Boing TV==
In October 2007, ''Boing Boing'' started a new component, ''Boing Boing TV'', that consists of video segments including ''[[SPAMasterpiece Theater]]'' ([[2008 in television|2008]]) with [[John Hodgman]], produced by its co-editors in conjunction with DECA, the ''Digital Entertainment Corporation of America''. Art tech group [[monochrom]] was a frequent contributor. They created their sock puppet series ''Kiki and Bubu'' for ''Boing Boing TV''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kiki and Bubu|url=http://www.monochrom.at/kiki-and-bubu|website=monochrom|publisher=monochrom|access-date=3 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boingboing.net/2008/07/10/bbtv-monochroms-kiki.html|title=BBtv: Monochrom's "Kiki, Bubu, and the Self"|first=Xeni|last=Jardin|date=9 July 2008|website=Boing Boing}}</ref><br>The episodes appear online, as well as on Virgin America flights.<ref name="bbTVonVirgin">{{cite web | url=http://gigaom.com/video/boing-boing-to-fly-on-virgin-america/ | title=Boing Boing To Fly on Virgin America | work=[[GigaOM]] | date=5 October 2007 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Gannes, Liz | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415131521/http://gigaom.com/video/boing-boing-to-fly-on-virgin-america/ | archive-date=15 April 2012}}</ref>

==Censorship==
''Boing Boing'' has been described as an "outspoken critic of censorship elsewhere",<ref name="bbFendsOffCharges">{{cite web | url=http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/boing-boing-fends-off-censorship-charges/229211050 | title=Boing Boing Fends Off Censorship Charges | work=[[InformationWeek]] | date=9 July 2008 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Wagner, Mitch}}</ref> and operates a high speed, high quality [[Tor (anonymity network)|Tor]] exit node.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.torproject.org/what-tor-supporter-looks-cory-doctorow/|title=This is What a Tor Supporter Looks Like: Cory Doctorow &#124; Tor Project|website=blog.torproject.org}}</ref> For example, the act of "[[disemvoweling]]" was popularized by the site—literally stripping out the vowels of any comment a moderator had taken exception to.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Online Communities Rot Without Daily Tending By Human Hands
|first=Xeni
|last=Jardin
|author-link=Xeni Jardin
|publisher=Edge
|work=The Edge Annual Question 2008
|year=2008
|url=http://www.edge.org/q2008/q08_7.html#jardin
|access-date=6 October 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422045829/http://www.edge.org/q2008/q08_7.html#jardin
|archive-date=22 April 2009
|url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title=How To Keep Hostile Jerks From Taking Over Your Online Community
|url=http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=199600005
|first=Cory
|last=Doctorow
|author-link=Cory Doctorow
|work=[[InformationWeek]]
|publisher=TechWeb Business Technology Network
|date=14 May 2007
|access-date=15 May 2007
|archive-date=11 April 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411061810/http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=199600005
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

===Violet Blue controversy===
Sex blogger [[Violet Blue]] has been mentioned, interviewed and once contributed at ''Boing Boing''. On 23 June 2008, Blue posted on her blog, ''Tiny Nibbles'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tinynibbles.com/ | title=Tiny Nibbles | access-date=27 March 2012}}</ref> that all posts related to her had been deleted from ''Boing Boing'', without explanation.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tomorrowmuseum.com/2008/06/28/william-gibson-completely-deleted-from-boingboing-archives/ | title=William Gibson Completely Deleted from BoingBoing Archives | work=Tomorrow Museum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212061112/http://tomorrowmuseum.com/2008/06/28/william-gibson-completely-deleted-from-boingboing-archives/|archive-date=12 December 2010}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' featured an interview that cast the silence on the part of ''Boing Boing'' on the matter as "inexplicable", causing a controversy as ''Boing Boing'' "has often presented itself as a stalwart of cultural openness".<ref>{{cite web|author=David Sarno | url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/webscout/2008/06/violet-blue-scr.html | title=Violet Blue scratches her head over BoingBoing purge | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=30 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701164050/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/webscout/2008/06/violet-blue-scr.html|archive-date=1 July 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://gawker.com/5021288/how-xeni-and-violets-boing-boing-affair-went-sour |title=How Xeni and Violet's Boing Boing affair went sour |work=[[Gawker]] |date=2 July 2008 |access-date=12 April 2009 |author=Thomas, Owen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507173426/http://gawker.com/5021288/how-xeni-and-violets-boing-boing-affair-went-sour |archive-date=7 May 2009}}</ref> A heated debate ensued after a brief statement on the ''Boing Boing'' site regarding this action stated: "Violet behaved in a way that made us reconsider whether we wanted to lend her any credibility or associate with her. It's our blog and so we made an editorial decision, like we do every single day".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/2008/07/01/that-violet-blue-thi.html | title=That Violet Blue thing | work=Boing Boing | date=1 July 2008 | author=Hayden, Teresa Nielsen}}</ref> In commentary attached to that blog entry, "many commenters surmised that they had something to do with Blue's suing to stop a [[Noname Jane|porn star]] from also using the name Violet Blue", and many commenters found the removal troubling, but Xeni Jardin said that she hoped she would not have to make the reasons public.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/07/09/blog-hits-nerve-in-excising-some-old-posts/ | title=Blog hits nerve in excising some old posts | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=9 July 2008 | access-date=27 March 2012 | author=Johnson, Steve}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://gawker.com/5021146/ |title=Did the Internet's free-speech guardians try to hush up a girl-on-girl love affair? |work=Gawker |date=1 July 2008 |access-date=12 April 2009 |author=Grant, Melissa Gira |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015173614/http://gawker.com/5021146/ |archive-date=15 October 2011}}</ref>

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{official website}}
* [http://gadgets.boingboing.net/  Boing Boing Gadgets ]
* [http://tv.boingboing.net/ Boing Boing TV]
* {{youtube|Nc3tskqA9qc| Boing Boing: The Making of a Media Empire.}} ''[[BNET|BNET video]]''. (19 December 2007)


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[[Category:American blogs]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 1995]]
[[Category:Online magazines with defunct print editions]]