I think it’s a great idea - to have some sort of “certified” blogs.

One challenge is that, in my view, Better Business Bureau assesses firms based on how well they provide a specific type of social value - more specifically, deliver stated goods or services of a stated quality at a stated price within a stated period of time. How do we define this social value for blogs?

Another challenge - if a blog is offensive to others, should we automatically be striking it with a negative rating or refusing to “certify” it? It could be that this blog serves as some kind of a cultural watchdog, and it is in its nature to be extremely critical of others. Or it could just be a “tabloid-style” blog

As to whether it would really deter reckless blogging, I doubt it. I doubt regulation would work (as in the Korea example on your site) across borders in the West.

The Better Business Bureau doesn’t deter bad business, but it does provide a mechanism for companies to say, “We want to be accountable, so do business with us.”

The Better Blog Bureau wouldn’t deter bad blogging, but perhaps it might become a way for people to recognize the difference between a blogger who cares about his/her reputation, and the drive-by types.

Granted, this is purely all social-pressure stuff. But we’ve seen user ratings work on eBay, Amazon, and other places. The susceptibility to mobbing is similar to those sites.

Would it work? I really couldn’t say. But my guess is that drive-by blogging will never go away. Slander and libel are as old as humanity. But for many bloggers, their reputation is important to them… we should take (positive) advantage of that to separate the honorable from the trolls.