The idea of the code was first reported by BBC News, who quoted O'Reilly saying, "I do think we need some code of conduct around what is acceptable behavior. I would hope that it doesn't come through any kind of regulation it would come through self-regulation".

In Ireland, a proposal for a code was raised in an article in Sunday Business Post in 2009 by Simon Palmer, a radio presenter and PR consultant in Dublin, after false details concerning a client had appeared on the Irish blog Time to Raise Above Blog Standard. After his comments, he was subjected to sustained online abuse from Irish bloggers and anonymous trolls and even received death threats.

In Nepal, 10 prominent bloggers signed a Code of Ethics for Bloggers, first proposed by Ujjwal Acharya and finalized after discussion among bloggers, on July 27, 2011.

According to The New York Times, O'Reilly and others based their preliminary list on one developed by the BlogHer women's blogging support network and working with others came up with a list of seven proposed ideas;

1. Take responsibility of not just for your words, but for the comments you allow on your blog.
2. Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.
3. Consider eliminating anonymous comments.
4. Don't feed the trolls.
5. Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an intermediary who can do so.
6. If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.
7. Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person.

Reception

Reaction to the proposal was internationally widespread among bloggers and media writers. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the blogosphere described it as "excessive, unworkable, and an open door to censorship". 

Author Bruce Brown approved of the code, reproducing it in his book on blogging. TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington and entrepreneur and blogger Dave Winer were two notable Americans who wrote against the plan. Technology blogger Robert Scoble stated that the proposed rules "make me feel uncomfortable" and "As a writer, it makes me feel like I live in Iran".