All I have to say about the little 'techno-riot' started unintentionally by Niall Kennedy is this:

Give them time to work it out.

Niall Kennedy and David Sifry are both nice people and, given time, they'll work out the problem as well as learn from the experience.  I also don't see any problem with Niall choosing to pull his post whether he was pressured or not.  All the bitching about how he was pressured to do so amounts to pressuring him as well.  It's his blog dammit.

Niall, do what you think is right.  Frankly, I think you should care more about the people you work with everyday than uppity bloggers who sees you as no more than a dinner conversation and an excuse to strut indignantly.

Update:

Looks like David and Niall are working it out.  Bravo.

In a way, blogger/company relationship is like child/parent relationship.  Children often forget that their parents are also learning as they are.  This is why I keep reminding my son that I am at my age for the first time and am learning just as he is, like learning how to be a good father.  I told him that making mistakes is fine but making the same mistakes over and over is not because that means you are not learning.

Clear blogging guidelines help but they don't fit all situations.  Both sides also need to rise above company policies and political correctness, paying more attention to the people involved and their feelings to find the right balance that can last.