The ethics of blogging
So...
What are the "ethics" of blogging? Blogs exist in that weird space between publications and private diaries. Not exactly private, but not meant for widespread public consumption, either.
Recently, a former acquaintance "Googled" herself and found an entry in this blog that referred to her in an unflattering light. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't something I'd want to read about myself.
Certainly, I never intended for her to see it. But with the ease of Googling one's own name, should the blogging community refer to people anonymously, or by first names only?
I mean, blogs can refer to anything...embarassing moments, drunken parties, people playing hooky from work, etc. It's not much of a stretch to imagine employers Googling job applications to see what info they can glean from the web. Do I want my friends to lose out on future job opportunities because I mention on my blog how many martinis they can drink in one night?
Of course I don't, and that's why I intend to stop using people's first and last names on this blog, and on my online photo album. These sites are meant for my friends and family only, so last names are unnecessary.
If you've never done it before, go Google yourself now.
What are the "ethics" of blogging? Blogs exist in that weird space between publications and private diaries. Not exactly private, but not meant for widespread public consumption, either.
Recently, a former acquaintance "Googled" herself and found an entry in this blog that referred to her in an unflattering light. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't something I'd want to read about myself.
Certainly, I never intended for her to see it. But with the ease of Googling one's own name, should the blogging community refer to people anonymously, or by first names only?
I mean, blogs can refer to anything...embarassing moments, drunken parties, people playing hooky from work, etc. It's not much of a stretch to imagine employers Googling job applications to see what info they can glean from the web. Do I want my friends to lose out on future job opportunities because I mention on my blog how many martinis they can drink in one night?
Of course I don't, and that's why I intend to stop using people's first and last names on this blog, and on my online photo album. These sites are meant for my friends and family only, so last names are unnecessary.
If you've never done it before, go Google yourself now.
Labels: politics
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