Privacy of others is also our responsibility
I have a friend who blogs anonymously. As far as I can tell you, she is a Muslim and blogs about women’s issues, relationships, terrorism, poetry, non-fiction and other articles with hope to set the records straight within the Muslim community.
These seem to be very conventional issues but there elements out there, within the Muslim community and outside, that would want to stir up controversy about what she writes and hurt her reputation.
Therefore, to her, protecting her identity is a priority. She blogs under an alias, keeps her location a secret, does not talk about her family, and even uses an IP mask when visiting other websites and commenting on other blogs.
Recently she had written an article about an emergency situation that had happened in her town. The moral of her story was how one should be aware of one’s safety and alert others of the real danger.
Now this situation could have happened anywhere. Even at grandma’s place. But out of nowhere, came a couple of nosy trolls who kept asking where she lived. When they did not get their answer, they bothered everybody else by repeatedly asking the same question.
I was going to write back saying it did not matter but I held back. But two other people innocently disclosed where she lived and all they got back was a polite thank you.
This infuriated my friend and she fired back with a flaming post reminding her readers to respect her privacy, among many details and words I am not at liberty to put down here.
I feel partially guilty because I knew exactly what to do to avoid such situation. But I held back thinking it would backfire. I was only thinking about myself.
Everyday I read blogs written by people, who read each other’s blogs and comment on their posts. When making a comment on a blog where other commentators are your friends as well, it is important to keep in mind that you limit your comment as much as you can, to the post you have just read.
One must keep in mind that commenting on a blog is not like having conversations in a forum. On a blog, your comment must be focused to the article and towards the person who wrote that article. It’s not necessary to read all the comments before you put down yours, but if you don’t have anything nice to say, or have nothing to add to a conversation, then you rather be some place else.
Today many employers (and some potential relationships) will Google your name to find out the type of person you are. When I Google my name, the results also display comments I have made on other blogs.
I have seen blogs where every commentator knows one another and even reply back and forth creating comment chaos. Such blogs have a major potential to drive new visitors away. If you want to chat with your friends, then get a discussion forum.
Imagine you had a bunch of people invited to your place. You made that delicious dinner after which they enjoyed dessert. But throughout the evening they only talked amongst one another, even talking about you and your life. At the end of the evening all they gave you was advices left without even saying goodbye.
How would you feel eh ?
Many times, my fingers have itched to reply to comments on someone elses blog. In such a situation it helps to talk to myself, “No, Jaffer this is not your blog. You have a blog too, remember ! This conversation is strictly between this blogger and that commentator. So move your mouse and close that tab.”
When I finally do close that tab/window, I sometimes breath sigh of relief and I am glad that I did not make a mistake (even if it may not have been such a big deal) !
Suggested Reading
- When written responses go wrong - by Jaffer
- 10 ways to hurt your blog’s brand name by commenting on other blogs - by Darren Rowse
| « The weather outlook | Let’s sing with Drew Carey ! » |
Commenting on this article is closed.
There are 4 comments
All good points. I struggle with the issue of leaving comments because I don’t want to just leave empty words on someone’s blog. On the other hand, I want to let them know that I’ve visited, and always appreciate what’s been written. That’s true even if I’m not particularly moved by a post, or even have a strong opinion on the topic.
I think the most important point you make is to make sure that the comments section doesn’t become a mutual admiration society. That’s the quickest way to keep first-time visitors from getting involved.
Thanks, Jaffer.
I too appreciate receiving comments, no matter how short, as long as the comments don’t cross any boundaries.
I feel that if you have an opinion, then put it down and hit submit !
But all I ask is refrain from inquiring about personal things in public because I’ve got an [url=http://maniaravings.com/about]e-mail address[/url] for that !
You have some great points! When I leave a comment on a site, I try to keep the title and subject in mind and write a comment about that + maybe my own experience. In my opinion: that’s good, and that’s how it should be!
But flaming, calling names etc are childish and useless! The most important thing is to have respect for each other!
BioTeck: Thank you very much for visiting. And you add a very good point about sharing one’s experience. I happen to do it all the time !
I’ve covered name calling and flaming comments in [url=http://maniaravings.com/blog/when-written-responses-go-wrong/]When written responses go wrong[/url]