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In an earlier post, I spoke about how blogs force us to create a public persona that is both true to ourselves and yet suitable for someone else's consumption. I mentioned that it is difficult to straddle concern for the feelings of others with the need to express one's self fully. Full expression is not really an option. Everyone needs to have secrets: The keeping of secrets is one thing gives us an identity apart from others. On the other hand, I have found that keeping secrets—like the fact that I am really unhappy in graduate school—forms a constraint on my identity.
I have just learned that a friend of mine has been keeping a blog, but that she refuses to let on where it is or what it is about. She may have good reason: She may have suffered abuse or injury, or is otherwise dealing with a trauma she would like to keep private. Still, I admit to great curiosity: Perhaps she is keeping the blog private because she is gossiping about people we know in common. This kind of blogging is irresistably tempting.
What rights to privacy can people expect in the blogosphere?
Posted by Underblog at May 2, 2005 6:49 AM
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In my view, none. It's not the world-wide web for nothing. If you blog, you should EXPECT that everybody in the whole damned world is going to read it--then you won't be startled to find out your mom or your boss is reading it regularly. This is undoubtedly one reason why I don't blog.
Posted by: Suzanne at May 2, 2005 8:05 AM
It's a public log (a publog as I like to say), so there is no privacy. Don't libel, but say everything else. No privacy! That's why everything on my blog is a lie as nefarious as the one I tell about actually getting stuff done at work.
Posted by: GenerationBob at May 2, 2005 9:21 AM
Write what you want, and hope they don't read it, and if they do, lie!
Posted by: meredith at May 2, 2005 11:45 AM
My disclaimer on my blog says "if you have a problem, it's your problem." I think I am the only person in the whole world who doesn't censor their blog even though my mum/brother/aunty/friends/boyfriend/random others read it. I just don't care. I have gotten in lot of trouble (once I came home to find all my stuff on the front lawn because my flatmate read that I was pissed off with her one day. the thing was, she broke into my room and used my computer to read this.....?) for it and for the sake of privacy of a few I use initals for 2 people who have asked me to. But other than that, well I don't keep secrets in real life (coz I can't) I'm blunt, rude boring and excessively self-centered, so telling the COMPLETE truth on the internet has never really worried me. Hi mum!
Posted by: song at May 2, 2005 11:55 AM
PS: and if I ever got dooced from my job or something then I'd make sure it was publicised (like Dooce endedup through not really her own effort lucky) and end up famous just for that.
Posted by: song at May 2, 2005 11:56 AM
It's not that there are major secrets on my blog. It's just that there's nothing particularly INTERESTING on it. No need to bother others with the whining and complaining that I do on it. That's all. Feel free to peruse it. There's no gossip on there, although I suppose maybe that's what I should put in there to make it more spicy.
Posted by: NGS at May 6, 2005 8:44 PM