Comments on 2116 Hinckley Hall: In which the life of this blog hangs in the balanc...

Yeah, it can be pretty scary when you write someth...

2007-07-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it can be pretty scary when you write something controversial, put it out there, and have it come back to you. I try to keep my online identity anonymous for that reason (though someone who worked really hard could probably figure out who I really am, and certainly all my real-life friends know about my identity). My experience was a little bit different--I wrote a blog post criticizing the TV show Firefly, and within 48 hours I'd gotten over 1,000 angry visitors, with about a dozen blogs and message boards attacking both me and my argument. It was pretty crazy! I think the net effect was good, but I don't quite know. I haven't said anything personal about anyone, but I'll try to avoid saying something I wouldn't want them to read.

I don't think it's useful to have the goal of never thinking anything but complimentary things about other people. I don't think God even thinks that way--though he certainly doesn't go around arbitrarily thinking mean things about people. Even God gets angry with us from time to time--he just doesn't let that get in the way of the love he feels for us. You've got to be honest with yourself, no matter what. Every time I've been dishonest with myself about my thoughts or emotions, it never points me in the right direction. That being said, it is a balancing act to figure out how to be honest and considerate at the same time, and I hope you get up from this fall and figure it out again.

Besides, a superficial molly mormon approach kind of defeats the whole purpose of blogging, doesn't it?

Hehe. Thanks. :) I think that's very true, about c...

2007-07-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hehe. Thanks. :) I think that's very true, about considering audience that way...I should take my own advice! (How many times have I repeated that idea in a 150 tutorial?...)

I totally feel for you. I've had some minor shock...

2007-07-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

I totally feel for you. I've had some minor shocks when I've found out that various people (the ex-boyfriend, my family, etc.) were reading my blog. Luckily I hadn't actually written anything bad, but I still had a moment of panic where I wondered if I had.

But on the other hand, I don't think you need to only write complimentary things. A lot of the stuff of my blog is not necessarily complimentary, just true. But you're right that it does need to be moderated by the idea of imagining them reading your blog. Whenever I write someone into my blog (and I usually don't mention people by name), I imagine them reading it. It is a good check to perform on any piece of writing, and sometimes actually helps you gain charity--if you would be embarrassed to have them read it, shouldn't you think about why you're feeling it?

On the other hand, don't censor yourself to the point of being fake. Keep bloggin', Cathryn. I like reading it. :D