Sunday, June 26, 2011

Blogging hazards: The dangers of going public.









Blogging is one of the twentieth-first century’s major inventions. It allows us to express opinions, to share common interests with people all over the world, and to refine our writing technique. It gives the established author a forum to dialogue with readers; agents use it to hook new clients, and for novice writers blogging can be a way to display their work or to kvetch about the apprenticeship’s pitfalls and woes. But as it happens with everything on the net, blogging forces you into the public light which has its dangers.

Several governments are creating policies to restrict blogs that, according to them, promote “social unrest. Since “social unrest” has a very broad meaning, we could all be guilty of such crime. The term already shows us how blogging could easily turn into a high-risk sport.

Recently, a friend of mine told me about her fears of blogging on the subject of an incident involving an agent she was hoping would represent her. Suddenly, I realized that a blog entry could be as risky as posting a compromising photo on Facebook. Anybody could read you: the FBI, your boss, a former boyfriend or your mother-in-law. Anybody could misinterpret your opinions and distort your public image. Blogging unwisely might shorten your chances of getting published or getting a job or might help you lose the one you already have.

Aside from collaborating with the Sisterhood, I own a personal blog and manage a professional blog at work. The three of them deal with different subjects, nonetheless I always use a pseudonym and even in my private blog, I seldom give my e-mail to people. So much secrecy could limit your attempts to expand your social network but in the long run it‘s for the best.

It´s every blogger’s goal to gather a large audience and plenty of comments, but sometimes we draw in the wrong type of visitors. Remember, trolls abound in the Internet. Of course, the blogger has the power to veto them, but what happens when regular and friendly followers become trolls? It could happen. Hear this story. A friend of mine started a personal blog that eventually took a political stand. She called herself a “social observer” and started to treat her blog as a column to discuss current events.

In time, she collected a circle of faithful retainers with whom she debated at a personal level, certain they shared her same views. But one day, she wrote a post that bothered several of them. Something hit the fan, the debate heated up and turned rude, reaching the point where my friend received remarks that amounted to racial slurs. It was an eye-opener for her to know that people she had grown fond off were, in fact, hostile strangers.

Even anonymity has its drawbacks. Many a time, I have been taunted by users who accuse me of cowardice because I hide behind a nick. Whatever! But another friend in her incognito efforts had a bizarre experience. Not only did she blog under a pseudonym, she made an avatar using a snapshot of a character in a well-known soap. Then she met a fellow blogger who started to come frequently to her place. In a nutshell, they became friends, and he began to court her. She was very flattered by the courtship until she realized he had fallen in love with her avatar assuming it was the blogger’s real likeness!

Finally, a word of caution to authors. Beware of growing too chummy with readers that flock to you blogs. We are all very protective and sensitive of our work, so, let´s keep off harm´s way. I know of agents who had been harassed by disgruntled clients; authors’ followers who pester them with requests, and novice writers hurt to no end by biting comments about their manuscripts.

Oh yes, you can block them, but even reading nasty comments is a hassle you don’t wish to endure. I was tickled pink to have a published Argentine writer reading my blog, but I made one thoughtless comment in Facebook, and he departed for friendlier meadows not to be heard from again. That incident forced me to understand that there should be a certain distance between readers and their favorite author, just to keep the balance.

Finally, I came across an article that alerted me of another blogging hazard, one that affects writers in particular. In blogging you might lose, rather than gain, writing skills. Proper language and style are bypassed in favor of quick, brief, witty exchange, pretty much like it´s happening in Twitter. You don´t want to be pedantic, you don´t want to write over the heads of potential followers so you lower your writing standards. Ouch! I never thought of that danger.

I want to hear your opinions, bloggers and readers. In which ways do you think blogging could help your writing careers and in which ways being a blogger could jeopardize your work as well as your mental peace?

28 comments:

  1. 'It was an eye-opener for her to know that people she had grown fond off were, in fact, hostile strangers.'

    This is something I can comment on with some authority. I don't think that all negative interactions online can be construed as coming from 'hostile strangers.' I think we all tend toward self-defense, and when something threatens us, we recoil. Some of us have more social grace than others. Some of us are just afraid. And that fear manifests in ugly ways fostered, not hampered, by the anonymity of the Internet.

    There is no call to reveal everything, but also there is no call to conceal everything. As in all things, there is a healthy balance and when one conducts themselves in the most healthful way they know how, I believe it is catching.

    That said, no one likes to be stung. So let's all work toward making the Internet, a virtual space which, by sheer power of unprecedented connection and communication is here to stay, a sting-free place.

    Does this mean that if you adopt this philosophy, you will never get stung? By no means. But why add to it? Do unto others not only as you would have them do unto you, but as you would have them do unto the world.

    Okay. :) Enough preaching for a Sunday morning.

    -Suze (my real name)

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  2. Not to mention people stealing your work and publishing it as their own. And those 'private' forums which are firewalled to keep out web crawlers? Well,usually anyone can become a member, and it's a simple matter for that person (and this applies to FB friends as well) to take a screen shot of your comments and post them for the world to see. There is no privacy on the internet. None. So, unfortunately, I censor everything I write. As Mum says, don't put anything on the internet you wouldn't be prepared to scream out the bus window.

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  3. When we first started this blog I was very intimidated by being the only "sister" who was going to use her real name (which has now changed with the addition of Sister Stephanie) but to me, the purpose of blogging more than self-expression, was to build a sort-of resume of articles (since I didn't have a lot of experience with non-fiction writing). I have become more comfortable with time and getting to know the wonderful writers in the blogging community has been an added bonus I wasn't expecting.

    But I agree that we have to be cautious when interacting in a public forum and find a balance between expressing who we are (in order to connect with readers) and not reveal too much private info, which could be harmful not only to our careers, like Violante says (if our words are taken out of context or misinterpreted) but even to our security.

    In conclusion, as with everything in life, balance and caution are key. Great subject!

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  4. Great point, Li! Plagarism is a big concern, too. I like your mom's philosophy. She's absolutely right.

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  5. Thanks Sister Suze for being the first to post a comment. I think it´s common sense to blog wisely, but sometimes we act like children on our first school day. We are either too friendly or too defensive. It´s hard to find a balance. I understand why many people just blog videos or news, but that to me is not real blogging. It´s why I admire your long and juicy posts. Blogs are a legitimate form of literature and there is an art behind them which involves being objective but personal at the same time.

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  6. You know Li? I haven’t thought about plagiarism. Thanks for bringing it up. It used to happen to me in forums; people would post my comments all over the Internet and never gave me credit (it also happened with my professional articles). How may an author protect his work on the www? Have you ever been victim of plagiarism?

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  7. Sister Lorena I don’t have to remind you of all the conflict between privacy and exhibitionism we have witnessed in social nets since we began to navigate, in the late 90’s. As you pointed out, blogging is an excellent way to make yourself known, and so far I feel that (thank Heavens) you have achieved good results, and no cause to regret blogging under your real name. I must state the obvious; this Sisterhood is a haven of peace, harmony and nice polite company. But not every blog is as civil, not every subject is as safe and pleasant as those we discuss on our site

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  8. It might be naive, but we use our own names (although last names only appear by email), occupations, and the state we live in. But we don't divulge any specifics on our kids or post family pictures - that's just being careful! And yeah, it can be scary to have political or religious feelings out in the open, not knowing who will suddenly come out to try to prove you wrong.
    erica

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  9. I envy you Erica and Christy! I miss the days when I used to go to forums and write my real name; give my e-mail and even my home address. But about six years ago, there was a conflict of interests between something I had written at a public place and my job. I was told that whatever I said reflected on my company so in the future I should use a nick. The same happens when I freelance for a rival magazine, I always use a pseudonym. It´s annoying, sometimes it feels childish but that is the way it works.

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  10. Violante, I love what you've written in response to my comment. Balancing objectivity and yet communicating genuine warmth can indeed be considered an art. Eloquently put, my dear.

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  11. Sister Violante, I completely hear you on this issue. We live in a day and age where privacy has gone out the window. I can site a couple of incidences where seemingly private info that has been found online and has been used against another and, in many cases, to completely scam others. One I just saw the other night on 20/20 concerning Match.com and other online dating sites. Women believed they were talking to a certain man online only to realize that it was a big scam out of Ghana and all the culprits had to do was lift some photos and profiles from Facebook and pose as someone else.

    Another one hit closer to home about a year ago. My parents and my grandmother received phone calls from a man claiming to be my brother who lives overseas. His tears sounded so genuine and his plea for help and money to get him out of jail for drunk driving shocked and really worried my family. We were digging up all the info we could on foreign prison systems. Turns out, it was a scam. Some man had found just the right kind of information on my brother to be able to contact my family and pose as him. My family, of course, bought it, because he sounded so much like my brother. And he knew things that can be easily found through any Facebook page, which my brother uses quite frequently on a daily basis. Needless to say, it scared the bejesus out of some of my family, me included.

    If you think what you do online can be private by just a few setting changes, think again. Even the government knows how to get to you when they really want to (and I'm not a conspiracy theorist, it's just common sense). I use a nick for completely personal reasons. There is no law that says you can't be anonymous (although I can contest that there are many companies out there who believe anonymity can not, and should not exist). If you feel that's what you need to do, then do so. Protection of you and your family is much more important than socializing openly online.

    You can strike a balance, but remember, unless you've talked face to face with all those you chat with online, then you don't really know what kind of person they are. And I agree Violante, that when someone turns out to be completely different than what you envisioned it's an unsettling experience.

    Very informative post!

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  12. I didn't know what to expect of blogging when I started. Because I write a grammar blog, I was afraid people might think I was being snobby and, consequently, leave mean comments. However, my experience has been absolutely delightful.

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  13. Mm, Missed Periods, I know other sort of people, those (like me) who are eternally grateful to someone who is willing to give us free grammar lessons. Jokes aside, I know what you mean, and I am glad your experience has been delightful

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  14. Sister Mary, Mary,
    I am flabbergasted. So globalization has hit the scam business too. The Ghana Gang also worked the Spanish market, and Chileans are still falling prey to the “Crying Relative Call”. It hit home too. A couple of years ago, my maid fell for a supposed drunk-driver nephew call. I was already opening my safe box to hand her the money, when a friend came in and told us it was a fraud.
    But there are more personalized ways of hurting people. About a decade ago, I was hungrily looking for a job (pretty much like today) and made two friends in the forums. We started a private exchange and I got two job offers. The first didn’t sound “sound”. It was sort of a chain mail subscription to an unknown magazine. That I turned down politely. The second was much more sophisticated and it shows you how tricky friendships are .A scriptwriter hired me as her assistant, since according to her, she ha just landed a contract. I traveled to Buenos Aires, and there I learned there was no contract, no script. Her last maid had fled and she needed someone to look after her invalid child. Later, I discovered it was her modus operandis to get cheap domestic service. She assumed that once in Argentina, I would be too desperate to reject her offer. Thank G-d, I had a return ticket and enough courage to leave.
    But, but, I must add I got three legitimate and good jobs through people I met in forums, so it´s a complex business.

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  15. Great post and comments. You have all made me re-think some of my internet strategies. Mary Mary's story about the overseas scam is truly frightening!

    Aside from annoying spam, my blogging experience has, so far, been great. And I hope it stays that way.

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  16. Uy! I just read Violante's comment. More reasons to be careful.

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  17. Again, it´s all a matter of showing vulnerable flanks, Raquel, an no matter how suspicious or defesive you become, once you become "friends" with someone you are on a delicate spot. By the way, Jody Hedlund (look in the Sisterhood's Blogroll)has a great post dealing with online friendships

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  18. It just makes me sad that the whole calling-up-and-asking-for-money-scam is happening much more frequently than I thought. It almost feels as creepy as someone else reading all your mail. When you give away who you and your family are too freely, it just becomes that much easier for someone to use it against you. Sadly enough, we live in a world where everyone wants to be center-stage, or have their 15 minutes (just take a look at most of reality tv), and the internet provides us that opportunity.

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  19. Dear Sister MM, I am now in dire straits, precisely because I thought I had an "intruder" in my system. Sister Lorena caught someone navigating on my Yahoo Messenger at the wee hours of the morning when I was sound asleep. Then Yahoo waned me that someone had requested my password. To get rid of the bother, I had to switch from Windows XP to Windows 7 and now I have a mess

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  20. I feel your pain! Same thing happened to my Hotmail account and everyone on my mailing list got some interesting emails. It ticked me off and I shut it down. I'm sorry about your mess :-( and I hope it all works out.

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  21. I remember! And you saw what happened to Sister Lorena. Is the Sisterhood under attack?

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  22. Oh, Siste Suze I din´t read what you wrote yesterday. I would like to explore this concept of blogging as literature, and as courteous rethoric. Blogging is a messalliance, a weird partnership between journalism and personal journal.

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  23. My experience has been mostly positive. Blogging made a big difference when my first book was released last fall. I was stunned how many of my followers spread the word, supported me, and purchased my book. It was very humbling. I try to return the favor every time one of my blogging buddies achieves something great.

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  24. Alex, there is no doubt that blogging is full of advantages, specially for authors. I confess to be a blogging addict, but it does have its caveats.

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  25. Violante, your story is scary! I haven't had that sort of thing happen much in the online world, thankfully.

    This is my only blog, but I'm very active on Facebook and treat it almost as a blog, journaling and debating and exchanging ideas. I am far less worried about security than most people, I think because I feel pretty confident about my security strategies. I've been a published freelance writer since practically the dawn of the Internet (oh jeez, that makes me sound really old!) and used to my name being "out there." I think it's a personality thing: people's privacy zones vary. I'm just not a terribly private person. Sit next to me and I'll tell you my whole life story; you'll be edging away from me in a few moments. Other people really don't want anyone knowing anything about them: that's fine, too.

    As far as writing styles, I think it's fine to adopt the casual style of writing that a blogger might use. Just as we speak to our bosses and grandparents in a different way than we speak to our friends, I think we manage to jump between different writing styles without permanent harm. :)

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  26. Sister Stephanie, a pleasure reading you again. Hope you had a pleasant holiday. I am not private, although I have learned to become more reserved as a survival skill. I also freelance write under my real name, but it´s different, because I never interact with my readers.I guess it depends of what you write about. I suppose if I had a cooking blog I wouldn't get into trouble. But then, as Sister Lore and I found out, even someting as mundane as telenovelas could become a political issue.

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  27. It's been a while since I visited so I'm going through some older posts...

    I agree with what most have said about finding that delicate balance, not always easy. Like second commenter, Li, I have to admit I do self-censor too. Basically anything I put on the internet I'm a little cautious about, for many of the reasons others have touched on.

    In my case, my opinions and online personality are real. I can't see any reason to be deliberately deceptive in areas which matter. But I certainly value my privacy, and I feel the internet is just too big (and too public) to give away personal details. I'm amazed by the things some people post on FB!

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  28. I know. You´ve been missed. Thank you for going over old posts. Sometimes we feel so cozy in the Net that we forget how dangerous plain words are specially if they are twisted beyond their original meaning.

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