The anonymous comments I receive are not spiteful, quite the contrary- they are often very kind and emotional. The purpose of maintaining a blog, sorry let me not sound so universal, the purpose of this blog is to share my inner battles with life- the joys, struggles, beauty and pain in order to connect with like minded people. I would love to interact with as many people who read this blog as possible.
There is a certain level of insecurity, vanity, and desperation that comes with pulling your own insides out. So when someone writes something like the comment I received today:
Thanks for your continued writings, it has helped me through some hard times.I would love to know who it is, so we can continue the conversation, continue buidling the relationship. I understand that going public can make you feel exposed and vulnerable, furthermore, I understand that not everyone is ready for this kind of publicity, but I ask that if you must leave an anonymous comment, please try to leave at least a first name if you are a friend or family, or email me a quick note.
kindred spirit.
I write to connect. It feels great to know you are reading and that I am helping you, but I would love to take it to the next level. I am honored and proud that anyone reads at all, but remember you do not have to hide.
Come on out, I won't bite. How do other bloggers feel about anonymous comments? Readers, why do you choose to remain anonymous?
eh? That's leaving yourself open to all sorts of antics....specially those who so love teasing you Question is which one??
ReplyDeletePeople don't always think seriously about the consequences of having an 'internet face' based on their real-life identity. It's dangerous... have you ever tried googling yourself? Scares me how much you can change, and yet a permanent record of another you is still somewhere out there.
ReplyDeleteAlso other reasons... not just the safety of anonymity but the freedom of it. Complete, boundless honesty at the tip of your fingers. It's liberating.
Interesting ideas my anonymous friend. You said that:
ReplyDeletePeople don't always think seriously about the consequences of having an 'internet face' based on their real-life identity.
I would argue that some people think very seriously about their internet face, digital footprint, or whatever you want to call it. Here are posts I have written on the subject:
http://www.jabizraisdana.com/blog/category/identity/
You went on to day that, “It's dangerous... “
And I agree with you that not being aware of your online identity can be a scary and ever dangerous experience, but really if you are aware of how you manage your online life, it can be very beneficial
You asked, “have you ever tried googling yourself?”
Actually I google myself once a week to see how my online self is doing. IN the age when every potential employer is googling you, I would think that it would be better to have ten pages of my work online rather than an empty search.
This is a complicated idea and I know many people are scared of lurking dangers online, but the way I see it is like this:
You said, “Scares me how much you can change, and yet a permanent record of another you is still somewhere out there.”
While it changes slowly, your permanent record changes as well, that is if you are active online and supply your google searches material to work with.
I am slowly trying to build a picture of myself pixel by pixel and post by post. I have chosen to be as open as I can, I do not expect this from all of my readers, and I respect your ideas.
But I have to disagree with you when you speak about the freedom of anonymity.
The freedom of it. Complete, boundless honesty at the tip of your fingers. It's liberating.
Complete boundless honesty does sound appealing, but as any look at youtube comments demonstrates is that this freedom often leads to the lowest common demonstrates thinking. There is a sense of accountability when you have to attach your name to your words. You take ownership of them!
I do not expect all my readers to display their life stories with every comment. I just want to know who it is saying the nice things you are saying, and if you do disagree with me, I would like recourse and a way to get in touch with you and continue the conversation.