Thursday, January 22, 2009

Blog Privacy


In response to my class discussion in GE-555 last night, I found this article.

Here is an interesting point, "Blogs are getting a lot of attention these days. You can no longer safely assume that people in your offline life won't find out about your blog, if you ever could. New RSS tools and services mean that it's even easier than ever search and aggregate blog entries. As long as you blog anonymously and in a work-safe way, what you say online is far less likely to come back to hurt you."

Take a look and see what you think.

Thanks!

10 comments:

Mike's Blog said...

I found this article very interesting. I have never blogged before and never realized the dangers in the workplace with doing so. I have heard of similar stories regarding MySpace and other similar websites. In this day and age people need to be very careful in what they say and what they do, especially as a teacher. It takes nothing for a student to pull out a cell phone and video a teacher and have it up on U-Tube for the whole world to see.

Eddie Z said...

I think at some point we have to consider that what we blog might not have a negative effect on our careers. I realize you may not want your opinions broadcast for the public but what if a principal or superintendent were to read a blog of yours about a class your teaching. They may react by thinking, "hey, this person has a good handle on things, maybe I should consider them further." Just something to consider.

TheGirlWithKaleidoscopeEyez said...

One of my friends ran the Young Republicans Club at his college and he was asked to resign after someone got a hold of his blog. I understand that people feel that blogs automatically give them the freedom to say whatever they want to, but it's not true. People often feel that the internet gives them some sort of invisibility cloak to getting in trouble for what they say, but unfortunately life is not like a fantasy novel, and we are punished for things that we say. So heads up bloggers, be careful what you post. If you want to say something really mean, and still not face consequences, but get it off your mind, I'd recommend writing your thoughts in a private diary. Niamh out in 3, 2, 1.

Dr. Luongo said...

Mike, Eddie, and Niamh have made some excellent points.

Great discussion!

Keep it going....

mmdspc said...

Mike does have a very good point regarding how students in a classroom can use their cell phone and record what is going on in the classroom and publish it. We now live in a world in which all we do and say, at any given moment, can be made public. We must all make sure all of our i's are dotted and t's are crossed - that is we always have to be mindful of what we write because we never know who is looking! Many time what we say and write is taken out of context and this could be used to defame someone. It would be extremely difficult to remove negative information that has been published on the internet!

Anonymous said...

This article included very helpful information for people who are new to blogging and don't know all the ins and outs of it yet. However, I really don't think that there is a need for anonymity for most people. If there is something you cannot be caught saying, then simply don't say it. The only exception of course would be if you were trying to start some sort of revolutionalry movement or make some huge change. In that case why not take credit for your ideas. If they are truly good ideas people will support you and follow you and you will not have to fear negative consequenses.

Anonymous said...

Succinctly, as a novice to blogging, I found the article to be both extremely enlighting, and at the samt time somewhat troubling! While one should feel free to express one's thoughts without potential consequences, I think it would be naive to believe that philosophical opinions/ideas expressed will never have probable dire consequences. I do not intend to come across as an alarmist, but after all, we do live in a "gotcha" society. That said, thanks for the article.

Adam said...

I enjoyed reading this article and agree with what many people have already said. We certainly do have to be careful in what we write. (especially those who are currently teaching) Teachers who have social networking sites such as myspace and facebook have to be extremely careful. Sometimes it is better off if teachers just do away with it.

Jessica P said...

I found the article very interesting. I had no idea there were ways to maintain your anonymity. My mom used to tell me if you don't want anyone to get their hands on something DO NOT PUT IT IN WRITING, even in journals. You never know who may get their hands on something you have written. In response to Mike's comment about the cell phone, I remember seeing a video on youtube of a teacher yelling at a student and using profane language. Of course the teacher shouldn't have done that. This was an extreme case, but my point is we have all had stressful days and may have reached the breaking point and said something we wish we hadn't. Well that one mistake can live on forever for the world to see.

Monica said...

I’m glad there is an article like this out there because some people may not realize the severity of blogging and that sometimes the person you least expect to find what your wrote will and the consequences may not be too pretty.

My mom, just like Jessica P’s, always told me to never never never put anything in writing. Not only can more people see/hear about it then if you just say something (people tend to forget words but a published blog or letter can be copied and stored for a long time) but people can misinterpret your words.

A perfect example of words being mi interpreted. I got into an argument with a friend of mine and wrote her a letter explaining my thoughts, ECT. Well the letter did not go over well at all because she took everything I said and turned it around to have a negative connotation. We did end up talking things out and clearing it all up because what I was saying was actually in a positive light but perfect example of words being taken the complete wrong way.

Teachers or people wanting to become teachers should definitely be careful about what they have posted on the web, whether it’s Facebook, MySpace, a blog or another networking site, if it is inappropriate and you do don’t want colleagues, students or boss’ finding even one little sentence;
I say, don’t post it.

Just because you think its private, some glitch might happen and it can become viewable to all people or even sent out somehow. Much like accidentally replying all on an email.