Now here’s a strange thing. I have received a letter, unsigned but literate. It’s not a nasty letter, it just points out that in my blog there are sometimes people who can be identified. This took some thinking about. If I refer to my doctor , or my verger or anyone else local they can be identified easily . I never use names for obvious reasons but sometime I may refer to a person who I know well...and it has never occurred to me that they might be identified locally . But only by people close by. This gave me something to think about. I have always been careful not to use names but in a small community I see that it is possible for the reader to realise who I’m talking about.
This shocked me. The truth is that until I got the letter I have thought that no one local would read my blog. I don’t advertise it...I am not sure I talk about it much either but this made me realise that yes, occasionally the person I’m talking about could be recognised...so thank you to my anonymous informer...you have a point..
I don’t think I say unpleasant things about anybody very much...but I do recognise that it’s a valid point. So I wonder why whoever sent the letter has been careful not to identify herself...or himself. It’s very odd but it does have a valid point .
And it’s one I’ve taken on board...I will be very much more careful in the future...thank you anon....job done.
1 comment:
Well, coming from North Kent, I obviously do not know any of the people that you mention. I blog occasionally and don't use names but I suspect that if anyone read my blog locally they might put two and two together.
But as I don't use words that detract from those I write about and in fact am kind about people, I don't worry about it that much.
But you are writing about living your life in a community where people know each other and as long as your posts are accurate and not offensive I don't believe you need to worry.
Be more careful certainly, but please don't water down your writing as the real you comes through well as you write.
I wonder if the person who wrote the letter identified them self from one of your posts and worried that others might also identify them?
Surely they could have spoken to you personally instead of writing without putting their name to it. That would be what I would do.
I write under a pen name, but you know who I am, and my blog also has my name in the "about" page.
And I write on i-church often publically and in the inner community, on both sites I am identifiable and I have never worried about it. There I don't identify anyone either as the rules for the site say we shouldn't. Also we need to observe copyright as well. Which I always do.
Your blog is important to many of us who respond, so please keep on with it. Thinking aloud is what you do, as I do.
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