Blogging

So, I'm starting up a blog on my myspace as another means of keeping in touch with the family and friends. (i know.. myspace is stupid/evil/retarded/[insert derogatory remark here]) It's a good thing. Really, it is.

But the point of me posting here-
When does posting information in a blog violate OTHER people's right to privacy? Where is the line?
Parents find out about their kids doing drugs. Friends find out about their friends cheating with their bf/gf. Bosses find out about employees stealing, for kicks.

I'm just making sure to feel out the crowd before I take a few steps into the frey.

The propensity, of a blog, to have negative impact as opposed to it's intentions is pretty enormous. What are you opinions? Let's get more than just a couple 2-liner responses here.

I think it is good idea. All blogs really are, are online diaries. As long as you are honest and don't intend it to be something negative, I think it is a good idea.

May I suggest not using myspace, but something with better control and layouts?

www.wordpress.com

For instance, my wife has one and it looks pretty good,

http://adelecaelia.wordpress.com/

I just always liked using these blogging sites over anything myspace, myspace has a ton of issues with hacking and stability.

Anyhow I had one for awhile and just linked it off my myspace / facebook pages for friends to easily find. Or I just sent them all links to bookmark.

Just an idea!

Cheers!

Ah blogs. Prepare yourselves for a rant:

What started out as an innocent way to anonymously vent has become a mainstay that's crept its way into daily journalism. Our industry is dying, because of competition from the Internet and while the top dogs are scrambling to compete, they've introduced their own blogs on various news websites.

These blogs, while another form of journalism and offer "instant" prospectives, have loaned credibility to the idea of blogs as a news source.

It's lead to lazy journalism. Reporters who once used to go out and pound the pavement to get sources are simply lifting quotes out of someone's blog and citing them as source. (You might want to be mindful of this as your posting your own blog, reporters use the net to surf and find "sources" -- so when you blog, be careful what you divulge -- the internet is NOT anonymous as most think -- I have the ability of tracking someone down to their street corner based on a simple IP). This, in my opinion, really has to stop, but it's becoming invasive and routine.

In turn, by lifting these quotes out of someone's blog, they've given credibility to the blogger. Follow me here: If the blogger gains credibility by going into print in a reliable age-old newspaper, they now can claim authority on topic. By clamining authority on topic, they, in a sense, become the news. Becoming the news -- or the source at the source -- there is no need to read the newspaper.

And there are many blogs out there who say they're the official news source.

But the danger is -- most blogs are slanted .. they're the opinion of the owner, and they have NO REGULATIONS like traditional media on libel or other violations of media ethcis. Although that is changing, with more and more lawsuits arising over folks suing bloggers for libellous content on their sites. Yep, there's another issue to watch out for as you blog. That once free-spirit sense of venting is now coming under scrutiny by the courts. (So Ira, this addresses your idea of personal violation online -- the Interweb she's a changing, and folks are going to get nasty surprises when they find the judicial system dipping into what they once believed was a free forum for venting).

Being a progressive thinker, however, I do believe, as a reader, you all should read as much as you can wherever you can and then make up your own minds about value of content on any given subject. But be educated when you read them, and don't believe everything you read -- online or in print.

And buy a newspaper for God's sake!

RE: the ability to track someone down via their IP .. it's not some super secret journalism tool. There are a number of programs available (ironically off the Internet), some of them free, that will allow anyone to track.

I once had a kid trying to break into my email. I kept getting error emails back and it showed the source IP address in the email headers. I used the program, found his telephone number and calmly picked up the phone and called him. When I got him I calmly asked him to stop trying to hack into my account.

It was worth my time to do the tracking to hear him freaking out on the other end of the telephone line. I'm sure he would never try something like that again. One child saved.

Wow.

First off don't be scared Daolong, I think blogs are a good outlet for personal opinions that might otherwise not be heard.

Jayne,

Ok a few comments in regards to your rant.

I can see where you coming from about "lazy" journalism. Which infact it seems 90% of everything online is skewed or fake anymore. So you pretty much gotta take stuff for what it is. I will also have to say this goes for many news sources not only the "lazy" ones. Most of them seem to "reach" as far as they can to get ahead start, I have noticed CNN do this on several occasions.

I do not however agree that letting people make unsensored and / or unregulated opinions on things is bad. Now maybe if its related to your health or it takes an otherwise dangerous position in life because the person "said" they had a "PHD". But even then people have always wrote books on fad diets and other possibly "dangerous" things that the lemmings tend to follow. Anyways telling someone they "cannot" or "should not" voice their unsensored opinion or outlook on life is a direct violation of our freedom of speech. Blogs are a great way for the little people to say something, anything. And its been a huge creative outlet for people to do so.

OK Gav .. but take this as a hypothetical example.

You are a city councilman. You take your job seriously, but have horrendous taste in women. Subsequently you break up with your latest fling and she starts ranting on a blog about you -- in fact making up stuff like you're stealing cash from city hall or you like little boys.

As a public figure, up until recently, there was little recourse. And come election time, if enough people read that woman's blog, you'd be out of a job, even if it was pure lies. Gossip spreads, lies fester, and people tend to believe the worst in others.

Now, we are seeing more and more cases being brought to court over libellous blogs -- these things are now actionable. And these bloggers are surprised because, well, they up until this point hadn't been held to the same standards as the media -- truth in reporting. (NOTE: If what you're ranting about is the truth, you are protected -- but you have prove it's the truth).

And because, as I mentioned in the previous post, these blogs are gaining more credibility, you can be certain that more and more cases will start to pop up in court.

I'm not saying blogs are evil. I think they're a wonderful place to vent. But I also think folks need to remember that anything posted publically can be viewed publically -- a good rule of thumb is "Can I say what I'm ranting about to someone's face and not get punched or sued?" If the answer is no, don't post it.

Slander is one thing all people need to be aware of. What I was touching on had nothing to do with slandering other people. So I agree with you on that category of blogging and how it can be harmful. You can't go around doing that on any medium to people; sure you can in fact state you don't like a company like SOE for example. But there is a fine line on what you can and can't get away with you single out someone. Celebrities are a huge example of the media "getting away" with plenty. However there are lawsuits brought against the "gossip media" for example. (Still never stops them though)

For the sake of a friendly argument I really felt your view was by being angered by people tuning into more "blogs" then the paid media. And in-turn getting inaccurate information. Not so much the malicious act of damaging someone’s career / life.

But it seems we do both agree Blogging isnt evil. I also don't think blogs are all about venting. Many blogs are infact news sites, and have very interesting articles to read. Here are some I visit daily just for an example.

http://www.engadget.com/

http://www.giantbomb.com/

http://www.joystiq.com/

http://blogs.eveningsun.com/troublebrewing/

http://tornadovideos.net/index.cfm

Gavins .. BUY A NEWSPAPER!

stop putting me out of business.

hehe .. bonk.

---------------

I'm editing to add that I'm only really joking around about the newspaper thing. I guess I should be more careful with folks who don't really know me all that well.

That said, on the plus side of blogs -- because it's only fair to argue the positive with the negative -- some mind blowing stuff gets exposed, that needs to get exposed and would otherwise remain anonymous. These kind of unique threads gleaned from blogs have lead to some major policy changes and social examination.

Again, I'm speaking professionally ... not personally.

On a personal front, blogs can be an ideal way to keep in touch with friends and family, without having to write things out about 15 times. They can also help you work through issues -- and by looking at your blog over the course of a year or so, see a pattern and make positive changes in your life.

But I do stand behind the sentiment -- "If you can't say something about somebody to their face, you probably shouldn't write it online."

Lol, obviously I've thought a lot about this over the course of years. Forgive my overzealousness.

Cheers,

J.

Gavins wrote:

. Celebrities are a huge example of the media "getting away" with plenty. However there are lawsuits brought against the "gossip media" for example. (Still never stops them though)

There's a simple solution to this kind of news. Tell the public to stop buying up magazines and rags that sell it. The media industry is based on commerce -- if suddenly an item stops selling, that sends a very strong message, and you'd be surprised at how fast their agenda would change. Having worked at both a seedy tabloid and a "respectable" broadsheet .. I can tell you the big guys are watching very very carefully at what folks are reading -- online and in circulation sales.

Jayne wrote:

[wysi_quote="Gavins"]. Celebrities are a huge example of the media "getting away" with plenty. However there are lawsuits brought against the "gossip media" for example. (Still never stops them though)

There's a simple solution to this kind of news. Tell the public to stop buying up magazines and rags that sell it. The media industry is based on commerce -- if suddenly an item stops selling, that sends a very strong message, and you'd be surprised at how fast their agenda would change. Having worked at both a seedy tabloid and a "respectable" broadsheet .. I can tell you the big guys are watching very very carefully at what folks are reading -- online and in circulation sales.[/quote]

I know, I don't get why people are so into this stuff. I would give anything to have it go away. But if it didn't exist, we wouldn't know who Paris Hilton is!

I use to buy a newspaper I did for many years. Problem is its not delivered early enough for me to get it before I leave for work everyday. (4:30am) So it didn't do me any good.

I keep a friends only blog over at Livejournal.. msdna.livejournal.com.

I friends-lock 98% of my stuff.. because if that feature ever broke, I'd be so screwed. I rant about stuff and get all introspective and its mostly just to keep up with old friends. I would not want google picking up my latest rant on quasispecies..

Speaking of which, this board comes up now if you google taura syndrome quasispecies because of my post. heh.