Anonymity
There’s a person named "mcd" whose bright comments abound in blog spaces I frequent. At least I think mcd is a person, but we could all be dogs on the internet. Mcd is merely a recent addition to my list of people I’d like to know who prefer to remain anonymous. These people have a right to their anonymity, and they certainly do no harm with it. The expository exchanges in blogs and mail lists lower the potential for mischief that seems implicit in dealing with the anonymous, be they people or dogs. Except for ideas, nobody is trying to sell much in these quarters.
This week, Andy Borrows writes about the choice of transparency and how it influences us, shapes our writing away from some personal areas, and therefore represents a paradox. I know what he’s talking about. Common sense and a sensitivity for the privacy of others prevents me from addressing topics related to my work, yet it’s in my work that I experience some of the most profound difficulties of my mundane life. And, while I’m quick to applaud achievements of friends and family here, I’m more discrete when it comes to mulling over difficulties we may have.
So would it be better to write anonymously? In general I think not. But from time to time I’d like to let it all hang out about a cluster-fuck at work or a favorite relative who has recently fallen off a cliff. Yet, I don’t want to make people mad at me, and I certainly don’t want to alienate my clients or my co-workers.
What’s a poor bloggy boy to do?