Baby, baby, it's a wild Web

I recently had a good reminder about being careful of what I say here in my little blog.

One friend tells another friend something in confidence regarding the company she works for. The second friend thinks about what the first friend says, becomes outraged and posts a scathing blog on the subject. Friend 2 rethinks, and deletes the post. But not before it is spotted by a third party who copies the post and sends it to Friend 1 - "Isn't this your Friend 2?" The information it contained is damaging to both Friend 1 and the company she works for. How far did it spread? Who knows? And who knows where it may be stored on some server to raise its ugly head?

I doubt that Friend 2 intended to do damage. She’s a little hot headed, and posted with both guns blazing. And I would bet that like many armchair bloggers like me who post mainly for the amusement of our friends and the occasional passing friendly stranger, she didn’t think anyone would ever see her little rant. We all get this sense of anonymity out here. Like wearing a Mardi Gras mask, it can lead you to be a more devil-may-care version of yourself. But the truth is it’s all out there, and anybody could potentially see it.

It’s always good to stop a second and think before you post. You may not want to put anything out there that you don’t want your grandma, your next door neighbor or a potential future employer to see. Because Grandma may have broadband. You may have look your next door neighbor in the eye at the next block party. And your potential future employer may look you up on Facebook, and decide you don’t have so much potential. It’s harder to be Anonymous these days.