Responsibility lies in the public blogger
Recently, this has been a hot topic of discussion among the teachers, in the community, etc. Does the individual blogger have absolute right to write whatsoever he or she wishes, with no need to care or bother about the impact it's brought upon the community that's reading it?
I asked myself the same question. I used to be a fervent supporter of the notion that "This is my blog, I can write anything I like, however I like it. If you don't like, don't read lah!" But recently, this has not become so, it seems.
Isaiah said that it's ok if your blog is not being read by your friends. You can write anything you like without having to bear any social responsibililty. But once you know you have friends or a large group of people who read your blog, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that its content does not mislead or instil fear or bring about unrest.
Hmmm... I still have my doubts about that. To me, my blog will always be a place I can deposit my thoughts, my frustration, the things I dun even say out openly, or just some random rantings I have. If I have to care about what others feel when they read it, it will just, at best, be a place I have to write things people like to read or to please them when I am writing. To me, that's pointless.
Of course, I do not advocate using blogs to do personal attacks or say things we otherwise dare not say to someone, knowing he or she will surely read it. But, if it's absolutely just a place I vent out my frustrations when I need to let it all out, I think it's reasonable.
Having said that, I cannot deny that I do practise alot more caution when I write nowadays, because i know people who know me and my friends read it. Just that day I was writing about some incident that happened, and Isaiah reminded me that I shouldn't write it out, cos even though people don't know what has happened now, they will soon, and will think back and put one and one together to get the whole picture. I immediately deleted that entry.
I guess, yes, some discretion is required. But still, write freely, shall we?
Recently, this has been a hot topic of discussion among the teachers, in the community, etc. Does the individual blogger have absolute right to write whatsoever he or she wishes, with no need to care or bother about the impact it's brought upon the community that's reading it?
I asked myself the same question. I used to be a fervent supporter of the notion that "This is my blog, I can write anything I like, however I like it. If you don't like, don't read lah!" But recently, this has not become so, it seems.
Isaiah said that it's ok if your blog is not being read by your friends. You can write anything you like without having to bear any social responsibililty. But once you know you have friends or a large group of people who read your blog, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that its content does not mislead or instil fear or bring about unrest.
Hmmm... I still have my doubts about that. To me, my blog will always be a place I can deposit my thoughts, my frustration, the things I dun even say out openly, or just some random rantings I have. If I have to care about what others feel when they read it, it will just, at best, be a place I have to write things people like to read or to please them when I am writing. To me, that's pointless.
Of course, I do not advocate using blogs to do personal attacks or say things we otherwise dare not say to someone, knowing he or she will surely read it. But, if it's absolutely just a place I vent out my frustrations when I need to let it all out, I think it's reasonable.
Having said that, I cannot deny that I do practise alot more caution when I write nowadays, because i know people who know me and my friends read it. Just that day I was writing about some incident that happened, and Isaiah reminded me that I shouldn't write it out, cos even though people don't know what has happened now, they will soon, and will think back and put one and one together to get the whole picture. I immediately deleted that entry.
I guess, yes, some discretion is required. But still, write freely, shall we?
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