Thursday, August 04, 2005
Secret Admirer
You may have noticed that I'm not exactly discreet with my identity. I would post my address, phone number and email for anybody to contact, if I weren't worried about spam. While most bloggers revel in their anonymity, I haven't exactly hid my identity. One of the strengths of blogging is the ability to draw from your own experiences to add to the diversity of views online. And if you are worried that any story might "give you away," you can risk giving up some of your strongest talking points.
But that isn't the only advantage of openly presenting myself. I've noticed that a lot of bloggers seem to have, to put it nicely, more than one face. On the one hand they are thoughtful and introspective. And in the next line they are crass and petty. By the time I'm done reading a post or comment, I'm not sure who belongs in the "good" camp, who in the other. I think this is a consequence, in part, of the anonymous nature of Blogger IDs. Because people know their reputation is guarded, they aren't careful to avoid one or two "slip ups," an inappropriate sexual reference or a few four letter words. It's easy; why filter your words if you take on a clean identity when you log off? And if somebody thinks you're perverted, or a heathen, that won't follow you around in the real world.
The way I understand it, as a religious Jew, I carry with me a certain appearance wherever I go. Because of the this unique identifying look, I must always be punctilious in my acts and thoughtful in my manners. Because whether it will have an impact of somebody's perception of the Jewish people as a whole, or on my own character, I feel a responsibility to live up to a high standard. And by putting my name out here in blog world, that reputation is still in front of me.
Don't think that I'm saying that we should spend our lives in fear of our "reputation" or "standing" in the community. The only reason you should worry about the perception that comes with your identity is for when you look in the mirror.
But that isn't the only advantage of openly presenting myself. I've noticed that a lot of bloggers seem to have, to put it nicely, more than one face. On the one hand they are thoughtful and introspective. And in the next line they are crass and petty. By the time I'm done reading a post or comment, I'm not sure who belongs in the "good" camp, who in the other. I think this is a consequence, in part, of the anonymous nature of Blogger IDs. Because people know their reputation is guarded, they aren't careful to avoid one or two "slip ups," an inappropriate sexual reference or a few four letter words. It's easy; why filter your words if you take on a clean identity when you log off? And if somebody thinks you're perverted, or a heathen, that won't follow you around in the real world.
The way I understand it, as a religious Jew, I carry with me a certain appearance wherever I go. Because of the this unique identifying look, I must always be punctilious in my acts and thoughtful in my manners. Because whether it will have an impact of somebody's perception of the Jewish people as a whole, or on my own character, I feel a responsibility to live up to a high standard. And by putting my name out here in blog world, that reputation is still in front of me.
Don't think that I'm saying that we should spend our lives in fear of our "reputation" or "standing" in the community. The only reason you should worry about the perception that comes with your identity is for when you look in the mirror.
# posted by Josh : Thursday, August 04, 2005
