–Jon

Most importantly, my dad found it via google, and I hate the fact that he reads it. I hardly know the guy, yet he knows all this stuff about me.

I don’t agree with these half measures. If you need your friends to know something about you, but you don’t want the world to know it too, tell them: to their face, on the phone, in a letter…

A page on the WORLD WIDE web is assumed to be for the world to read, in contrast to the other methods I have described. A blog is about giving people information about yourself freely, not about getting information about them in return. A blogger will probably never communicate 2-way with 90% of their readers. Why do they do it? They want to be heard, indiscriminately.

If you want to be heard by specific people, the web is probably not the place, and a blog certainly isn’t. If you want to be heard, but anonymously, simply set up an anonymous public blog and don’t put anything identifiable in it. Don’t set up a public onymous blog, say a load of incriminating stuff about yourself, then get scared and make it friends only. It’s too late.

Don’t try to act like we’re being stupid, because I’m not. I don’t like some people reading it and there are good reasons for that.

Fine that you are all braver than me, that’s fine. But don’t try to make a point about it, all of you. If I want to make it friends only - not private, and I have at least 40 people on my friends list - why does it matter to you?

“Don’t try to make a point about it” — surely that’s the purpose of a blog, to make a point? And to allow discussion thereon?

“Don’t try to act like we’re being stupid” — But I believe you are being stupid, and it’s my right to say so.

“I don’t like some people reading it and there are good reasons for that.” — how about expressing some of those reasons so we can understand?

“40 people on my friends list” — I don’t see how this is relevant, and this sort of point always reminds me of “my dick’s bigger than yours” style arguments. Who cares how many are on the list, the point is that there is a list, i.e. you are choosing who can read it.

“Why does it matter to you?” — It doesn’t, really, but I like to discuss things on which I have opinions. Which, as it turns out, is almost everything. I made my point because JonA said something about it and I thought “Oh, I have an idea about that, I’ll say something too”. It was never directed at any individual.

I realise most of your comment was actually directed at Dan, but hey, I got here first.

If people want to find something to use against you, they will.

I don’t think I’m trying to act like you’re being stupid for the reasons I think you think I am. The only thing “stupid” about such actions is the belief that it will protect you in some way when it won’t. Beyond that, read Esk’s comment.

On “Why does it matter to you?” - it matters because you’re my friend, and because I’d rather be honest than tactful with my friends. Plus, because I have opinions on the matters that I’d like to share. The bigger question is: why does it matter to you that it matters to me?

And, incedently: my blog does take comments, and always has (and, I hope, always will).

I realise that to you, it may seem like making it friends only is not going to solve anything, and you make a valid point. But it works for what I want it for: my dad and my friends from school won’t be able to read it, because they are not people I want to know everything about me. All the people on my friends list will (which was my original reason for pointing out that I had quite a few people on there, not bragging.) And none of those people are going to be able to hack into it, as I am the most internet competent of all of them.

It doesn’t bother me as you are entitled to your own opinion, but the way Claire worded her response made me feel like my reasons (which I think are perfectly valid) were not being listened to. And it really upset me.

And I’ve never been able to comment on your blog, I think I’ve told you about it before, it always directs me to an error page. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong there.

This is just a case of my natural distrust of the internet of course but oh well.

In reference to Claire when I put info on the net sometimes I don’t want the world to know about it, the net has just become the most (/only) convenient way to communicate with large groups of people. In reference to Dan yes if someone wants to find something to use against you they will but why hand it to them on a plate, “friends only” may not stop a moderately computer literate person but it does improve things slightly.

In conclution - stop acting like a complete dickhead

The impression I got from the fact that you commented openly on my blog in disagreement was that you wanted to discuss it in open forum, I’m sorry if that wasn’t the case. Next time you don’t want an argument don’t post a response on an open blog. At no point were my original comments directed toward you or Alec, simply to my future employer, as indicated by the title. JonA inspired me to leave a little time capsule for when the time arises. After you commented so aggressively yourself, I couldn’t help but provide a response, since it looks like that’s what you wanted.

It’s clear now that you don’t actually want to discuss your reasons, so I won’t bother countering your arguments, especially since they are in a friends only entry and counters wouldn’t make sense here. I believe I have already covered why I think you are wrong, in my response to the anonymous poster who later turned out to be you. Once again, apologies for any offence you took from my reply, none was intended.

Having said that, the fact that you think I’ve been bitchy makes me reconsider, as you’re known for speaking you mind. You’re probably right, but I certainly didn’t see it at the time, and though I re-read it I still see it in the sense that it was meant, as counter-argument and not bitchiness.

Hmm, you read my blog do you? Maybe now is the time to make it friends only…