Blog Bashers

I wrote this to an author of a blog I read regularly:

Wow. I've been in and out for most of this journey you and your family have had over the past year and I am amazed. As most say, you are honest and you are real. You have opened your home to the world and allowed us all to scrutinize, to gawk, to envy and to love. We are voyeurs who devour your every photo and word. And sometimes we are jealous of things we didn't ever really want but perceive that you have. So wow. The audacity of anyone to ridicule, to question, or to defame you is insane. Few people offer to share the good and the bad and the in between so candidly while knowing that the world is judgmental and will likely lash out. You are absolutely right, the X is always an option. And as a reader, I'd prefer that those who have nothing better to say follow the "don't say anything at all" rule and go far, far away in cyberspace. Frankly I ENJOY you writing as only you can and I hope you don't change a thing.

You see, she has been upset (and rightly so) by comments left on her blog posts and in other people's "web feces" (may I coin that term?) all over cyberspace.

Blogging is one of those cathartic exercises that lets the Average Joe(ana) share with the world the musings and chronicles of a life. And sometimes people respond with enthusiasm, which makes AJ all warm and fuzzy in the heart. People can relate, or they can empathize; but sometimes, they are cruel - strangely so for being intruders **ahem** visitors to the site. Don't these bringers of negative vibes realize that bloggers walk a fine line between baring all and saving themselves from web exploitation? That the things a blogger shares reveal more about the individuals who write them than the average person reveals to trusted friends for fear of demonstrating vulnerability? Likely no. And so most of us who blog keep entries superficial at best, worried of a possible backlash of hatred from some passing stranger reader who thought they should squelch the ultra personal cyber outlet, or we blog in code fearing predators are lurking on our pages researching how they can best destroy our peace of mind.

Hmmm...

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothin' at all." Even Thumper (Bambi's rabbit buddy) knew that was the rule to live by... so why don't we?