Posting on the internet is like picking your nose in the car

[Emma]

Just to make myself really clear (regarding my intentions {evil or not}), I really do think posting on the internet can put you in the same sort of "bubble" as being in your car. You're in an enclosed space with often no one else in the car with you & you are in your own little world. You forget that people can see you. It's often the same when you are on the net. You're in your bedroom or at your desk in your own little world posting to whatever venue you are at, with whatever attitude you have at the time. I think people forget that the post they made yesterday at "Fred's blog" is still readable the next day, possibly for weeks, months & years after. We aren't used to our communications being permanent. We are used to talking to individuals not groups. We are used to verbal off-the-cuff communications. Before the internet, when we did put something in writing it was generally with a lot of thought in a letter or card and those things went out to individuals, not groups.

Things have changed.

 

[CO2]

Just to make myself really clear (regarding my intentions {evil or not}), I really do think posting on the internet can put you in the same sort of "bubble" as being in your car. You're in an enclosed space with often no one else in the car with you & you are in your own little world. You forget that people can see you. It's often the same when you are on the net. You're in your bedroom or at your desk in your own little world posting to whatever venue you are at, with whatever attitude you have at the time. I think people forget that the post they made yesterday at "Fred's blog" is still readable the next day, possibly for weeks, months & years after. We aren't used to our communications being permanent. We are used to talking to individuals not groups. We are used to verbal off-the-cuff communications. Before the internet, when we did put something in writing it was generally with a lot of thought in a letter or card and those things went out to individuals, not groups.

Things have changed.

and to ramify and compound this, as it (that knowledge) affects me and my family and businesses:

I can post a factually true piece here, for instance, and cause harm to my business or a family member, simply by associating with former cult members. Someone , in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) can do a similar "guilt by association" number on his / herself. People, don't all grant us a free pass for past indiscretions.

As a result of realizing that a month or two ago, i.e.., how open and vulnerable I had made myself, my businesses, family, and friends open to warrantless attack or negative judgements based on my personal google - ability, I have stopped all references that google can track to my door. No more pictures of friends and family. No more name dropping. Nothing that the google spiders can attach to my real life identity(s).

I don't want comparative strangers googling me and coming up with references to a train wreck with a cult.

I want them googling me, and finding happy clients, good reviews, "good roads and good weather."

Negativity, even just the discussion of it, can wreck a budding friendship.

People like "happily ever after"

 

[DoneDeal]

Just to make myself really clear (regarding my intentions {evil or not}), I really do think posting on the internet can put you in the same sort of "bubble" as being in your car. You're in an enclosed space with often no one else in the car with you & you are in your own little world. You forget that people can see you. It's often the same when you are on the net. You're in your bedroom or at your desk in your own little world posting to whatever venue you are at, with whatever attitude you have at the time. I think people forget that the post they made yesterday at "Fred's blog" is still readable the next day, possibly for weeks, months & years after. We aren't used to our communications being permanent. We are used to talking to individuals not groups. We are used to verbal off-the-cuff communications. Before the internet, when we did put something in writing it was generally with a lot of thought in a letter or card and those things went out to individuals, not groups.

Things have changed.

Your correct. And your doing a nice service pointing this out.

I myself spend most internet forum type time at tech sites. I got my ass handed to me several years ago for loudly complaining about some advice I followed that killed an xp install...lol.
The guy said "why don't you talk to people like they are human!" That caught my attention...as I was at that time and still to some degree feel "outside"? while on the net.

Crazy stuff this internet is when used incorrectly, just ask that Weiner guy. lol.

There are a lot of good words typed in this forum I do hope live on and on.

 

[CO2]

Your correct. And your doing a nice service pointing this out.

I myself spend most internet forum type time at tech sites. I got my ass handed to me several years ago for loudly complaining about some advice I followed that killed an xp install...lol.
The guy said "why don't you talk to people like they are human!" That caught my attention...as I was at that time and still to some degree feel "outside"? while on the net.

Crazy stuff this internet is when used incorrectly, just ask that Weiner guy. lol.

There are a lot of good words typed in this forum I do hope live on and on.

[video=youtube;nV7u1VBhWCE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV7u1VBhWCE[/video]

 

[lkwdblds]

I hadn't read this thread until today. To me the OP had to do with consistency of viewpoint. People tended not to be consistent with their posts, espousing one viewpoint or opinion to one audience and an opposite opinion to another audience. They seemed to do this with impunity, not realizing that expressing different opinions to different groups would ever be noticed by anyone. The idea of being in a bubble when posting was brought up using a clever simile linking picking one's nose in a car to posting on the internet. .

The initial responses to this thread were on point and had to do with politicians and religious proselytizers commonly exhibiting an inconsistency of viewpoint. After that, the thread seemed to wander off into a lot of random comments, several of which were very interesting, such as CO2's post above.

Getting back to the main topic of the original OP, I would say that even if one is aware that he is posting to audiences with differing outlooks, it isn't necessarily bad to say one thing to one group and something else to another group. The only stipulation would be that the two things said should not be completely opposite to one another. If someone makes that mistake, their credibility is immediately and usually permanently lost. One should have a plan of how they can defend their differing statements if they are challenged.

Not doing that takes courage. I would say that people such as Martin Luther King and Ghandi stayed true to their message, preaching the same thing to all groups. They knew what they were doing, knew that groups with widely different opinions were hearing them and knew that they might be killed at any time. Both ended up being assassinated but went down in history as great heroes.

The case for not maintaining consistency of viewpoint would be, that unless one varies from that, many people will tune the person out without even giving him/her a hearing. By altering one's message, one should reach a larger audience. Also, one is less likely to be shot down, literally and/or figuratively, and therefore more people will know of the person and take his/her viewpoint into consideration.

In closing, on a lighter note, I remember an old Jerry Seinfeld Show episode where he was driving his car home and saw an attractive woman picking her nose. This event formed the basis for the rest of the episode. From memory, I believe, but am not 100% certain, that he recognized the woman as someone he had met recently and asked out on a date. She accepted and the date was to be in the next day or two.. Witnessing her pick her nose turned him off so much that when he got home, he immediately called her and cancelled the date. Does anyone else remember that show?
Lakey

 

[The Anabaptist Jacques]

I hadn't read this thread until today. To me the OP had to do with consistency of viewpoint. People tended not to be consistent with their posts, espousing one viewpoint or opinion to one audience and an opposite opinion to another audience. They seemed to do this with impunity, not realizing that expressing different opinions to different groups would ever be noticed by anyone. The idea of being in a bubble when posting was brought up as a clever simile relating the picking one's nose in a car to posting on the internet. .

The initial responses were on point and had to do with politicians and and religious proselytizers commonly exhibiting an inconsistency of viewpoint. After that, the thread seemed to wander off into a lot of random comments, several of which were very interesting, such as CO2's post above.

Getting back to the main topic of the original OP, I would say that even if one is aware that he is posting to audiences with differing outlooks, it isn't necessarily bad to say one thing to one group and something else to another group. The only stipulation would be that the two things said should not be completely opposite to one another. If someone makes that mistake, their credibility is immediately and usually permanently lost. One should have a plan of how they can defend their differing statements if they are caught.

Not doing that takes courage. I would say that people such as Martin Luther King and Ghandi stayed true to their message, preaching the same thing to all groups. They knew what they were doing, knew that groups with widely different opinions were hearing them and knew that they might be killed at any time. Both ended up being assassinated but went down in history as great heroes.

The case for not maintaining consistancy of viewpoint would be, that unless vary from that, many people will tune you out without even give you a hearing. By altering your message, you should reach a larger audience. Also, you are less likely to be shot down, literally and/or figuratively, and therefore more people will know of you and take your viewpoint into consideration.

In closing, on a lighter note, I remember an old Jerry Seinfeld Show episode where he was driving his car home and saw an attractive woman picking her nose. This event formed the basis for the rest of the episode. From memory, I believe, but am not 100% certain, that he recognized the woman as someone he had met recently and asked out on a date. She accepted and the date was to be in the next day or two.. Witnessing her pick her nose turned him off so much that when he got home, he immediately called her and cancelled the date. Does anyone else remember that show?
Lakey

I remember that show.

I had that show in mind when I made the comment to Emma that I was scratchin' not pickin'."

The Anabaptist Jacques

 

[Emma]

I remember that episode too. It was in my mind as I was writing the OP.

 

[Anonycat]

I remember that episode too. It was in my mind as I was writing the OP.

[video=youtube;F9RVChMqdqg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9RVChMqdqg[/video]

 

[Lurker5]

When I feel like getting snarky at someone, online, on a blog, in a post, I TRY to remember to abide by one rule - Would I say this about/to this person if they were standing right in front of me? If the answer is no, I TRY to hold off posting anything at all. Doesn't always work, but that is a rule of mine. Sometimes I forget, in the emotion of a moment . . . . I have been embarrassed - later on - by a few . . . .

Also, I think people have many thoughts and ideas about people, good and bad. When with people who are talking about postives, those come out. When with those snarking on the negatives, those tend to come out - contagious - sort of like the smell of vomit gets one to vomitting - . .

We are human, with human tendencies, good and bad. We must try to rise above our lower snarky tendencies, I think - and realize that when we are pointing the finger at another, we are probably projecting our own shit - and putting it out there, for everyone to see. And those with some insight into their own selves and others, recognize that what is being spewed is that person's own personal stuff (too). We are all like John Constantine, dying from some black poison eating us up from the inside out, but with the ability for redemption - through some unselfish act of good/kind-ness for another. And then in a flash, to sin again - too - LOL. Our wings were burned off a long time ago.

Not everyone is trying to earn their wings back.

And I hear, - that Bella C picks her nose in public and doesn't give a shit who sees. And licks her fingers . . .

Bad bad me, for repeating that . . . . Well, if I knew she cared, I probably would not.