Privacy, Exposure, Risk: Can you maintain safer spaces online?
When there are other people involved, blogging can be just like sex. You can never guarantee it’s 100% safe, but you can make it safer. And oh, by the way, “safe” can be in the eye of the beholder. Discuss where you draw the line to protect yourself, those close to you and your entire online community both around your individual blog, or in larger more structured online communities, from family friendly sites to sex sites. Lynne D. Johnson moderates what is sure to be a lively discussion with feminists erotica writer Susie Bright, Ann Crady, CEO of parenting site Maya’s Mom, and Tara Hunt, who recently wrote “The insidious danger of danger”.

Susie Bright claims that journalists and opinionated bloggers WILL get threatened if they take a strong stand. Are women at higher risk? Statistics from PEW suggest that young women are more likely to be bullied online. Or at least more likely to report it.

Naturally, Kathy Sierra is a part of this. But what about Brittney Gilbert? How does she fit in? I thought about asking if people had opinions but didn’t want to hijack. (Damnit, Brittney: YOU NEEDED TO BE HERE!)

Hate mail is to be expected professionally, but when it comes to your home … that feels different.

Naturally, I had to stand up and share that the silver lining of dealing with online attacks and trolls and hate-mongers is that it forces you to develop a thick skin that comes in handy in your professional life. Book reviews? EASY! Reviewers actually review my book respectfully — they don’t call my mom a dyke or tell me how ugly my feet are or how fat I am.

The discussion turns again to public vs. private content. For instance, you write things about your alcoholism or your depression while trying to market yourself as a copywriter. Is that the content you want future copy clients to see?

A guy from SimplyHired stands up to speak — says simply that if you put something online, you should be comfortable with future employers seeing it. “Keep in mind that anyone — an employer or someone you’re dating — could see it, and you have to establish your own personal level of comfort online.”

Trolls are motivated by attention and jealousy. They’re just desperate for attention. It’s less fun to send hateful email than it is to post hateful blog comments.

Having a blog makes you a public figure. One woman (gah: I missed her name) says, “I don’t want to say ‘Alright everybody grow up,’ but when you blog, you have to be prepared. You can’t go online looking for success and visibility and then complain about your huge success and all your exposure.” Negative attention comes with positive. “Live your life like you’re going to be on the front page of the newspaper — or you better not go online.”

SJ from I, Asshole edits trolls’ comments to say at the end “…and now I’m going to go home and fuck some puppies.”

Jane from By Jane says that you have to ignore the angel on your shoulder if you want to be successful.