I recently received a link to a terrific post written on the topic of
Online Etiquette, The Digital Community.Seeking a Safe Place.
Over the past few days I have read this article over again and again and again. The Bedlam Farm blog has NOTHING to do with quilting, and it is a nice breath of fresh air to step out of the arena that has consumed my life and read about someone else’s adventures and what they choose to share.
I encourage you to go read the article. And I want to quote the part that hit me the most.
"My life is not an argument to be reviewed by strangers on my own digital space, my Internet home. Comments must be productive, of use to other people."
"So the rules of my home are really simple and free. Everyone is welcome here, whether they agree with me or not. No one is welcome here who uses anger or cruelty or righteous judgment to attack me or anyone else. I don’t expect people who come into my home to be hostile or insensitive with me, nor do I accept it online. The fact that I open a part of my life up is not an invitation to be rude or nasty. I also want people to feel safe here."
"I want this to be a creative place, a safe place, a place of encouragement and shared experience. Sadly, the Internet seems to breed hostility and disconnection. It is just so easy to be a lug-head when you are hiding behind an e-mail address."
Or might I add an anonymous or other persona that hides your true identity.
Thank you, Bedlam Farm, for putting it so eloquently.
NO ONE has the right to send “I’m disappointed in you, shame on you” emails or comments to ANYONE. PERIOD. What is the world coming to?
If I feel that comments are getting out of hand, I reserve the right to remove them. This is MY home. It does not have to be politically correct.
This is my space, I do not have to provide both sides of ANY story. I feel what I feel. If you feel differently, please feel free to express your side of the story on your own blog.
This is a place where I share my feelings and my experiences. You might not agree with them, and that is fine, but I’m not going to argue my stance and you shouldn’t have to feel the NEED to call me up on my behavior or my words to suit your idea of what I "SHOULD" do or be.
These are my thoughts, my experiences and I can’t change them and not share how I truly feel. You may have handled the situation differently, but you wouldn’t chastise me in my own home if you were a guest there, at least I hope not.
I don’t want to bottle up ME inside – and only post a candy-coated version of what I think you want to read. That’s not the purpose of me writing here.
Yes, I am totally made of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
