Anonymity – the pondering, the project, and a poll!
The last post recieved several good comments and I put a bit of thought – for the most part into my responses.
That’s the problem with a good subject – it makes me think. I could very well have moseyed along my merry little way in my sort-of-but-not-really anonymous-land and not really learned anything.
But now I’m thinking.
Jansen posted a link to what is, so far, the most compelling argument against anonymity that I have seen.
It is the author’s charge that anonymity isn’t really anonymous that has caused me the most pause. I mean, really – I have over 800 friends on facebook. Thinking I’m anonymous is delusional. And, while I have met all but 50 or so in real life [I failed to account for my classmates-[who were] to-be at Baylor in the previous post], I do not have intimate friendships with the majority of them. I have no control over what they do with information I post to my profile. That’s something we often don’t consider because it’s often viewed as a benefit; it’s so easy to share and spread information. How many times do you see something interesting on one friend’s profile, comment, and then RE-post it so that others who may not know this friend can see it as well? And just because pictures tagged of me can’t be seen by those who visit my profile, that doesn’t mean they can’t be seen by visiting the profile of someone who is tagged in those pictures with me.
Wait….
Cue the lightbulb. I just had one of those moments.
I was about to write that what I like about facebook, and what eventually led me – and many others, I imagine – to chose its platform over Myspace is that it allows me the ability to deal with real people and know who I’m talking to. No more friend requests from “AngelBabyxoxo243867″ or “SmoothTalker2687.” People have names. And if I haven’t met you in real life – and you’re not a well-known or much loved blogger I follow, as they so far are the exception – we aren’t friends on facebook.
Well, here’s where that lightbulb came on. When I read Mr. Hull’s statements about credibility, I was concerned with and focused on the credibility of the ideas. If someone has a good idea or a valid point to make, I don’t care if they’re John Q. Smith or Purple People Eater, Esq. I still benefit from what they had to say. I didn’t think of the effect that dealing with real people has had on sites like facebook or LinkedIn. By dealing with real people, I have seen the level of debate and discourse on facebook [it exists, I promise] rise. I have seen people be held accountable for their thoughts. Mr. Hull, I see your point [even if I still don't agree with its method of delivery]. Thank you.
As far as the crazy – well, I’m not very technologically savvy when it comes to the internet, but I found out a while back that if someone uses the rite site meter/checker, by visiting their site once, I disclose my location right on down to the city I’m in. I’ve watched enough NCIS to know that anonymity – truly – on the internet is a joke and that anyone with the determination and a bit of means could find me out if they wanted to. Though – who could possibly be that interested in the musings and mundane happenings of a 1L’s life? There are thousands of us out there, and I’m fairly sure that I am not a spectacular standout. The crazy is just a fact of life I suppose. That doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with it though.
And then, there are those who have built respectable reputations for themselves and found their blogging to be useful in their academic and employment pursuits. I like to imagine that once this whole legal scholar business gets going that I’ll have some worthy thoughts to contribute and that I will be a welcomed participant to discussions in the realm of international law and foreign policy affairs. I have sense enough to know that I’ll need to use my real name – and not Elle Finch, as cute as that may be – in order for anyone to really take me seriously.
So where does this leave me? Pondering. That’s where.
I have given myself a bit of a project. I’m going to go ahead and read through the archives over at Three Years of Hell and reevaluate where I stand after that. For me, I think it’ll be sort of like reading through all those personal statement examples last year. That is to say, it’s an example of what I’m trying to do, but I know that my product will be almost entirely different. I have a feeling this will give me a bit of a bearing and guide and that afterward I’ll be better able to decide the direction I want to go in. Jansen, I’m going to go ahead and read through your archives as well, so if you suddenly have views on everything you’ve written, there’s not a creeper after you – it’s just me.
I’m afraid this project will take me a couple of days, so I bid thee adieu for a while. I’ll come back, I promise. Until then, I decided to learn something new. Enter the poll. Ahem:
Hooray for learning something new. Though, I did not learn to center the poll and that’s disappointing, as it would be more aesthetically pleasing. Oh well.
Alright blogosphere and twitterverse – I’m offering you a chance to throw your two cents to the wind to land where it may. We’ll see if our ideas match up when I come back.
Cheers.
lawschoolninja said,
July 10, 2009 at 1:03 am
I’ve struggled with this myself. On the one hand, I’m actually really proud of my little anonymous blog. It gets a lot more readers than my non-anonymous blog. I enjoy writing on politics and current events. As I said before, I’m not ashamed of any of my opinions and I’d say them out loud from atop a soap box in real life just as I do on my blog, but I wouldn’t necessarily gather together all the hiring partners in my city and offer up my snarkiest Sarah Palin comments as a way to market myself. Know what I mean?
Also, I like to write about funny things that happen in my life. The trouble is, sometimes the best stories are borne of disorganization and chaos in my life. Is that really an image I want to project to people who are trying to decide if they want to hire me? Of course not. But it does make for some funny stuff.
I established Law School Ninja as an outlet for myself more than anything else. My closest friends and family members know it’s me, so it’s not truly anonymous. I still go back to what Butterflyfish told me, which is to write as if you’re going to be outed while keeping it google-nonymous. If I follow that advice, then if some of my classmates “discover” me it won’t be a big deal. In fact, I fully expect that by the time I’m finished with law school, quite a number of my peers will know about Law School Ninja. At the same time, future potential employers googling my name will be spared my political opinions. I wouldn’t offer unsolicited political opinions in a face-to-face interview, after all.
And again, I do have a separate blog that is not anonymous where I post about more benign things. Like I said before, I do think there is a benefit to having a huge writing sample available for potential employers to see, such as a blog, especially if it shows some creativity and some ability to write about serious issues all in the same place.
In your case, you’ve already said which school you’re attending and you have 800+ people on Facebook who know who you are. If I were you, I’d continue just as you are. If people find you out, and I’m sure they will, then fine. You’re not trying to hide anything. But any random creep on the intertoobz who stumbles onto your blog won’t be privy to that information.
Anyway, I ramble. I understand why people don’t like anonymity in blogs. I’m under no illusion that I’ll remain completely anonymous through law school, and I don’t plan to write things I can’t stand behind 100% if I’m outed. But I’m not gonna advertise my name on my anonymous blog, and if people choose not to read it for that reason, it’s okay with me.
/end of rant — Bet you’re sorry you haven’t blocked me yet!!
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 10:00 am
I’m not sorry I haven’t blocked you! I enjoy your comments [and your blog].
I like that this blog doesn’t pop up if someone googles my name, but at the same time, to borrow Jansen’s words, I don’t write with the kind of “snark” that requires anonymity. My blog is pretty benign, and sure I offer my opinion in a couple places [as in the "should infidelity warrant resignation?" post] but I try to keep it pretty logical and even handed. I try to treat this place as I treat my real life discussions – it’s okay to have an opinion and disagree with others [and being a bit left of center has led to many interesting disagreements with my right of center friends], but it is not okay to go about ranting and raving like a lunatic.
And thank you for reminding me I’m not trying to hide anything. “But any random creep on the intertoobz who stumbles onto your blog won’t be privy to that information.” True that, Master Ninja, true that.
lawschoolninja said,
July 10, 2009 at 1:07 am
I just have to post one more sentence because I forgot to click the box to be notified of followup comments via e-mail. Sorry for the clutter!! *blushes*
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 10:00 am
Dan Hull said,
July 10, 2009 at 8:19 am
“If someone has a good idea or a valid point to make, I don’t care if they’re John Q. Smith or Purple People Eater, Esq. I still benefit from what they had to say.”
I could not disagree more. I care A LOT about who people are:
1. People who tell me who they are have a stake in what they have said. They have put their reputation on the line. They have an investment.
2. They have thought about what they are going to say more.
3. They have checked their work
4. People who tell me who they are are people are people I can trust, rely upon and want as real friends.
BTW, 800 friends? You would be lucky to have 5 or 6 real friends your whole life. Most of the 800 would never come to your aid if you needed them. Anonymous people? How are they going to help you in one of life’s many fights. You want Dan Hull–who you really don’t know but at least has the sand to identify himself–or the Purple People Eater to help you?
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 10:13 am
Again, your points are valid. I get lost in the ideas and forget about the people. Though, I have made comments on other blogs anonymously or under this “alias” that I have edited multiple times before clicking “submit.” I try to check my work and think about what I’m going to say. It’s sad that many others don’t do the same.
The “friend” label facebook uses is just as misleading as the “follower” label on twitter. Being a follower on twitter doesn’t mean someone is stalking you and everything you say, and it doesn’t even mean they read many of your updates. It just means that they have subscribed to your updates so that they may read them at their pleasure. Well, my “friends” on facebook are not necessarily close “friends” in real life.
Facebook was just getting off the ground when I began undergrad and has only recently ballooned into the behemoth it is today. I – and many of my actual friends – maintain facebook as a way to network, to keep in touch with old friends, and maintain contact with acquaintances should it be needed. I have several friends who have “cleaned out” their facebook “friends” and cut back their number by a couple hundred people. I haven’t done this yet because:
1. I’m more inclined to use facebook as a sort of rolodex at times. You never know when Joe Schmoe from Freshman History will have a bit of information or advice you can use. I myself have been sought out for an opinion or bit of information from people I haven’t seen in a couple of years for whatever reason. Having contacts is helpful. My “friends” are going into fields as varied as the letters of the alphabet, and they are full of information and recommendations regarding their specific industries. Facebook is also a wonderful live database full of information. People offer up links, photos, opinions, information about different areas of the world and country, and it’s nice to have access to that.
2. I moved a lot as a kid; facebook has allowed me to get back in touch with people multiple states away, people who were once my best friends. I’m not alone when I say it’s nice to know how they’re doing. Many of us don’t have the time to fly across the country or to have 30 minute phone calls with all of our long-lost-friends, but if Mary Alice has a baby or gets married, it’s nice to see her update and be able to tell her congratulations.
3. “You would be lucky to have 5 or 6 real friends your whole life.” Again, as someone who spent much of her life moving around the country, I understand this is true. As it stands, I have 5 or 6 real “best” friends scattered around a few states. I recognize many of the 800 people would never come to my aid if I needed them [not out of malice, certainly], but I don’t maintain facebook for that reason. I know who my “real” friends are, and I’m satisfied with that.
Chère said,
July 10, 2009 at 11:51 am
I agree with a lot of what that post (and others) have to say about anonymous blogging. I understand where the pondering comes in. For me? I have no desire to have a professional blog. I don’t want to be a journalist and never have. My blog began years ago as a personal way to keep in touch with friends and family, and along the way people found it and became my internet blog posse friends. So, while I understand the benefits of claiming what you write, I’m not going to be “unveiling” myself anytime soon. Even if people I’ve never met read (and I welcome them), in the end my blog is still designed to keep friends and family up to date on the happenings in my little world.
I have no delusions that people will or can figure out where I am. My law school friends know that I blog. And nobody cares. Because, at the end of the day, even though I am in law school my blog is more the personal/diary type and I don’t consider myself a “blawger”. I (rarely) post about specifics from class or school or community functions, and I even more rarely post about other people in my life (and when I do so I almost always try to do so positively). I just don’t like being part of the Google machine with my full name. So I blog under a pseudonym and have no intention of changing that (until when or if I stop blogging altogether). Especially since I did the opposite transition, moving from a “public” blog to a pseudo-anonymous one for privacy and safety reasons.
Knowing my name would make no difference in whether people like the pictures of baby bunnies or Bachelorette reviews I post, at least I don’t think so
I love that you’re posting about this, though – you’ve done so very thoughtfully! I’m glad our blogs found each other
Chère said,
July 10, 2009 at 12:17 pm
PS – this is the most important part of anything I’ve had to say – how did you do that poll in your post?!
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 12:30 pm
“My law school friends know that I blog. And nobody cares.” – My undergrad friends know that I blog, and I venture that nobody cares. My best friends check up every now and again, but I don’t think anyone is waiting with bated breath to see what I’m going to post next. I don’t like the Google machine either. As useful as google is – I venture I would not have made it through certain periods of undergrad without it – I want to have the option to be a part of it.
“…you’ve done so very thoughtfully!” – That is among my favorite of all compliments to receive, so thank you very much. My hopes it that one day people can talk about me and say, “You know, I don’t agree with everything she says, but I respect that she thought it through.”
I’m glad our blogs found each other too.
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Last night when I was feeling adventurous, I clicked on the “polls” part of the toolbar [it's at the very bottom], and went about making a little poll. It’s pretty simple. It doesn’t explain, however, that you have to copy/paste the html code into your post for the poll to appear. I just guessed that and happened to be right. You can copy/paste the Poll Daddy code and that should do the trick.
Dan Hull said,
July 10, 2009 at 11:53 am
All good points. I moved around the country, too. As you get older (and I am older than you guys), you have fewer and fewer virtual”sandboxes”. Anonymity is fun and often appropriate–but not a very good “default position” for the rest of your life.
Use it sparingly–so it will in fact have value for people who really need and deserve it for safety and protection: rape victims, some single mothers, reformed prostitutes and drug addicts who don’t need their employers to know, Chinese dissidents, Cuban and Iranian bloggers….you get the idea.
Everyone else: get a life and use your real name. And it’s just a fact that anonymity is viewed as Real Wimpy and a bit Sad. It does not command respect.
The Internet needs to change–and grow up a bit.
(But don’t tell me who you are–not important!)
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I must admit, this is the first real discussion that has been sparked by anything posted on my blog and I am quite a happy camper.
“The Internet needs to change – and grow up a bit.” I agree; sadly, this is part of why I have my pseudo-anonymity stance. In short, I do not trust the Google Monster to not make available any and all information it finds about me or my family. The street-view pictures of homes are just the beginning.
My father is also in a precarious position due to his job and I have to consider his safety as well as my own. Bad guys – and I’m talking the real ones, not your average creeper without a life – do not just come after you, they seek out your family. He made this point very clear the last time he was visiting, and that is another reason I have chosen not to blog under my full given name.
For me, the issue is, primarily, a matter of safety.
I don’t write about my classmates [and have not in the past, if you care to check out the undergrad portion of my little blog] nor do I write about my professors. I don’t appreciate being the focus of gossip so I don’t propagate it either. As of yet, nothing I have written is something I would be ashamed for others to see. And if anyone cares to disagree with what I say, I encourage them to, because again – this is the kind of discussion I learn the most from.
Once upon a time [okay, so around February] Fresh Thought Soup received 1 or 2 views a day, if it was a good day. At that time, I had written about a lot of things – including the demise of my last serious relationship – without much worry it would be seen. When I decided to take this blog up a notch, I went through and cleaned out my old posts. The majority of what I wrote was made private, and entires I’ve posted for my own benefit since then have remained private. The cleaning-out happened because I finally made the leap and posted a link to my blog on facebook, where my classmates as well as a professor or two could see it. I think my self-filter is working pretty well so far.
At this point, I don’t intend for this to become a professional blog of any sort – which would of course merit openness and a real name – but as stated, I’m straddling the fence and working my way through my little project.
The internet needs to change and grow up a bit. I’m sure the next logical step is that change begins with us. I know this was advocated on the original post-inspiring post. But for my safety considerations, I’d make the leap. Right now, I’m still pondering.
Dan Hull said,
July 10, 2009 at 1:43 pm
“At this point, I don’t intend for this to become a professional blog of any sort – which would of course merit openness and a real name – but as stated, I’m straddling the fence and working my way through my little project.”
But you are a “journalist” and your blog is subject to “professional” standards .
Wow. That (above) really bothers me. It should bother you, too.
Don’t you think that if you blog–no matter how you do it–you have serious responsibilities? Do you think it’s fair to have it both ways? Again, you ARE a journalist. Right now. Why do you give yourself a pass on quality and seriousness? No one else can do that. Why you?
For example, if you “defame” someone, they can sue you. Right? Hey, you are in the big time here. If you blog, you ARE a journalsit–and you have responsibilities: legal, moral, human, you-name-it. And anonymity arguably requires even MORE responsibility.
My own blog is not intended to make $–and it never has. But, like yours, it is about Ideas–as well as about Events and People. And because it is about Ideas, we are even MORE careful about what we say–and we are open and non-anonymous.
We have a responsibility to all readers to be accurate, excellent–and “get it right”.
Guess what? So do you. You are subject to the exact same tough standard.
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Wow. While your ideas deserve consideration, Mr. Hull, I do not appreciate your accusatory tone. I am not giving myself a pass on quality and seriousness. I have tried to make it clear that I treat my blog and my readers with respect and care. And, frankly, the likelihood of anyone being defamed here is very, very, slim. I may be a journalist, in your opinion, but I am a student and a family member first, and I am still faced with the safety considerations expressed earlier. I recognize that I have a responsibility to my readers and I do my best to meet the standards you, myself, and others have set forth.
It is clear that you are passionate about your stance, and I respect that. It is also clear that this is a debate that cannot be won and I do not wish enter into a never-ending argument. I feel that each of us has made our opinions very clear. In an effort to close this topic and be able to move on, I am offering this:
I recognize that I invited your commentary and opinion by linking to your original post. If you prefer, I will remove the link to your post and/or my related posts and comments. I feel I owe you that choice.
I thank you for your input and will continue to hold my writing to a respectable standard and file posts under the “nonsense” category as appropriate. Not one to burn bridges, I want you to know that I respect the work that you do and appreciate the time you have taken to weigh in on my posts. My hope and goal is that as an attorney and as a student I will remember to put my clients first and remember that the legal professions is, in fact, a service oriented business.
If you do not feel that my weblog, as it stands, is of any merit because I have not disclosed my identity, I respect your opinion and recognize that it is shared by others. I apologize that at this time I do not feel comfortable using my full name. Thanks again for making me think a bit harder about this topic.
Dan Hull said,
July 10, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Maybe toughen up a bit? You’re a law student? Hey, get used to it. And you could hardly know my tone. I am using very easy to understand words that are getting my point across. The fact you don’t like what I said is not important in the scheme of things.
My point: in the long term, you (and I) don’t get to have double standards (in your case, on both quality and anonymity) without very very compelling reasons. You do have double standards. Two of them.
No one said to take down your blog or unmask yourself. It was only suggested that your “blogging philosophy” doesn’t work. In the long term the anonymity-plus-I’m- just- messing-about line is very unfair to responsible bloggers and commenters.
Look, your blog is not closed; anyone can come to it. If you want to be anonymous, and have a “sort-of” site, you should stick to e-mail with people you know. Again, you don’t get to be special just because you are uncomfortable about standing up, identifying yourself, being a real person and having a quality blog.
Eventually–not today–you must choose. You are young. People will wait.
But “safety” considerations? Really? I could say that, too. I have a family. And much to protect. Friends I care about. Several enemies, too. But that’s true of just about everyone. Anyone could say that was the case: “safety”.
Very few of us have a valid reason to hide if we have public sites and blogs. That’s the freight we pay for the “right” to have to have public sites. We are not entitled to be be nameless, or third-rate.
Look, I make mistakes every day. I change my mind frequently. You can, too.
Time to re-think things, maybe?
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Funny enough, after submitting my last comment, I went to run an errand and I thought to myself,
“You know, this is the kind of thing I try to avoid. But, I’m going to be going to law school, so I may as well get used to it. I can’t avoid debates or stay shut off from things. That would be silly. Hmm. Time to start sucking it up, I guess. Life’s tough, get a helmet.”
So I agree, I need to toughen up a bit, get used to it, suck it up, etc. And I know that no one said to take down my blog post or unmask myself; I just wasn’t sure whether that was something you would prefer, given that I’m going to close this discussion and move on, since I did comment on your material and your blog to begin with. I didn’t know if, given my anonymity, that you would prefer I don’t link to your site. Because of that, I wanted to give you the option. So apologies if that was misunderstood. I was trying to be polite.
I’ll continue to operate as a real person and aim toward having a quality blog. And, it may seem silly, but yes, I worry about safety. I had a disconcerting episode a few years back and I know of other female bloggers who have had difficult run ins themselves. To that, one might respond that I shouldn’t have a public weblog to begin with if I’m that concerned about it. That would be a valid objection. Obviously revealing my identity is not certain to be a life-or-death matter, but I’m still at the point where I want to take a bit of caution. Call it youthful naiveté. When I’m older and more experienced, I’ll probably feel differently. That’s how most things go, I suppose.
I agree that we are not entitled to be third-rate. Hopefully, as the years progress, this will be far from a third-rate site. Or, maybe it won’t be. We’ll see.
“Eventually–not today–you must choose. You are young. People will wait…Time to re-think things, maybe?”
I agree that I’ll have to choose. The path I’m on serves for now, and if it flat out doesn’t work, or if it seems like a mistake, I will most certainly cange my mind. It was once said that, “Only fools and dead men don’t change their minds. Fools won’t, and dead man can’t.” I’ve also been considering that the further along I get in school and my career [once I have one, and hopefully I'll have one] anonymity will be more and more out of reach. My name will be on the site of my employer, probably somewhere on my school’s website, and will certainly end up somewhere if I end up with a much coveted clerkship. I’ve wondered if I should just go ahead and throw my name out there now and get it over with. I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m not seriously thinking about this. I am.
I’ll continue to think about this in the future, and if I decide that it is time to stand up and identify myself, I’ll surely write another post and mention you as one of the catalysts for that change. Thanks again.
Dan Hull said,
July 10, 2009 at 6:34 pm
All valid points, you make.
BTW, you don’t need to mention me ever again. Been a pleasure–and I have been mainly on vacation last three days anyway–as much as any lawyer can ever be 100% on holiday.
Just keep thinking and stretch yourself. Just grow. Your pace, and your way.
Good luck with law school.
Once there, do keep your perspective. I attended undergraduate college at a very challenging but wonderful place called Duke University where I studied history, English, the great books, philosophy and the ancients. Going back home and attending law school–which is quite regimented–was quite a shock. Stay loose, and easy does it.
Elle Finch said,
July 10, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Thanks a lot Mr. Hull. I’ll remember your words and I’ll certainly do my best to keep my perspective in law school. I hear it’s easy to lose at that place. “Stay loose, and easy does it.” Words to live by. Cheers.
On anonymity. « i don't wear skinny jeans said,
July 12, 2009 at 10:49 pm
[...] at the University of Texas – wrestles with the pros and cons of anonymous blawging here and here, before deciding to do away with the masquerade here. Jansen, a 2L at the University of [...]