One thing today's discussion in class has brought to mind is the notion of how "Public" is a "Public" post on the web? Yes, it's out there. It's public domain. But really, how easy is it to find the information about the person who wrote under a psudonym? I suppose it depends on teh length of time the person wrote, how careful they were about ever using "real" names, etc. I've been around on the web posting to some "public" forums since 1997. Some of those forums I REALLY would not want an employer to delve into. However, I'm not quaking in my shoes. Why not?
a) too much out there -- there really is a ton of information out there and finding the one small portion I created would be difficult.
b) I was careful about never really attaching it to any name that is readily associated with me.
Frankly, while the information stays around, if you are careful and you use some common sense the notion of everything you put on the web being traced back to you is one you shouldn't worry about.
So why did I put it out there in the first place? At the time, it was one of the only places to go. Little did anyone who used the newsgroups I frequented think the archives would still be around 10 or more years later. *shrug* Unintended consequences of a public "private" sphere of communication. For many of us who posted to the particular groups I belonged to, it was a private little world -- bound together by shared interest -- but of little note to anyone who did not share the interests. We saw the internet as our meeting place and stomping ground and mistakenly thought of our little slice of it as somewhat private and limited to use by those of us who had the technical skill and the money to pay for access. My how things change. But still, if I worry about my identity becoming known or linked to those posts, I think I would just have to crawl in a hole and hope this whole internet thing goes away -- don't want to do that either.
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I have a question. This posting is timestamped 6:25 PM. Weren't we in the classroom then? Am I reading it wrong, or is it on another time zone or something? Maybe I'm just on another zone!
I fixed the timestamp to reflect Central Standard Time.
I think you make some good points, but being careful yourself doesn't necessarily mean that you're in the clear.
After all, digital cameras are ubiquitous, and it's getting harder to even monitor what may be out there with your face/name on it, much less control it. I know people who are not registered on Facebook or Myspace but have pictures of themselves up there (and they're not always flattering).
I don't worry too much about finding old information on me because I trust my sense of integrity. I don't view anything I would put on the internet as private conversation but as a conversation I might have in the hallway of Reavis, for example. In such a situation, I would not express extremist ideas in foul language; I would try to intelligently frame my ideas and sound reasonable. I would not compromise on the ideas I express, but in the manner I express them.
I cannot think of a context in which this could reasonably be faulted.
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