BLOG CENSORSHIP & Tips for Bloggers on How To Protect Your Privacy and Others

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Blogging started as a personal online diary for most people. They can write about almost anything they want, especially for their friends to know what's up with them lately. Now, with millions of readers online, bloggers have to think or worry about who's reading their blogs, what they blog about, and how they affect their readers. Not to mention the copyrights on their unique blog contents/posts.

I started blogging in CubeBlog and it served as my online diary. Although I know it's open to the public, I still felt I had the freedom to write about anything I want because my readers included my brother, my friend at work (Saji) and people I don't personally know. It was a stress-reliever for me and a way to express myself. I still kept it private, though, not letting my other friends read it. But even so, I still was a little bit careful with what I blog about.

With this Just Another Pixel blog, I know that I have reached far wider audience than my old blog site. Now, anyone who sees my Friendster account, drops Entrecards, googles anything that I've written about, or those who know my name and email address can google me and find this blog. This is why I am now more careful with what I write about.

I have read about bloggers who lost their jobs because they posted a photo of them wearing their company's uniform or they wrote about an experience at work. Some lost friendships and their romantic relationships because of their blog posts. So, considering these facts, what are the blogging and privacy boundaries, including etiquette, that we, as bloggers, need to observe?

Bloggers are protected by freedom of speech. But with this freedom, with this right, comes the responsibility to use discretion on all our posts. We have this responsibility that I believe most of the bloggers I've seen are taking seriously.

There are some blogs, though, that were written with the intention to hurt, invade someone else's privacy (entertainment/political blogs) or reveal something really nasty about someone. But most of these bloggers keep their REAL identities private because of fear that they might get sued or hunted for some reason. Yeah, I read about people who got stalked or attacked because of what they posted on their blogs. So, this whole discretion issue is not just about the protection of others' privacy but also ours.

COMPANY PRIVACY
For call center employees/bloggers, this has been a major issue. For all call center companies, there's a clause on their contracts somewhere regarding the company and their clients' privacy. Most call center employees I know seem to ignore or forget this. What do they do?

• They post photos of them inside their office with the clients' logo or banners in the background on Friendster or their social networking pages.
• They post the actual name of the call center account/program that they belong to (e.g., Smart Bro Tech Support, etc.)
• They write about different strategies or incentive programs of their call center company.
• They post blogs about their work experiences, mentioning the names of their supervisors, colleagues or managers. Most of them do this when they're upset with them.

Those are just some of the most common violations that call center employees commit against their company and clients' privacy policies. And I don't understand why most of them ignore it. I guess they think that they can get away with it or they didn't fully understand what was written on their contracts.

PERSONAL BLOGS
For me, as a personal blogger, I am very careful with what I write about. Since my partner Mai is reading my blog, I chose to discuss things with her in person instead of blogging about anything that's bothering me regarding our relationship. But, of course, there are still things that happen to us that I want to write about here but I chose not to because it might result to me hurting her or to an argument.

I'm also careful with what I write about my friends and my family. I don't want them to feel bad about something I blogged about. I even consulted my brother if it's okay with him if I'll include him on my gay blog post (he's a semi-closet queen). As the saying goes, "It's not my secret to tell".

There are still things that I'd like to blog about but I chose not to publish to prevent any damage to anyone's feelings, or ego in some cases. I don't want to ruin my relationships over a blog post. So, whenever I talk about my personal life is when I use a whole lot of discretion. I believe most of the bloggers I've seen do the same.

Another thing that we need to be careful of is posting too personal or too private information on our blogs. I've seen blogs where people blatantly write about their lives or sex experiences. (Well, that's okay if you're anonymous or if that's the whole point of your blog.) I even saw blogs (while Entrecard dropping) where the author posted their address and even mentioned their kids' schools. I'm not sure why those bloggers didn't think twice about posting about their private lives so openly without considering the fact that there are people who will use that information to get to them, to hurt them. There are perverts, or even criminals, roaming around the web, looking for possible victims. So, it is very important to leave out all specific details of your personal lives if you really want to blog about it.

TIPS ON HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY AND OTHERS

I've read and researched on the most common techniques that bloggers all around the globe practice to protect themselves and others. They might not be effective for everyone but I'm just listing them for your information. I also included some tips for bloggers like me.

1. If you really can't help but blog about it, try using codenames. This will protect the privacy of the person or company you're blogging about. Take note, though, of Jessica Cutler's story (see related articles at the bottom of this post). She did use codenames or initials but was still outed by another blogger.

2. Blog about it as if it was someone else's experience. This way, your readers won't really know if it was you who experienced it or really someone else.

Some bloggers might not like this technique because they want to tell the world about their experience. But, I've tried this myself and it's effective. Hmmm... hehehe.

3. Put up a Disclaimer on your blog. This should protect you in most cases.

4. If you need to post photos of yourself and peers inside your office, make sure that there's no logo in the background or anywhere on the photo. If there is, you can edit it and blur that part of the photo without ruining the whole image. I suggest using Photoshop for that.

5. Make sure you read your company's policy regarding privacy. Some of the policies of companies today already included clauses regarding posting about the company on blogs/articles or photos online. Make sure you don't violate them. Don't wait for you to get caught.

6. I think it's okay to post your full complete name online but NEVER post your complete address. Also, if you don't want to be bothered by perverts out there, DO NOT post your mobile or landline phone number, unless you want to meet someone online (textmate hehehe).

This especially applies to parents who blog about their daily life, their kids. DO NOT post where your li'l kid goes to school, especially if you're one of the popular bloggers. I can't stress this enough. And I believe most parents are already very careful about this, especially in the US. I still see some Pinoy bloggers ignoring this security risk today. Tsk tsk.

7. If you really intend to hurt or invade/violate someone else's privacy, then, better stay anonymous. In this crazy world, you'll never know when your online life will hunt you offline.

Take note, though, that some domains, blog and email providers, or web hosting companies can reveal your information to anyone if laws in your or their country or state allow it. Read their Terms of Service/Use or Agreement Policy carefully.

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With the huge number of blogs spawning all over the web, it seems people are less and less concerned or aware of the security and privacy risks that we go through everyday. If we're not careful enough, it might cause us our jobs, our relationships, our lives.

Do you have anything to share regarding blog censorship, privacy and security online? How about tips for bloggers, especially the newbies? Leave me a comment or two, aight?


Related Articles on the Web:
I was fired for blogging
Blogging and the Law
Washington Post's article on Jessica Cutler | Another article on Cutler @ WizBangBlog