June 1, 2005 9:37 AM
Blogging etiquette - Part 2 (for everyone)
Last Sunday we spent our weekly family day (24 in all) with everyone 12 and over taking the Briggs-Meyers personality test. It was so much fun! And explained why it's always so noisy around here -- almost everyone is an extrovert.
We had two computers going and lots of running back and forth to read each other's results. It led to some lively discussion about how differently we respond to confrontation and conflict.
But I've been watching this for 35 years. And while at first I didn't understand, now - thanks to my 12 wonderful and highly individual children - I do.
For some people, confrontation is just a part of life - not scary or something to be avoided. You see something you think is wrong, you point it out, you deal with the consequences of pointing it out, you move on. This is how change occurs.
But I've learned from my kids that some people not only do not like to confront things themselves, they feel threatened just witnessing a confrontation. They get mad at the person who sparked it. They want to put a stop to it. Now.
In a lot of ways the blogging world is like a family. There are bloggers who like to confront big issues - that's why they blog! They will undoubtedly encounter some confrontation from those with other opinions. That's okay. It's part of the process. Readers who feel the need to stifle that process need to recognize that though the blogosphere is in some ways like a family, in some ways it is not. It's a public forum for ideas and information - vying for the same respect as other media.
A public person is going to make public mistakes, which need to be acknowledged publicly. And I'm not talking about getting facts and dates wrong, but lapses of judgment and character. Last month I had a pretty humbling one on my own blog. And even R. C. Sproul, Jr. recently apologized on his own (May 9).
But one thing the non-confrontational types need to know is this: Serious bloggers can take the heat - they don't need anyone's protection.
Posted in Blogging | Permalink
