Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The whole issue with Kathy Sierra (WARNING: Graphic, NSFW content) had me wondering if that could happen to me. The odds are against it, because this journal kind of flies under the radar. Still, something rather unpleasant happened the other day which has had me rather unsettled. Oh, it could be the sinus infection, but I think not.
I edit at Wikipedia under a pseudonym. I keep my identity hidden for several reasons. The first is safety. I really don't know these people. They're nice folks for the most part, but there are a few bozos in every crowd. The second was that I didn't want to be seen as self-promoting. Wikipedia has a rule (a good one, I think) against self-promotion. I kind of feel that like everyone else I'll gain credibility (or not) through my actions. A lot of people use pseudonyms over there, so it's no big deal. Besides, Wikipedia has (one of my many) e-mail addresses. If they want me, they know where to find me. So it's not as though I'm entirely anonymous.
Someone with whom I've had an editing conflict has attacked my pseudonym on their personal blog. This person has threatened me before and nothing came of it. This current attack is by no means a threat, but I do wonder what would happen if the user started to put pieces together and tracked me down.
Now I've been on the receiving end of personal attacks before. I'm a big girl. I can deal with these things. But I'm not going to subject my readers to it.
If you suddenly find that comments are moderated here, now you know why. I'm all for a free exchange of ideas and I love a spirited disagreement. Hey, I've even been known to change my mind. But I will not let this journal be a medium for personal attacks and I will not let edit wars spill over here.
Just so we're understood.
I've got one more topic to touch on - that is, if I can keep breathing. But for now I need to start dinner. The guys will want something to eat.
Tags:
Life