I Just Don't Get It

I have only been blogging for 2 1/2 years, and I do not claim to know all there is to know about blogging.  Nor am I one of the lucky few that have one of the most profound, humorous, honest and amazing blogs of our generation.......sorry I digress.  I write what I write about and I feel that I contribute a passionate perspective, or at least a humorous view of my life and my views of the world.  That being said, there are a number of things in the blogosphere that make me scratch my head from time to time and say hmmmm.  I honestly question certain aspects about blogging more often then I would like to admit. 

The definition of a blog, or a web log is this:

A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website. usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog....ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

Here is my problem with some of the blogs or writers of blogs and the relationship with the readers.......um, the unknown, the hidden and pretend people write or comment on.  I am a person who likes true stories, I crave honesty and I need closure.  The thought to be, uh dishonest never occurred to me when I started blogging....no really, NEVER!

I am sure you have come across these bloggers, they do have identities but refuse to show themselves to the masses. Some may have a bit of mystique to them, others are mean and the last are just plain cowardly and gutless I would say.  These bloggers wearing virtual bags over their heads come in many forms I have found, and they all annoy me, though some to a lesser degree.

The first group I don't quite get may just be a personal pet peeve but still I question it  - The Made-Up Name Blogger.  I would like to think they want to protect their children's identities when telling embarrassing stories about them.  I understand bloggers wanting to protect the innocent (children) and protect where the family actually resides, that makes sense.   I just want to know, why must the names of their off-spring always have to be Pee-Pee, Puddles, Poopsy-Doopsy or Chick-a-boom-boom ?  Is it fear of retaliation from frothing-bad-serial blogger killers?  Or is it to try and protect their 2 year old's privacy (which has really been totally shot out door when you tell embarrassing stories about them).  I never considered using a fake, or worse pretend name for my son.  My fear was always that he would be in seventh grade and his friends would find my old blog, only to read every awful, humiliating story I wrote about him.....and start calling him what I called him in the blog.......Puddles.  Get where I am going?  If you list your name on the blog (first and last of course) it will be pretty easy to figure out your child's name as the years go by.  Why not use the names Ted and Fred for your sons instead of Beavis and Butthead...which may be funny now, trust me ten years from now, not so much.  Hiding the names does not really protect them, the Internet is forever and the stories or blogs will always be there.

Way worse, or what confuses me waaay more is The Fake Reader.  This is the person that goes to trouble of creating a fake identity, even using a fake email address and possibly a fake blog.  There seems to be a lot of thought going behind this gutless wonder.  Again, it never occurred to me to make up an identity and then comment on blogs with this um "pretend" name attached to it. Recently I received a comment on one of my posts that disagreed with my view.  Now, don't think me that pig-headed or narcissistic to be angry with this person, I just disagreed with their comment.  I like to always acknowledge my commenter's, or try to, unless there are too many to answer.  I try to send a thank you email, or an um "I still disagree with you, but thanks for the comment" email.  However, this last time, the email was fake, the name was fake - the person does not exist.  Really?  You can't disagree with a blog and show your face?  Wow!

The worst culprits are the readers who leave comments from Anonymous.  Why would someone not want their name published, right?  Why not want to track what inspiring, wonderful, heartfelt and insightful things this wonderful reader said? The reason is they never say anything nice.  I mean they always say the cruelest, meanest and hurtful things about you, your blog or worse yet your family.  As soon as I see Anonymous left a comment on your blog I know it is going to be bad, really, really bad.  Show yourself already, I am out there, bearing it all - if you disagree, so be it - just don't pretend to not own it.  And if you must say something so awful and so bad that you can't even leave a name.....maybe you should NOT say it. 

As of December 2007, the blog search engine Technorati tracked over 112 million blogs, I wonder how many of them are real blogs and have real readers.  If blogging is supposed to be a personal relationship with the writer and their readers, why do we sit back and let people hurt us that refuse to show themselves?  When one (or both) are using fake alias or fake names doesn't that cheapen the relationship?  Ewwww, sounds so torrid and dirty to me!  I would rather read about REAL people and even get bad comments from REAL people - I like comments good and bad (no really I do love me some comments!).  So, next time Mister or Missus Anonymous comments on my blog with some nasty (you know it will be nasty) comment on my blog, I won't cry, I won't fume, I WON'T retaliate or respond.......I will just delete it. 

Originally posted on SV Moms and you can also read about Jamie and her REAL business and her REAL family at JPD Mom.