Why I don't use complete names in the blog

Sept 26/13

I had a message asking me why I never use full first names for anyone I mention in my blog and I thought I'd share my views on that point.

Unless I specifically have the person's permission I'll never use his/her first name but rather their initial as we all deserve to maintain our privacy and anonymity, at least as much as possible in today's wired world.

The only exception I've ever made was in my blog about Laura and how she literally helped save my sanity during a very dark period of my life. Why do I make an exception for her? It is my hope that someday she reads that particular entry and realizes just how grateful I am for her wonderful act of kindness.

I had my full name mentioned in a blog many years that was very unflattering and it literally cost me a few career opportunities. The blog was a rehash of something someone said about me that was completely false and unfounded and it took me quite some time to track down the person who created the blog and discuss it with them, to his credit he instantly removed the entry once he realized the damage he had done to someone he'd never met.  It was that singular entry that made me understand the power that a single entry can have over someones life and the tremendous obligation a blogger undertakes when writing about another person.

In this day and age it is very easy to sit back behind your laptop and spew out any and every thought that crosses one's mind without worrying about the consequences of those words, easy to not care that something trivial or even possibly humorous to you might be hurtful or offensive to another.

Way too many people hide behind the freedom of expression stance without thinking about the freedom a person should enjoy from being cyber bullied through the callous use of words and names.

So that is the reason I use initials when talking about people, it offers a form of protection.

Add the fact that I'm on a dating site or two and my pictures are sometimes public on said sites, mom's I know from the various teams my kids have or do play on also populate those sites, makes me a careful person as I try and be as honest about things as I can and there are some postings I'd rather not have my kids come across or be directed to by some person with an agenda.

At some point my kids will learn what dad has been up to but lets keep it our little secret for as long as we can ok......................