Censorship
I have a problem. My problem is you. This journal currently contains 310 entries, 310 of which are public, and can be read and commented on by anybody, including anonymously. This was fine whilst everybody was either a friend of mine, or a complete stranger; friends only knew other friends, and strangers didn't know anybody. This past year though, the number of people reading has grown a lot whilst my friends list has barely changed. The problem is that these people aren't friends or strangers, they're a new third category - people who know my friends - and sadly some of them are here for the wrong reasons.
People are a part of my life, so I write about people. In doing so, I have a responsibility to be honest and accurate, which I always do my best to be, and to consider the effect that what I say could have on the people in question. For a long time, this hasn't been an issue, but lately (starting about a year ago) it's been feeling more and more restrictive. Initially, a little bit of drama was amusing to me, but over time it's just become tedious. Whilst it's directed at me, the worst it can be is annoying, but when it starts to involve my friends... I should try to prevent it.
For the first time though, I feel that an entry would have to be diluted so much to avoid trouble that it just wouldn't be worth writing, and that's too far. I think I'm about to write my first entry ever that will be either friends-only, or private.
People are a part of my life, so I write about people. In doing so, I have a responsibility to be honest and accurate, which I always do my best to be, and to consider the effect that what I say could have on the people in question. For a long time, this hasn't been an issue, but lately (starting about a year ago) it's been feeling more and more restrictive. Initially, a little bit of drama was amusing to me, but over time it's just become tedious. Whilst it's directed at me, the worst it can be is annoying, but when it starts to involve my friends... I should try to prevent it.
For the first time though, I feel that an entry would have to be diluted so much to avoid trouble that it just wouldn't be worth writing, and that's too far. I think I'm about to write my first entry ever that will be either friends-only, or private.