Blogging blabbermouths

Today I read a variety of news stories on the Internet and one such story had a variable I have often seen creeping into other news stories of where a bad guy gets found out: The bad guy "told all" in his blog. In this case, the criminal didn't really use his big mouth as a means of eliciting understanding from his readers, nor as a means of seeking atonement. As a matter of fact, he acted smug and confident about the crimes he committed, uninhibitedly revealing just what it was he managed to "pull off."

I have read other news reports of criminals getting caught just because of how they carelessly revealed their crimes in their blogs. Or, at least, hinted to being connected to the crime in some way. (Gee, this could make a great story!)

But there are other instances in which I have seen peoples' blogs bring about other unfortunate results.

Some people have been fired after their bosses discovered unflattering or privileged information being shown to the whole reading public through their blogs.

Some people have incited rumors and other unwelcome publicity as a result of their blogs.

And still others resort to using their blogs as a virtual doorway into their private lives, thereby inviting problems with others. (I know of one instance where someone used their blog as a podium to personally attack someone they were having problems with in real life.)

I have used my blogs for a variety of purposes. I have had to learn, the hard way, that it's best to keep the private stuff...private. I.E., OFF OF A BLOG. Still, some of my blog posts could very well have brought about any one of the above repercussions (except for the fact that I am not a criminal and have not committed a crime). But I also know that mine are blogs that don't necessarily attract a swarm of readers. ;)

Still. One has to think about those people who ended up in hot water because of their blogs. Maybe the criminal's blog was tracked because the FBI had been keeping tabs on him. Maybe the employee had an overbearing, nosy employer. And maybe the person using their blog to "attack" his nemesis WANTED that person to find out and bring on more trouble. All the same, criminals CAN have big egos -- big enough to make them think they can do anything they pretty well please without the worry or fear of getting caught. And maybe some people feel "safe" enough putting into their blogs whatever they FEEL like writing in there.

I think it's better to play it safe. I'm constantly wary of the things I think about writing up in my blogs. I no longer write about daily events or stuff like that. Which is WHY I'm not posting on them as often as before (same reason why I stopped blogging about the homescchooling activities). Sure, I can find things to write about in my blogs. But I'd be a little more cautious about certain things I think about writing up in any one of them -- particularly if the topic at hand is one which could very well cause some kind of rumor or argument to go floating around in my family back home.