Day 119. Prying Eyes?

Here’s a dichotomy for you.  Or then again, maybe I’m just imagining it.  Or simply being neurotic.  Paranoid.  Or just plain crazy.  Let me know what you think.  I’ve been blogging for quite a few years now.  And one of the aspects I really enjoy is reading, and responding, to the comments fellow bloggers make.  Comments left on my own posts, and on other blogs I follow.

I love reading all the individual points of view.  The different perspectives.  Often times, conversations go back and forth for a while; and they’re really interesting to follow or, even, participate in (on Facebook as well).  We’re actually developing ‘friendships’, of sorts.

And I am always amazed that so many take the time to read the posts of others; and also share their opinions, offer words of encouragement and even recommend the blogs they enjoy to their followers.  It is a very interesting, interested and generous community we are part of.  And very civil.  At least here on WordPress.

So what’s my problem?

Hey, I never said there was a problem.  Just that I’m wondering if there could be two sides to this coin.  Different sides.  I’ll explain.

Yesterday morning I did what I always do.  I spent a little time catching up on some of the blogs I enjoy.  And, like I always do, I went through the comments.  And all of a sudden, for absolutely no reason whatsoever, I felt guilty.  I felt like I’d been caught in the act of reading someone’s mail.  Rifling through the papers on their desk.  Or worse, through their drawers (I SWEAR I have never, and would NEVER do such a thing!).

It made me feel like a voyeur.  Like I was being nosy.  Like I was sticking my nose into somebody else’s business.  Snooping around.  Eavesdropping. It made me kind of uncomfortable.  So I hit the ‘back’ button and high-tailed it out of there.  Out of WordPress, too.  And went offline.  I even shut down my computer, albeit not for that long.  I’m too addicted.  Can’t stay away.  That’s a whole other problem I should delve into one of these days.  But not today.

Have you ever felt that way?  It is ridiculous, I am sure.  The blogs are specifically set up for people to leave, and read, comments.  And if we (the bloggers) don’t want to publish comments that are made, we don’t have to.  So if we hit ‘approve’, we’re knowingly and willingly making them public.  Plus, commenting on other blogs is a recommended way to build our own audiences, for our own blogs.  So clearly everyone’s okay with it.  It’s also the way I get introduced to blogs I wasn’t aware of.

When I see what some folks have to say, and it’s insightful or funny or clever or what have you, I click through to their blogs.  And usually really enjoy what they have to say, and end up following them.  And so on and so on and so on and so on.

So what’s my problem?

This has never bothered me before.  I wasn’t reading anything that I would consider personal.  All the comments were about the content of the blogs.  Personal opinions and feelings, to be sure.  But they were already out there, for the world to see.  So clearly, nobody was concerned about their privacy.

There was a time I thought that being a private detective might be fun.  I think it may have been when Bruce Willis and the blonde (can’t remember her name) had a TV show about a detective agency. Anyway, it doesn’t look like I’m cut out for that line of work, does it?  It’s a shame, really, because I was always very good at figuring out ‘who done it’.

Guess this means working for the CIA’s out, too.  Maybe that’s the problem.  Maybe between WikiLeaks and Rupert Murdoch and the Petraeus scandal, I’m starting to look over my own shoulder.

Well.  It looks like I’ve managed to work through it, and it’s all good.  Unless you tell me otherwise, I’ll go back to reading comments.  I am curious, though.  Have you ever felt weird reading through all the comments people leave?

Leave me a comment and let me know.