However, none of that will be happening today since I awoke this morning to a message from a personal friend on my personal Facebook about how I was the subject of a blog post from a pretty well-known blogger.
And it wasn't praises that were being sung.
I (apparently), according to the post, made someone mad with my opinion on a Facebook status that I responded to on or around November 17. I was responding passionately to something that I disagreed with.
I am going to be professional and respectable and not say any names or anything that could point fingers to specific individuals. I realize that I (and some of my personal friends and family) weren't given that privilege of having our privacy protected, but I wasn't raised to blast people out on social media, blogs, etc. (I'm from the South, we just say, "Oh bless their little heart..." and move on.)
Basically, I commented on a Facebook status and let my opinion be known on a specific issue surrounding children's homemade Christmas ornaments. Sometime between the time I posted my comment/response and the next morning, my comment was deleted. I wasn't surprised. I did, however, share the Facebook status on my personal Facebook page that morning because I wanted to see what others would say about it.
And then I forgot about it.
Well, on Wednesday, November 27, that shared status from my personal Facebook page was posted on a blogger's blog. They did not cover my name or picture NOR did they cover up any of my friends and family's profile pics or full legal names. The blogger then proceeded to berate me for my opinion that they opened themselves up to when they posted a status about it on their Facebook page.
I was not the only one that had a differing opinion on the original status. Several people weighed in. Several people agreed with my comment by "liking" it. There were some who agreed with what the post was about, too! I didn't say anything to them. I directed my comment to the writer. I thought I was respectable. I thought I made myself clear. I don't believe I threatened their parenting skills in any way.
I hit a nerve and now my name is being circulated throughout the internet. The post, at the
time of this writing, has been shared 532 times on Facebook alone. Wow. At least 532 people have seen my face and are all forming opinions of me and my friends and family. They are all judging me and my friends and family by one post. One.
The comments on the blog post are very hard to read. I keep reading the word judgmental and, at first, I was angry. Oh I was so angry! I am not a judgmental person! And then, after several conversations this morning with friends and family, their words started to sink in....
They are judging me by one post.
And that realization calmed me and helped me write these words.
I knew when I started blogging, that this day would come. I honestly thought it would be in my comments and a reader would be telling me how judgmental I was, but it happened in another realm of social media and it was taken to someone else's blog. Okay, so be it. I can't take it back. I meant what I said and I mean what I say today.
This is me not giving someone the satisfaction or the publicity that they, apparently, so desperately need. I am a nobody in the blogging world and in the general world itself. I am not a celebrity. I don't know what this blogger thought they would get out of it, but if they needed to do that to make themselves feel better (which is what I am starting to think) well, then, so be it.
I'll be your damn martyr for today.
Today.
Tomorrow, you can kiss my ass.
I am soo sorry that happened to you! It's a shame that we, as bloggers, sometimes beat each other down instead of lifting each other up. I don't know what or who you're talking about, but I do know that we are all entitled to our opinion. It's called freedom of speech and it's what this country is based on!
ReplyDeleteThank you TaMara for your kind words! I didn't want to name any names or point fingers because that's not what I am about. I really just wanted to get this off my chest today and also alert others in the blogging community that this can happen to you, too! I was completely blindsided by this. I don't even know if this other blogger knows I'm a blogger, too. Regardless, it's hurtful and wrong. I have done a lot of damage control today, including trying to figure out how I got about getting the screen shot removed from the blog post. They not only infringed on my rights, but my friends and family's rights, too!
DeleteI would never embed a Facebook post that uses a person's first and last name. That definitely crosses a line.
ReplyDeleteI think it does too, Krystal, but we have been told that we should not have "behaved badly" and posted things we didn't want public. I can't say too much more, but this is still not setting well with me and action is being taken.
DeleteI agree with TaMara. I don't understand why people are not tolerant of someone's opinion?
ReplyDeleteI think they felt threatened, Joanne. That was certainly not mine, or any of my friends and family's, intent. We were simply stating our opinion. I would never screen shot someone's Facebook post for the intent of ridicule, malice, berating, humor, etc. That's not morally right. At all.
DeleteI am so sorry you, your family, and your friends had to be subject to this. It's very unprofessional of this other blogger to have done this. Quite honestly, it pisses me off but I love your attitude.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Missy! I'm still angry, but I have to take the high road on this one. As badly as I wanted to warn you all about this blogger, I can't do it. I'm just not wired that way. I believe that Karma exists and I put my faith in that. Eventually, true colors will be shown.
DeleteYou do have an amazing attitude about this. They did cross a major line by posting your full name/friends/family--so not okay. It's probably good that you aren't sharing who did this because they would very quickly get a piece of my mind on this one!!!! (Thank you for saving me from providing them with ammunition!)
ReplyDeleteOther than contacting the blogger directly, I'm not sure how you would get the screen shot removed, but if I think of anything I'll let you know.
I know that we all open ourselves up to this type of thing by being active on the internet, but it's still not right. I'm so sorry that it happened...and around the holidays! Some people have no conscience!
The blogger has been contacted directly from myself and several persons involved in the screen shot. We have not heard anything via email from the blogger, but they have responded to some comments that were left by those of us involved on the blog post. Basically, their stance is that we should not have "behaved badly" and posted things on a social media site that we did not want made public. I have a hard time swallowing that logic.
DeleteSara, this is one type of bullying. It doesn't just happen in schools, but in real, adult life too. Some people have a need to push people around and get a feeling of empowerment from it. They, themselves, are the ones lacking in confidence and are unsure of their own opinions. They feel stronger by putting others down and sometimes gain support by doing so. In school, we teach kids to tell the bully to stop, then tell an adult about it. In your case, you've done what you can online. Maybe it's just best at this point to be the bigger/better person and ignore it. It will die down and extinguish itself. Being the subject of someone's conversation in this light isn't comfortable...I've been there. It eats away at your soul. Don't let this person have that kind of power over you! Involve yourself in your family, the holidays and simply enjoy what brings you happiness! Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kathy! I have been able to spend all day with my family and not even think about the situation today and it really helped. The past couple of days have been really tough on me. I haven't slept well and I have had a terrible headache. Today though, today was much better. I am hoping that this just fades away into the background. It still hurts and I won't ever forget it, but I have to use this as a learning experience, too. I have learned lessons and I will be making some changes to my online presence. I have been made fully aware of just how cruel people can be online and it just struck me very hard. It's been a very rough pill to swallow.
DeleteThank you so much, again, for your kind words. They mean so much!
Good for you, Sara, for getting back on life's track, stepping over this crack in the road and doing what's important to you!
DeleteWe still want to hear about your first turkey, Lynzi's time with Uncle Bobby and the Turkey Day outfit! Next post, maybe?