Mike posted this as a comment on my previous blog post:

You’re posting on a PUBLIC blog on a very PUBLIC internet about the people places and events that are PUBLIC to you and you’re surprised that someone posted information PUBLICLY about YOU?

OK, bit by bit:

You’re posting on a PUBLIC blog on a very PUBLIC internet about the people places and events that are PUBLIC to you

I have mentioned people like Sheila Malcolmson, who is obviously a very public person. She puts her name and her photo on her website, submits things to newspapers, and so forth. People who hold public office usually do want to be known by the public. I’ve mentioned musicians like The Kerplunks and Victor Anthony, who have websites featuring information about their lives and photos of themselves. The Gabriola people I’ve mentioned by name have chosen to be public people, or have agreed that I can mention them here. I can’t think of a single exception.

If I want to mention somebody on my blog and that person isn’t clearly a public person (or perhaps is one of the public people I’ve mentioned above, but engaged in a private activity) I ask first. Hey, do you mind if I mention this on my blog? and so forth. I respect individual preferences about what people want to share on the internet and what they want to keep private. I ask every time. When I wanted to blog about Iain Lawrence’s dog, Misty, I wrote to Iain first to ask if that would be ok.

When I wrote this Gabriola traffic blog entry, I left the driver’s name out of it, even though I know perfectly well who he is.

and you’re surprised that someone posted information PUBLICLY about YOU?

I haven’t posted my name, initials, usernames, email addresses, or phone number on this blog, or anywhere else. Why would anybody take it upon himself to hunt down my name (not posted here or anywhere) and then out me by posting personal details about me? To me this makes no sense whatsoever.

I try pretty hard to respect other people’s privacy choices. Is it too much to ask that people respect my privacy choices, which should be obvious by what I’ve kept off the web?

(Update: I’ve added a privacy page and put a link to it on the navigation bar.)

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