Anonymous
Most of you reading have blogs. Many of you blog under your own name. Or have people you know read your blog. And even those who blog completely anonymously – I’ve heard some of you express reserve over posting about certain things. We all have secrets. We all have taboos in the world of blogging. And I’m quite sure there’s a piece of us that wants to put it all out there.
I’m no exception. It’s not that I have a secret, per se, but there are definitely things I don’t write about on my blog. Work. Intimate details between Sweets and me. Situations in life where people may not want to be exposed on my blog. And so I don’t. Not here. Because it affects people in my life. And they didn’t ask for me to have this here blog. And I don’t want to expose them. Not yet. Not this way. But yet, I want to express myself. And find myself battling that fine line of censorship and other people’s rights.
And so, the thought occurred to me. What if we were to have an anonymous blog swap? Actually, Ben inadvertently led me to this idea. A little while ago, he asked his readers to post on their own blogs about their worst drinking/hangover incident. One blogger expressed concern over posting on her own blog, so Ben suggested she have another blogger host for her. Anonymously.
And then it hit me. An anonymous blog swap. We each write about something secret, something we’d never post on our own blogs. Could be about work. Family. People we hate. Falling in love at the wrong time or with the wrong person. Whatever it is that suits you. In this particular post, we do not make mention of who we are or where to find our own blogs. We just write. And then our blogger-host posts for us. Anonymously.
In order for something like this to work, I see two things needing to happen …
1) TRUST. You have to trust me. As organizer, I will know you’re participating and will know who is your blog host. You have to trust that I will not reveal your secret or your identity. You have trust I am merely an organizer and have no ulterior motives. You have to trust I will not judge you or think differently of you. Personally, I like to think I am trustworthy and that by giving you my word, you will trust me. But, you have to believe in it yourself.
2) NUMBERS. We have to have numbers in order for this to work. If only two of us are participating, it makes it much easier to link an anonymous blog back to its actual owner than if 50 people are participating. I’m not sure what that minimum number must be in order to make it statistically safe, but I would think no fewer than 5 bloggers must participate (maybe more).
So, what do you think? What are the upsides and downsides to running an activity like this? Is it all just a bunch of nonsense, allowing people to behave badly on someone else’s blog or is there real merit to doing something like this? And if so, it seems the project deserves a name – what should it be?
October 31st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
-R- over at And You Know What Else did something like this back in July -- she calls it Blogshare.
(Just a suggestion:) you might want to email her and ask her the what/how.
I say go for it, and sign me up :)
October 31st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
mm, MIGHT be helpful if I give you the actual link to her blog eh?
http://andyouknow.wordpress.com/
October 31st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I’m in.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
There is a blog called ‘Her bad mother’ that I just found recently. (http://badladies.blogspot.com/) She has an alternative blog that she calls “The Basement” wherein people simply email posts to her and she puts them on that blog rather than having to organize a bunch of things. Seems easier, and there seems to be less trust involved. I could email you from one of my many different accounts and you would never know it was me!
Since you didn’t ask at all what I would like to see you spend your fantastic organizational skills on instead, I am going to tell you anyway. A blog hop, if you will. A month where we all get together and agree to visit one another’s blogs at least once. We could all have an assigned day to host everyone and write something fantastic, and in turn go to everyone else’s page on their ‘host’ day.
I go from page to page like crazy looking for new blogs and I know I am missing good stuff. I’ve seen Ben around a million times but never once made it by his blog to see what he’s about. We are missing one another, and I would love to see who is out there on the other side of the circle!
/blog hijack
October 31st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I am intrigued! That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m in, but I’ll consider it…
My #1 fear is that someone will still be able to figure out it’s me, by my style or the details of the event or whatever.
But I’m paranoid like that. ;)
October 31st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I’m paranoid that someone will see it’s me but I’m in…I trust you…
October 31st, 2008 at 1:34 pm
While I’ve got nothing that I feel a pressing need to write about, I’m intrigued. I’ll do it.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I would do it, let me know the details. It sounds like a good way to get things off yoru chest and get connected to other cool blogs out there.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:22 pm
This is a great idea!!! I love it!
Though I have to admit that at present, I think I finally gave up the ghost a week or so ago with anything big I hadn’t been wanting to write because of who reads my blog. I’ll have to think on it.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I’ll do it.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Love this idea! I’m in!
October 31st, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I’m in! I’m in!
We could call it PostSec-…….okay maybe not. My brain isn’t functioning right now but I trust you to think of something. And I like the idea of hosting it on everyone’s blogs rather than in one spot where the content goes dead afterwards. Yay!
October 31st, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I’d be in!
October 31st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
sounds really intriguing to me. i think im interested…
October 31st, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I already have my topic :)
October 31st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I’m not sure if you somehow read my mind, but I was thinking about this too. I’d definitely do it! Count me in.
I would say you would need about 8-10 people at least.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Email -R-. It’s called blogshare. We’ve done it a few times, but it’s lots of work to undertake.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
i’m so in for this. i have a lot i would like to get off my chest.
i’m going to have to change the way i type for it to be REALLY anon.
i.e. i think im going to have to capitalize -- haha
October 31st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Hi, I’ve been reading but hiding! So sorry! I’m out now!
I think this is an awesome idea. There are so many times that I want to write about something but can’t, and it is so frustrating!! Great, GREAT idea!
October 31st, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I’m into it and want to participate but I do worry about how the posting would actually work. I don’t want to give my password to someone. Is the idea that you, Nilsa, would be the conduit for all this? I trust you!
October 31st, 2008 at 6:29 pm
This is a great idea. I’m pretty sure I’d be up for participating -- I just have to figure out which secret to divulge. :)
October 31st, 2008 at 6:56 pm
This is a great idea. I’m in!
Also, thanks for the comment you left on Cleveland’s A Plum :)
P.S. I did delegate a lot of the 20SB planning. Woo hoo!
October 31st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I would do it… maybe have people email you if they want to do it so that no one has a clue who’s participating and who is not.
I have a couple stories in mind already.
October 31st, 2008 at 8:19 pm
I would participate in this, for sure! It’s a great idea.
As for names, off the top of my head I can’t think of anything special. Project X? Nah… that’s so cliche…
October 31st, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I’m totally in. My mom reads my blog!
October 31st, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I would absolutely do this. If you took the submissions, then emailed them out for people to post… that would be cool.
October 31st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I would totally do this! Great idea.
October 31st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Definitely in!
November 1st, 2008 at 4:00 am
The way -R- works it is she takes a list of who’s participating, decides (somehow?) who gets who, and then e-mails you to say who you’re going to be hosting/who’s hosting you, and provides you with their email address. On the designated day, you just email your submission directly to whos hosting you and they post it before X time that day. And you do the same on your end.
Does that seem simple or complicated? I can’t decide.
November 1st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I like this idea. But I do have problems with the trust thing. I am afraid my secrets are worth being judged.
I wonder if people would be able to figure someone out by their writing style. Hmm.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I like it, count me in.
Regarding names, what about:
Illuminating the dark side, or
Dusting out the closet, or
Secret venting
…
I’ll come back if I think of more : )
November 1st, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I’m so in. SO in.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:08 am
I”m in!
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:11 pm
IN. this could be fun:)
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:29 am
I’m in.
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:47 am
I’m intrigued -- consider me in :-)!
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I’m in!
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Totally in, just let me know the deets :)
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I’m interested.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Definitely in!
November 5th, 2008 at 3:42 am
It’s kind of like Postsecret.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Keep me updated on the deets, my dear.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
count me in :)