Message to Karim.

This is a message for Karim who posted a comment on my site a few days ago:

Hi there,
even though I am a daily net user, I just found enough time to look into this "blog thing". Chose to read yours first because I am a Seinfeld freak.
I am considering writing a blog on my life in Haiti, but I am worried that it may fall into the wrong hands. Have you had that problem? do you share your blog with your friends? I lived in Montreal for 8 years from 1989 to 1996 and I may be coming for the Grand prix this summer. Do you live there or NY? I am not sure.
Thanks for entertaining me.
Regards,
Karim

Dear Karim,
Thanks for reading my blog - I hope that it's Sienfelesque enough for you - and I haven't even begun to talk about my childhood!!
As per your blog, putting stuff down on paper (or in blog format) can be a wonderful thing - it frees the demons of the mind, solidifies experiences, and becomes a written testament of things said and done. Past, present and future. As writers, we put our soul into our words in the hopes of being able to touch others through the way we see the world; our unique view of the world around us. To quote a famous journalist and novelist William Makepeace Thackeray :
"There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write."

In our modern day society, the notion of privacy is a tricky one. Access to anything is limitless and it's almost impossible not to leave a paper trail behind you, wherever you go. The notion of privacy is a non sequitur. Somehow, somewhere, something that you said about someone will come up sometime and bite you in the ass. Now that we have technology fast enough to send emails around the world in spit seconds, that bite in the ass might be sooner than you think. Even in blogging, there is no real notion of 'privacy'. Even if you try to keep your identity a secret, you might be 'found out'; how long depends on how much someone wants to find you and how much of a 'sitting duck' you want to be. But then again, there are so many blogs out there, so much information to sift through, slipping under the radar might just be easier than you think - (I hate to bring it up, but what about those terrorists that hijacked the planes on 9/11? They were known to the government, but they still managed to sit in the cockpit and terrorize a nation.)

Have I had any problems with my blogging?
(Knock on wood) I can't say that I really have. I have met many (and I mean lots) of people who have many 'different' blogs for each of their secret identities/lives. As I said before, writing is a release, and there is something exhibitionistic about writing your stuff, knowing that there will be some stranger in cyberspace reading about your daily routines, your insights, your fears and insecurities. On the flipside, there is also something very voyeuristic about blogging as well - we can read, imagine, immerse ourselves into the lives of strangers - a mother, a CEO's, the heroin addict detoxifying, the man cheating on his wife, all within the comfort of our own home. No strings attached. Power off. Go to bed. Tomorrow, back to our normal life. I agree, if you have something to really hide to i.e: protect your marriage, that might tip off your parole officer that you have been farting around, dealing drugs, or are about to rob a bank, then spilling your beans on the world wide web might not be for you. But then again...

But then again, Blogging is also about reaching out, trying to connect with others. I have met many wonderful people through blogging: Gama, BlueLeaf, Kenneth, Minega to name only handful, and its great to know that there folks out there who actually get a kick out of reading and thinking about what you have to say. It makes me feel a little less lonely in the world. It's my therapy, my dose of laughter, my inspiration, my wake up call, my entertainment. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than therapy!

But - BUT back to the issue at hand, you said - I am considering writing a blog on my life in Haiti, but I am worried that it may fall into the wrong hands.

Being a Canadian, I can say that we are protected by the laws of free speech. And as far as I know, the U.S supports the same things as well, but there are some things that you have to be careful of, such as what you want to blog about. That my dear Karim, is a tough call.
There are links for journalists which have various resources and other links to things you might want to look into. The one place that I think you might be able to tell you if 'blogging about politically volatile places' would be The Canadian Association of Journalists. I am not sure if you have to be a member to get into the site, but it would definitely be a good place to start. From there, I am sure they could put you in touch with other 'journalists' in the field who would be able to answer your question in terms of the possible political and personal ramifications your blog (depending on how revealing you want it to be) might come up against. Another good site to start with is http://www.journalismjobs.com/. I don't want to give you any information that I would not have check out first - and your idea for a blog is a courageous one and your voice needs to be heard. Had you been writing about the behind the scenes of "American Idol' I would have said: 'Go for it - Just blog away!" but because the situation in Haiti can be so volatile, I would really check out those sources and get some opinions from people in the know. It's better to be safe than sorry. I am going to write to a friend of mine that works for a branch of the Canadian Government and see what he says.

As for the Grand Prix? Sure! If you head into town, let me know! I'll be there soaking up all the sights and sounds of those racecars!

I hope this helps ;-)

And I'm glad that you are entertained by my loopy rantings.
Thanks