How to be “famous” (wink wink, nudge nudge)

Karen Schneider has an insightful post up at FRL:

http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/01/06/how-to-be-famous-wink-wink-nudge-nudge/

There are some gems:

EveDon’t let ambition turn you into Eve Harrington. Remember All About Eve, where an ingenue claimed to be Margo Channing’s biggest, bestest fan, then walked all over her? Let your friendships be sincere, and don’t use people or filch their ideas and then “forget” to acknowledge them.

On the flip side, some people will latch on to you for no other reason than you’re well-known and you’re useful to them. Don’t worry, they’ll disappear when your star fades.

Some stuff needs to stay unsaid. When you’re highly visible, a little self-awareness and discretion go a long way. So-and-so at Your Place Of Work may be a creep or a jerk, or your boss may have done you seriously wrong, but ask yourself if you’d want to read tell-all blog posts where these people listed their takes on your shortcomings. (This reminds me of a time when my sister and I fumed to an older friend how our mother was making us nutty, and she replied with a grin, “You’re probably doing the same to her.” Oh.)mSimilarly, you may be in the throes of a personal or professional meltdown and feel the need to share the details with several million of your closest colleagues, but consider carefully how much of your life you want to share in perpetuity — as in, like, forever.

When I teach blogging in my classes, we talk about keeping perspective and keeping some things unsaid. We also discuss blogging ethics, which Karen has touched on before. I agree with Karen, the web’s memory is long and deep.

Don’t miss the whole post!