By Jason Menard
It’s easy to see the world in terms of black and white. Filtered through the prism of personal interest, right and wrong can be very clear. But step back and look across the entire spectrum and what seems clear is often muddled by shades of grey.
Ideally, everyone would put their name to what they write or say, on-line and off. But we don’t live in an ideal world.
By Jason Menard
What’s the best way to make sure you’re always ‘right’? For many, it’s using a 3D approach to on-line interaction. Unfortunately, using this approach causes you to miss out on a few other Ds — such as debate and discussion that can lead to positive development of ideas.
So what are these three Ds? You’ve likely seen them or experienced them anywhere there’s an on-line discussion, whether it be Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, or even newspaper comments sections. They are, in order:
Deride
Deflect
Dismiss
And here’s how they work. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
To paraphrase the sage Uncle Ben, with great blogging comes great responsibility — and, for me, that responsibility is first and foremost to allow reader comments.
However, I believe there is a caveat: allowing reader comments does not equal allowing ALL reader comments.
I believe that if you’re going to publish a blog in a public forum — sharing your thoughts, opinions, and ideas with the world — then you have a moral obligation to allow readers to reply. To not do so, in my opinion, betrays a touch of arrogance combined with a heaping helping of missed opportunity. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
The more time you spend on Twitter, the more you realize that it’s nothing more than a glorified schoolyard – in both the best and worst sense of that term!
The value you get out if it is directly related to the choices you make: will you play Follow the Leader or be King of the Castle; are you going to isolate yourself, follow the whims of the so-called cool crowd; or invite everyone to play along?
Unfortunately, no matter how you choose to approach the Twitter schoolyard, other childish antics abound that can undermine the experience. From bullying to sticking one’s fingers in your ears, there are behaviours that compromise its value – and limit one’s opportunity to learn and grow. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
Internet anonymity is normally a wonderful thing: it allows whistle blowers to expose corporate evils and it enables people to share their true feelings without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, that anonymity also affords cowards a set of cojones they wouldn’t otherwise have.
On the Internet that anonymity also seems to exponentially amplify the cruelty and insensitivity that people have. It’s not a new phenomenon, but recent on-line comments and having a nine-year-old daughter have combined to make me more aware of the impact of this behaviour. Continue reading
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 