Dealing With Blogger’s Regret
Thursday, October 25th, 2007 at 1:48 am
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the inner conflict known as buyer’s regret or buyer’s remorse. That slow panic rising from deep within your gut as the question begs an answer: “did I make a mistake in paying half my salary for that thing I just bought?” Oops.
Blogger’s regret is very similar. In a brave/foolish/ignorant moment you posted an entry that you really just shouldn’t have published… Watch out for these logic-defying pitfalls:
- In love
Hey, that’s what roses and chocolates are for. Blogs… not so much. - Angry
You ever noticed how you say things you don’t really mean when you’re angry? - In a hurry
A recipe for disaster. - Jumping on the bandwagon
Do you know where it’s going? Joining the hot topic of the moment could get you into trouble. - Blogging a topic you know nothing about
If you enjoy the taste of your foot in your mouth, go ahead. - Unreliable source
Where are you getting that info? - Secrets
Please make sure that the information you blog about is not confidential, whether it’s personal or work-related. Secrets make for dangerous blog content.
I know, I know, at that moment it just seemed so right to post it for the world to read, but now what? It’s already online, so how do you fix it? You have a few options:
- Remove the post and pretend it never happened
This is possibly the worst way out. It could result in dead links, confused subscribers and lost credibility. - Remove the post and publish a new one explaining the disappearance of the first
This may be your best option if you are requested or ordered to remove the post. - Leave the post and publish a new one explaining or apologising for the first
Not a good move. This could make you look bumbling and unprofessional. - Edit the post
Editing a post that has already been published is seen as unethical by blogging purists. A more acceptable way of editing live posts is to leave the current text in place, but strike it out.Like this. - Just roll with it
Leave it up and see what happens. If your post upsets some people or causes a stir, it could mean some publicity for your blog. It is often said that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but this is risky.
Blogging can be dangerous if your content is not considered properly. Publishing an entry online means anyone in the world can read it. Apply healthy judgment and don’t blog anything that you wouldn’t want published in a popular newspaper or magazine. People have lost their jobs over blogging! Don’t let that be you.
Have you ever fallen victim to blogger’s regret? How did you deal with it?
Adii Says:
October 26th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Good post Imar! :) I’m sure all of us has been in this situation before and it’s ALWAYS a difficult one to deal with.
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October 29th, 2007 at 4:44 am
[…] Dealing With Blogger’s Regret (BlogSolid) […]
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November 11th, 2007 at 10:04 am
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Arteliance Says:
November 12th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
How to use Gmail to Prevent Blogger’s Regret
Blogsolid » Blog Archive » Dealing With Blogger’s Regret
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the inner conflict known as buyer’s regret or buyer’s remorse. That slow panic rising from deep within your gut as the question begs an answer: ??…
jazzi Says:
November 12th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Yes… lost job, lost home, had to split up family and live with parents for 4 months…
Sumit Says:
November 23rd, 2007 at 8:13 am
This is happened to me many times. I just roll with it. I never edit or remove content from my website I publish erratas once in a while for big mistakes. Otherwise, I take the maddox approach. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.
Blogsolid Says:
November 24th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Wow jazzi, that sounds like a hectic situation! What were you blogging?!
Sumit, I think mistakes really just prove that there’s an actual human behind the blog.