Keeping up appearances

Hello High Heelers,

You all have a bone to pick with me. Why? Well. I don’t actually tell you the entire story always. That’s the honest truth. I keep stuff from you. In fact, I keep information from you all the time. Have you noticed that I never tell you about debaucherous nights out? I’ve also never told you about the dodgy experience at the club. I didn’t blog about my involvement in illegal activities and I’ve never shared that I’m actually an undercover CIA Agent – living in South Africa. I have never told you any of these things, partially because they’re not true but mostly because this blog is accessible to the world. So I keep things from you. I’m sorry.

As you read these words hundreds of people are reading with you. That’s the wonder of the internet. It’s the power that Social Networking has to transform Egypt and Libya and change the face of the modern world. On the flipside, my mother is probably reading with you right now (no offense, mom). That’s the reality. Everything you put out onto the wonderful World Wide Web is accessible to strangers and friends alike. Sometimes you want to be anonymous but sometimes you also want to be your full, exposed self. There’s no boundary. There’s no separating the two. When you’re online, you’re open, and the perceptions you create about yourself get drawn right back to you.

It amazes me how many people FaceBook about their awful job and their horrible husband. They talk about their partners ‘bratty children’ and the terrible thing they heard in the office loo. They put it out without thinking. Or they put it out with thinking, but with ignoring the consequences. People are losing their jobs and some, even their families. And forgive me, but rightly so, you don’t have the right to tell millions of people that you hate your boss and expect no comeback. If you shouted at the top of your voice to a hundred co-workers that the MD was an idiot, you’d get hauled into a disciplinary faster than you could say ‘Just kidding!’ So why do people think it’s acceptable to share such inappropriate thoughts with millions of strangers? It’s quite absurd. 

So as I tell you the details of what I wish to share and what’s appropriate to share (for instance, that my boss, Natalie Maroun is the best boss in the world), may I encourage you to think about what you put out onto the web? Tell us about your dreams, your accomplishments and about that great thing that happened and leave the intimate details of your argument with your spouse between the two of you. You should treat the internet with respect and you should use it as a tool to grow yourself and your reputation.

This week let’s be High Heelers who put our best foot forward and create an accurate, and reputable online image. Let’s keep private things private and share what’s fair. Let’s be people with dignity and respect.

Have a wonderful week.

Cheers,
Jo

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