Updated - I've gotten some really good comments, so I am going to leave this on top until Monday. I will get around to answering the comments this afternoon or tomorrow. Long day at work coming.
I received an email today from someone I had sent one to about another subject, but what came up was my language on the blog. More specifically, my foul language. I don't let my children read my blog, other than my son if her (spellcheck can't fix dumb) he were interested, but I had never thought about it.
I run a business and foul language never comes up there. It's just not something that is done and inappropriate. I haven't even thought about it here. I know I can be mealy mouthed at times (maybe more like all the time) but what do you all think? Does anyone else notice it, and should I pay a bit more attention. Obviously I do this for me, but I don't particularly want to chase someone off with my language that might otherwise be interested in hanging out.
I would put up a poll, but don't want to go to the hassle, so just leave me a comment, or an email. I had originally thought about creating a couple of blogs on the side so that I could post my technical and home automation stuff on one, and political/religious rants on another without any other language that would run people off, but I like having just the one (aside from the junk over at Myspace).
I think I am going to leave this one for my weekend open trackback as well.
Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, third world county, A Blog For All, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, stikNstein... has no mercy, basil's blog, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
5
I draw the line at profanity, but I have little problem with vugarity and obscenity (mainly becau obscenities are rarely really obscene and are usually just degraded obscenity used as profanity).
Of course, I realize making distinctions among what some consider "foul language" isn't the norm for our subliterate society, but that's one of the reasons I do so. *heh*
Still, as I said in the last Thursday 13 concerning things that piss me off, "Dulling down expressions for po’ widdew babies’ neo-victorian sensibilities. 'Shit,' as one dear old saint in my church once told me, 'isn’t a dirty word. What it refers to is dirty.' And calling things by names that are less than accurate is an insult to genuine attempts to convey meaning. Some things really are vulgar, and they ought to have their nature reflected in properly vulgar terms. (Unfortunately, there are no terms vulgar enough, even scatological enough, to express the nature of politicians *spit*.)"
What you write on your own blog is your business. If people don't like it they don't have to come read it.
Personally I think that foul language makes it less likely that people will give your points serious thought. Creative vituperation takes imagination that foul language doesn't. You just have to consider your audience.
Still, there are times when it seems that vulgarities are appropriate, as David mentions. Not to use them in those situations doesn't do justice to the subject matter.
What you write on other peoples blogs is up to them though. For example, please don't use foul language at my blog, or in the excerpts of any posts that you trackback to mine.
If your post that you trackback to mine is full of foul langage that doesn't bother me. It only bothers me when it shows up on my blog.
Rant coming in 3...2…1…
This touches on one of my pet peeves. Parents need to learn that not everything is kid-friendly. The world does not revolve around protecting their little precious bundle of life from things they will be exposed to as adults.
This is your blog cuss if you want to. Don’t if you don’t want to. This just might be one of those places on the net that’s not for kids and there’s no crime in that. She has no right telling you what you can and cannot have on YOUR blog. She doesn’t want to cuss on hers then fine. If she wants her blog to be all about Fisher Price, Sesame Street and how oh-so-freaking-cute little Suzie is when she spills her bottle then fine. But she has no right telling you what you can or cannot write about.
If they don’t want their kids exposed to cussing then they need monitor their kid’s activities online and in real life, but I can pretty much guarantee you that if the child is in public school, surfs the net, lives in the USA, or watches TV—they’ve already been exposed and know all about those “dirty words.” Even private school isn’t safe from the scourge of cussing. The kids who went to the local Catholic school not only behaved more poorly than the public school, but EVERYONE knew that school had the best drugs. Even those of us (like me) who didn’t use drugs KNEW the Catholic school carried the best stuff.
Maybe Amish kids can reach 18 without hearing the f-word and MAYBE some Mennonite kids, but that’s about all.
Hey Richard, you just go right ahead and write any profanities you wish!
Won't bother me at all - now if you make spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, I'll be on you like a - well, ummmm - you know!!!
Anyone that has a PR of 5 and an Alexa of 500,000 is doing everything right in my book :)
Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment about my Alexa post this morning. I love it when a project works out as well as this has and I'll be more than happy to join y'all in increasing PR & Technorati if someone has ideas to try.
I'm going to link to you if you don't mind, then come back again to check your profanity meter... perhaps I'll learn some new words...
I haven't noticed anything off the charts. I don't think of this blog and automatically think to myself that it's full of expletives.
I agree with the other guys; go ahead and do what you like. It's YOUR BLOOG. Some people in comments seem to think that they own the space just because they graced your comments section and have the right to dictate what you blog about, how you do it, and the language you use.
I see f*** them.
Say. I SAY, not I SEE. Sorry.
I guess it depends upon your intended audience. But, I'd say to write the way you speak. Personally, I try to respect others' comment sections, but in my blog, I say whatever I want to - foul language and all.
Ask yourself some questions;
Do you pay for the hosting of this site?
Do you pay for your internet bill every month?
Do you act as a responsible parent and keep your kids away from sites with content you don't approve of that may contain foul language?
If you answered yes, then keep on doing what you're doing. Other parents need to learn that it is their job to monitor what their kids do on line. Foul language on a blog should be the least of a parents worries about the internet.
Do you have any idea how easy it is for kids to find porn on the net by simply typing in the name of their fave video game?
You have been added to THE Z LIST. Check it out.
Richard,
I trackbacked this early this afternoon, bro - but sometimes, MT doesn't like WP trackbacks.
Just thought you'd like to know :-)
- J
The way I see it is, this is your personal space. I do not have a problem with it. It's my job as a parent to keep my kids away from things I do not wish for them to see. Blogs are no exception. Have fun doing what you love.
Fuck 'Em! and Fuck you too...Bitch! Just Damn!
I've been watch what I type on the Intar-webs for a couple years now. Mainly because Google never forgets. The stuff you post, regardless of how defunct the website gets could be available to plenty of future readers. My daughter's nearly 10 and starting to use the Internet more and more, and I'm hoping she doesn't come across any of it.
Perri - I will have to remember that the next time I do a trackback open post. Haven't even thought about the excerpt. I always make sure to use proper language when I am commenting, unless it is somewhere that I am familiar with AND I know it's acceptable there.
Kat - Oh yeah. I took to monitoring my son's internet activity for a long time. I still have certain keywords blocked in my router for websites, except for my computer of course.
momofthree - thanks. I'll take care of my part and forward it on down the line.
Joe - I linked to you in the post. Saw where you sent the trackback. As you say, for some reason WP and MT have issues.
Dax, I always know I can count on you.
Matt, there's no way she can avoid it eventually, but I found with my son that as long as I monitor the usage AND the sites that he goes to it isn't an issue.
As everyone pretty much says , I agree that it is not my job to police my site for YOUR kids, that is YOUR job. The last place my kids want to hang out is some old fart's blog anyway.