Sticks and Stones…

As the old adage goes…

“sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

Well… it’s not exactly true.  You might not get physically injured by words, but words can inflict a world of damage.  Especially with the advent of casual communications like texts, email, and online forums.  We want to be ourselves, not moderate our statements.  But, what’s said in jest… when posted on the web… can be misinterpreted or even severely misunderstood.

There are a plethora of sayings about thinking before you speak.  Most of them focus on the finality of things: Once something has been said, you can’t take it back.

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Well, here on the web, things aren’t much different.  Once you post a message, even if you “take it back” (i.e., delete the post), it’s still been said.  Even if you are just complaining to let off steam… those statements, when posted online, will last long past the time when you are no longer frustrated. The message has been broadcast far and wide over the internet, and even if you take it down immediately, chances are good that it’s already been archived somewhere.  So, be careful what you say.  Keep things professional, and you won’t have to worry about your blog posts (or comments) coming back to bite you.  Bottom line?

If you wouldn’t want your grandmother (or child, or other “innocent” party) to see what you’ve said… it probably shouldn’t be broadcast around the world.  When I speak to other photographers about blogging and social networking, I always emphasis this fact.  Even though it should be a no-brainer… anything you say publicly on the internet might be seen by a potential client.  Yes, you can have the liberty to be yourself, but don’t go complaining about past (or gasp, current!) clients, even in photographer forums.  Keep it professional… and make sure that you always feature your clients in a positive light. If you don’t have something nice to say… well…. don’t say it!