I know that I owe an update on Quaid and the show. Bear with me, it's coming. As with most things with him these days it was a mixed bag and I'm sorting through it in my head. That may take a while, lol.
But this post has been percolating in my brain for a few months now and I've decided to get it out my head and onto the blogosphere.
You're welcome.
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| I helped my friend take her horses to the vet. I got to hold Ms. Fizzy. She is as adorable as she looks. |
It's not that people are worse. They are the same mixed bag of good, bad, nasty and kind they always were. What has changed is access. Keyboard warriors are everywhere and it is so easy for a photo or video to bring out the worst in people. Because everyone can post something it gives a sense of expertise that may be warranted but not necessarily.
On FB I have literally seen a post urging 24 hour turn and everyone chiming in with how great that is and anyone not keeping a horse on 30 acres of pasture 24 hours a day was abusive and didn't deserve them (of course not everyone but enough). Then another post came out saying 24 hour turn out was bad for horses and it got the same type of responses: forcing horses to be outside was cruel.
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| another photo to break up the wall of text. I think my kitty was assembled wrong. |
I recognise that I choose to have a blog and an online presence. It was a deliberate choice and one I don't regret. I haven't really had to deal with a bunch of trolls. Except when Steele died. I had quite a few show up on my blog which is why I now approve comments before they are published.
Now blogs are old school and maybe most of the trolls moved to TikTok. But I am aware that there is a risk of posting the things I do. Which is why I am very careful about the privacy of others who intersect in my horse life. Unless I know for sure that they are okay with me mentioning their names I don't. I use generic terms like 'friend, barn owner, etc.,. And I never mention juniors.
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| Cordelia has Pannus and UV rays make it worse. So she gets to look supercool in her doggles. |
Do you think about these things when you post? How do you navigate it? Am I being too careful?
No you aren’t being too careful. Kids especially shouldn’t be posted, or at least get permission from their parents and themself.
ReplyDeleteI board my horses, in a fantastic place, yet I’m extremely careful what photos or words I share. And my social media is relatively limited.
That seems wise.
DeleteI agree. I have no problems sharing (oversharing?) stuff about me and my horse, but don't like to include anyone who hasn't given me permission to share their name or images.
ReplyDeleteI tend to only share things on my social media that amuse me. There have only been a couple of occasions that someone didn't share my sense of humor.
I also go by the "if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all" creed when it comes to my online comments. If I don't like what someone is putting out, I just block or unfollow them. There's no need to comment negatively about it.
I always say that if someone wants to insult me they can make their own blog to do it. They can’t do it on mine.
DeleteLove it!
DeleteThe first iteration of my blog, I overshared about a lease horse, and then the person I was leasing from made a very pointed comment similar to something I had posted that felt too coincidental and I shut it ALL down. And then I was bullied in a few horse groups based on some young dumb opinions, and some choices I had no control over, and now I am very careful of what I post online. Unless I have approval for full name and photo, I use short hand nicknames in blog posts. I also know some trainers are very careful with it too, like I knew a dressage trainer who did was very strict on photos, video, etc, and even super strict if you tagged him or not in posts. I am extra careful now that I am in the driving world because it is much smaller than riding, so everyone REALLY knows everyone. I think it's also why I haven't really been posting as much about my horse as we work through some of her chaos. I started my blog as a way to really just document what we were doing, and it's still the only place I think I am the most truthful. I censor myself on Facebook too, I rarely post, let alone tag alone in anything to avoid the gossip train.
ReplyDeleteIt can be tough to decide what to post and what not to share.
DeleteI do the same. I also feel like I’m overthinking it when most of my real life community isn’t shy about being online and has a bigger social media and/or online presence than I do. Sometimes omitting details or people also leaves out a fun or pertinent part of the story, but I’d rather not worry about something I post potentially impacting them negatively. I just share my own things and leave it at that. That being said in all these years I’ve only had one or two questionable messages or blog comments, 99.9% of people here are lovely :)
ReplyDeleteI agree. 99% of the people are lovely. I think that I got the trolls because that post went viral and brought out the ugliness.
DeleteI'm with you! Shiny's kid doesn't mind me posting, but I rarely share her face and never say her name.
ReplyDeleteI'm the last of the Gen-X years, and I'm SO glad I grew up when I did.