Comments on: Ethics for a new territory…

By: IE Day « Richard Littledale's Preacher's A – Z

IE Day « Richard Littledale's Preacher's A – Z — Sun, 15 May 2011 06:33:00 +0000

[…] It means “that is”. How appropriate! When I asked people earlier this year what their three golden rules were for a Christian presence online, they were dominated by being, rather than doing. In other […]

By: Not really here… « Richard Littledale's Preacher's A – Z

Not really here… « Richard Littledale's Preacher's A – Z — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 05:16:04 +0000

[…] feel like cheating. It would feel as if I were somehow not playing the game. As I have written elsewhere, it is important that we apply many of the ethics to online encounter that we do to it’s […]

By: Jared Gaites

Jared Gaites — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 09:05:07 +0000

Hi.
I am in my forties and I feel I have a tangible contribution to make on the www. I think there is a danger of trying too hard to manipulate what already exists naturally. The www is a vast enterprise of difference and I enjoy interacting on many levels of ideas and places. In some circumstances it is necessary for me to remain anonymous, while in other spheres it can can be important to maintain a steady and recognisable persona. I enjoy my virtual life, and I agree it requires personality to engage and to be. The internet allows me to develop a virtual personality that will reflect much, and more, of what I could hope to express in my real-life and physical world.

Many young people who engage on the internet seem to enjoy having various identities, and this can sometimes allow them to explore their world and engage from a distance allowing them to learn and adapt. It all depends on what the message is and who you are trying to represent, and what it is that you feel you are trying to influence. Like the bard once said, “what’s in a name, a rose is still a rose by any other name”

By: Fr David Cloake

Fr David Cloake — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:02:53 +0000

A helpful post, Richard, thank you.

I have tapped away at this for some time on my own blog, though mine are ramblings of a learner.

For me, my three would be:

Authentic – be ‘you’ or you will not have credibility. It may feel ‘safe’ behind a computer, but people are also behind computers and will make their judgements on the words used, not the meaning intended

Reciprocal – there are lazy bloggers and not-lazy bloggers. The former write and never read, the latter write on other places beyond their own blogs. This speaks to your ‘engage’ clause – for in the digital arena it is far more easy to be socially lazy and just ‘take’ without giving.

Self-awareness – in line with your ‘you’ clause, there is much to be said for knowing not just who you are, but how your are percieved. I am a priest and a man called David. I am both together. People who read what I write know that too, and if I get that duality wrong, people will struggle and I could do damage to people.

Just an instinctive response, but one I will reflect upon. Thanks