Saturday, January 7, 2012

Civility

I continue to be impressed with the value and power of social networking. I don't think I'm that old, but I remember my dad putting aluminum foil on the rabbit ears of the television so we could better see the Hagler/Duran/Leonard fights. Time might be passing me by, but in many societies, age is revered. With age supposedly comes wisdom. This is my long-winded way of saying that we over-40s have seen a few things and may be able to add some perspective to the social media era...


This country is predicated on freedom, including freedom of speech. With that said, freedom of speech is not a mandate to share every thought one has. When you share on Facebook, Twitter, etc., you may as well place an ad on a national network. It may seem like no big deal and some may feel like they finally have a forum. True and so be it, but as often stated, with great power, comes great responsibility.


In short, don't disparage people online unless you have thought it through. Think about a bad review before you post it. Think about an endorsement before you put your name behind it.


Never has it been this easy to reach so many people and have such an immediate impact.