Tartellog

One of the founding principles of the internet was sharing.  I’m not sure that anyone could have foreseen the amount, and kinds of sharing that are now so commonplace that we hardly even think about them anymore.  I don’t know how I lived without so many cat pictures and videos (why is that cat so grumpy?) , quizzes to see which Disney princess I am (I’m Mulan, by the way), or pictures of what everyone is eating (which I know I did last week, but that was for a specific purpose…I’m not Instagramming my every meal).

But sometimes the sharing is fantastic.  Last week Clark Terry died.  Although I didn’t know him, like everyone who ever heard Clark Terry play, I have immense respect for him.  For the past few months, people close to Mr. Terry kept us up to date with his deteriorating condition, and finally, his passing.  As the news spread, the sharing that happened included pictures, stories, videos, and recordings.  And all of it was positive.  It was amazing to watch a community come together to share their memories of how Clark Terry touched their lives.

This got me thinking about what, and how much, we share online regularly.  I’m not here to tell you what, or how much to share online.  What I’d like to do is get you to think about it.

What you post can dictate how people think of you.  

Posting can sometimes serve as a method for venting about negative experiences.  Done too often, you can become that person that no one pays attention to, because all you do is complain.  There’s an old joke that goes like this:

How do you get a musician to complain?

Easy- give him a gig.

If a lot of your online activity is spent complaining, you’re creating a reputation of being difficult.  Soon you’ll have plenty of time to post about how no one hires you.  There’s definitely a time for complaining.  It’s usually behind closed doors with people you trust.

Having seen how good the online interaction can be makes me want it to be more like that all the time.  You get to choose what you share online.  Whether you like it or not, what you choose will say a lot about you.  Too much of our online activity has become thoughtless.  Take the time to do more of what I saw in response to our loss of Clark Terry- be thoughtful.