The debate over propriety in the blogosphere got just a bit nastier recently in reaction to an article in The New York Times Magazine by Emily Gould. In the article, Emily recounts the experiences that led to both fame and infamy during her stint with Gawker. The piece apparently galvanized a nation. As Simon Dumenco puts it:

A May 25 New York Times Magazine cover story about the hazards of oversharing titled “Blog-Post Confidential” by former Gawker blogger (circa 2006 to 2007) Emily Gould, inspires such vitriol that the Times shuts down the comments function on the online version of her piece after accruing hundreds of frequently vicious comments.

The thing about blogging is that it’s always fun until someone looses an eye… or their identity.

In reflecting on Gould’s and her own experiences, Melissa Lafsky muses whether blogging about your life unavoidably ruins your life–an astute restatement of the observer’s paradox for the Internet age.

One of the best treatments of this topic in publication today is Daniel Solove’s book, “The Future of Reputation.” It’s available online free of charge, so I encourage anyone with even passing interest in this topic to read the book. And you might also want to think twice before mentioning those little details about your life!