Now then. I think that the situation is an unfortunate one, but really… how many times does this have to happen?

If you post something to the net, odds are very good that someone will be able to read it. If there’s something you want to keep a secret but kept in your journal, I recommend you post it private, so you can keep it, and nobody else spreads it around. I imagine 99.9% of folks out there won’t repeat it, but stuff can come out a number of ways, especially when you don’t know who your friends are out here. if you want particular friends to see it, put it out using a filter (that’s how I put love letters out in my lj for my sweetums). Going friends-only isn’t going to help, unless you firmly know the nature of each and every person on your list, and what the cache on their computer looks like, and if you know that their (and your) account is hack proof. (it Isn’t)

Expect that if you write something that someone else can read, that they might tell some other person, cut and paste, or reiterate it in some other way. (I make a point of not passing on private information, and had to jump through hoops to clear my name. I still bet that there are folks ‘outside the know’ that think I’m untrustworthy…anyone who actually knows me can attest that I’m good that way.)

On a slightly different note, A lot of Lj’s have been smelling like high school cliques. Those guys are free to post whatever they like, but I don’t have to read them. I recommend that anyone who doesn’t like what they’re reading in someone else’s journal to stop reading it, step away from the fight, if you can. What does the opinion of an idiot mean to you? I’m very impressed at how Mateo recently dealt with some dolts… Live and let live. He came out looking like a gent and a scholar, while others looked like classless jerks. That’s the way to handle folks… don’t stoop to their level if you can help it.