More Thoughts on Digital Footprints and Repugnant Behavior

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This comic strip from Randall Munroe was originally posted within the most recent Random Monday, but in my haste to finish I neglected to give proper attribution.

I ended up taking it offline after a few minutes (more on than later).

Putting this aside for the moment, the strip is an interesting take on the beauty of looking at something in detail. In speaking against technical analysis in music performance, this notion – beauty in the details – is often overlooked and this comic hits on that thought.

Guerrilla warfare

Within minutes of putting this strip online, an anonymous comment was submitted full of sharp accusations: copyright infringement, profiteering and other spurious charges.

Fortunately the author of this comic is very generous when it comes to sharing his artwork.

You can post xkcd in your blog (whether ad-supported or not) with no need to get my permission.

The post today of this strip is a rectification my initial oversight.

Footprints

Expanding on sentiments expressed previously in “Your Digital Footprint and its Future Impact,” this incident served as a strong reminder to myself that narcissistic behavior is on the rise.

Much to my surprise this negative comment came from a regular visitor, who even took the extra step of complaining on at least one other web site outside of Horn Matters; all this without contacting me directly first or even being connected in any way, shape or form to the original source material.

Attempts to connect in private with this individual have failed. No surprise there.

Think first, act second

While one more-or-less expects guerrilla tactics from the American political analysts on television, in the real world this kind of behavior is morally bankrupt and repugnant. Of course, this incident is a rare and extreme exception but it serves as a good example of what not to do in conflict resolution.

As a general rule-of-thumb it is good idea to pause and wait before hitting ENTER on the computer keyboard when sending inflammatory comments over the Internet. This would be my unsolicited advice to anyone who relishes in volatile rhetoric.

That, and I have a pretty good idea of who this naysayer is and where he lives, as would any professional web site administrator. Anyone on just about any web site may be traced through a variety of  means – even with fake email addresses and masked identities.

One is never truly anonymous in our hot-wired, digital age.

Looking at the bigger picture too, we are always being watched – in one regard or another. When posting comments on any web site, this is a very good attitude to adopt and take seriously.