POINT/COUNTERPOINT
8 Learning & Leading with Technology | May 2009
Yes
Blogging carries no more risk than
other forms of public electronic communication,
whether posting on message boards, tweeting on
Twitter, or leaving social network comments—
which is to say, there’s definite and sometimes
substantial risk! Any member of any number of audiences, even those without a vested interest, could
become offended and raise enough of a complaint
for action to be taken against you.
But it’s still worth it!
We are all human beings and we thrive through
communication with and connection to others. We
need to have our voices heard and we need to hear
other voices, even in refer-
ence to what some would con-
sider the mundane. We need
to stand up for our opinions
and engage others in thought-
ful conversations in both our
personal and professional
lives. We need to model for
our students habits of commu-
nication that are positive and
James Maxlow
No
Last year, despite concern expressed
by some colleagues, I launched a blog (http://The
InnovativeEducator.blogspot.com). Shortly there-
after, I received a generic staff e-mail stating that
employees’ e-mail signatures should include basic
information such as address, phone, e-mail, etc.
Check, check, check. My signature had all that,
plus graphically pleasing fonts, design features,
and, of course, a link to my blog. A few weeks
later, I received a call informing me that legal
had requested I remove my blog address from my
e-mail signature. Apparently, that original generic-
seeming e-mail was specifically targeting me.
But I was doing what I thought all innovative
educators should do. I wasn’t
just talking the talk, I was
walking the walk—using a
blog to create a purposeful
and professional digital foot-
print and sharing ideas that I
hoped would be of interest to
other educators.
Disappointed, I followed
the directive…and blogged
about it, asking my readers
Lisa Nielsen
