Food for Thought
It's not often we web workers think about what would happen if we died unexpectedly or became seriously ill. I mean, it's not a pleasant thing to dwell on is it? But if the unthinkable were to happen, have you thought about whether you would be missed online?
In her article Will We Know it When You Leave?, Kim Krause-Berg poses this very question. Do you have a community of friends online that would miss you if you disappeared? Are you so active in forums or chat rooms that people would wonder where you were? Would they become concerned enough to try and contact your friends and family?
I recall an incident about 3 years ago when I was a moderator at the ihelpyou forums, when one of the more active moderators stopped posting for over a week and didn't answer any emails or private messages we sent him. It was such unusual behavior for this particular person that we all became worried and began posting in other forums in search of him.
One moderator took it upon herself to track down his private details and phone his family. Turned out that the missing moderator had had some personal issues to deal with and had deliberately taken himself off on a private holiday with no phone, no laptop and no Internet access. He returned a week later to a warm reception at the forums, feeling overwhelmed by the concern expressed and sheepish for not telling his online friends of his plans.
It just goes to show that your online influence may extend further than you think. Those virtual friendships you make might just prove to be solid real-life relationships that last for years, so don't under-estimate them. More importantly, think about your online footprints. As Kim says in her article: if something happens to you or you choose to spend less time on the Internet, what sort of legacy will you leave behind? Food for thought.
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In her article Will We Know it When You Leave?, Kim Krause-Berg poses this very question. Do you have a community of friends online that would miss you if you disappeared? Are you so active in forums or chat rooms that people would wonder where you were? Would they become concerned enough to try and contact your friends and family?
I recall an incident about 3 years ago when I was a moderator at the ihelpyou forums, when one of the more active moderators stopped posting for over a week and didn't answer any emails or private messages we sent him. It was such unusual behavior for this particular person that we all became worried and began posting in other forums in search of him.
One moderator took it upon herself to track down his private details and phone his family. Turned out that the missing moderator had had some personal issues to deal with and had deliberately taken himself off on a private holiday with no phone, no laptop and no Internet access. He returned a week later to a warm reception at the forums, feeling overwhelmed by the concern expressed and sheepish for not telling his online friends of his plans.
It just goes to show that your online influence may extend further than you think. Those virtual friendships you make might just prove to be solid real-life relationships that last for years, so don't under-estimate them. More importantly, think about your online footprints. As Kim says in her article: if something happens to you or you choose to spend less time on the Internet, what sort of legacy will you leave behind? Food for thought.
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