How far can you go in insulting someone in a blog...?

Question

I know it sounds childish but I recently went on a rant about an ex friend in a blog. I used no names and no threats just your everyday venting and b*tching sort of thing. How far would I have to go in order for it to no longer be considered free speech?

Answer 1

If you did not use names or threats, you are fine.

But!!!!

some things are best kept to yourself.

I had someone bad mouth me in several blogs instead of returning my emails. I can tell you that I did not like it at all.

This leads to a larger question: What is the point of putting a private personal issue into a public forum?

You must have some hope that they will read it. If that was not the case, you would have been content with simply writing down your thoughts in a private journal or talking to a friend.

As I said, some things are best left out of the public eye.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

Do you care whether you are thought of as a lady? Or like so many today, are you proud to be called a *****?

How far you go is really determined by you and what you care about what others reading your post may think of you.

So many people are proud to say "I don't care what people think, I'm going to speak my mind!" But sometimes we forget that everything in our minds doesn't need to be spoken all the time. And we forget that everything we think is not written in stone for all time, and that some of the things we say may be long remembered by others even if we should change our positions at some point down the road.

Remember, you don't have to issue a retraction for the things that are unsaid.

Also, whatever happened to decorum? So many of us on the web are given to caustic and derisive language when communicating with or about each other. So many take glee in heaping insult on each other. And although we don't seem to want to admit it, it takes a toll on all of us. It wears us down on the insides individually and collectively . . . it's a drain on our spirit.

You choose what you want to be, and how you want to be perceived. And let your communications accordingly fit that choice.

Answer 3

If you use names or threats that would be wrong. I just got done doing the same thing as far as blogging about an ex friend. I didn't use names or anything specific that could be traced back to that person. (You don't want someone else to read it and go retaliate for your behalf.)

Answer 4

You can't make threats. If you tell lies about them they could potentially sue you for defamation of character.