Ok, so this is sort of a rant.

Today, on Twitter, someone was complaining about random re-tweets. Those things that happen when you say something, someone you know repeats it, and then someone they know repeats it again. They felt that somehow their privacy was being invaded because the person repeating what they said was a stranger.

This irks me a lot. First of all, my dear husband, asked this person about it. Now something you should know about John. He’ll support any position if the logic is there behind it. Not saying he’ll agree with it, but he can get behind you for believing it. But, there must be logic behind it. If your argument isn’t logical, he’ll try to help you figure out logic to support it even. Even if he doesn’t believe in it. You want to know how to support a position? How best to convey your beliefs? Talk to John.

John asks why this person is upset over something said in public and gets jumped on because he’s trying to understand the logic.

Twitter is a public platform. Things you say are not private. Even locked accounts (those for which you have to approve every person who follows you) can be re-tweeted. So nothing you say is completely and totally private. It is much like blogging. You cannot control who reads a public blog. Anyone, in any country (well, any country that doesn’t restrict traffic) can read your blog. Criminals can read your blog. Nothing is stopping someone with bad intentions from reading your blog. Nothing is stopping someone with good intentions from reading your blog. Unless you’re password protecting pages or posts, what you write WILL be accessible by a shit-ton of people.

Twitter works the same way. What you say on Twitter is available to the general public. What other people say on Twitter is available to the general public. If you use Twitter, it is your responsibility to know that what you say is for public consumption. If what you’re about to type isn’t intended for public consumption, then DO. NOT. SAY. IT. 

There’s no hostility here. I have no ill will towards the person who made the initial statement. They are a lovely person with a lovely blog.  I am merely pointing out what I see as an inaccuracy. What is put on twitter is public. That is a statement of fact.  What you write on your public blog is public. Don’t have  any expectation of otherwise.