The Bloggernacle Inquisition

It is bound to happen sooner or later. Somewhere in the Church, someone will be placed subject to disciplinary action due to things they've blogged about or commented about on other blogs, either directly or indirectly (complaint by one of their personal acquaintences, for example.) Actually, I'd be surprised if it hasn't already happened. Due to the personal nature of blogging, the variety of subjects covered, and the interconnectedness of the Bloggernacle or the greater Blogosphere, it seems ripe for digging up dirt on people. Also, I know at least for me, that I am likely to comment on almost any subject that piques my fancy, whether or not it is something I strongly believe in. (Although I often post on things I have deep convictions about.)

When this happens, or begins to happen in noticable numbers, what will become of the Bloggernacle? Will it befall the same fate as local stake and ward websites? (A move by the Church that, although some people disagree strongly with, I think was well within their rights and best interests to make.)

I believe that I am willing to own up to everything I've said on the blogs. But due to the persistent nature of things, and the constant learning process, I may not always agree in the present with my opinions of the past.

This problem has already been discussed elsewhere in relation to blogs belonging to "Professionals" or Business Blogging. How your blogging might influence your chances of future employment, or continued employment.

Since a blog IS very personal, it is often times used as a journal of thought, and is not necessarily an accurate depiction of our "creedal" or accepted beliefs. It more often documents our curiosities -- the things we don't have a solid handle on, because if we did, we might not have much left to say about it.

I'm not personally scared of the inquisition, but I am concerned about the time I've already spent explaining the reasons for my interests in various topics to the satisfaction of any who feel it their business to monitor and try to standardize/correlate my thoughts, and I can see this becoming a large scale pre-occupation of leaders as blogging gets more and more recognized by the Church, and Blogs get cited more frequently as sources in Sacrament talks.