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# The discretion of bloggers
- URL: https://www.lorcandempsey.net/the-discretion-of-bloggers/
- Published: 2005-10-20T22:20:56.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-28T21:02:12.000Z
- Author: Lorcan Dempsey
- Tags: Misc

It is quite difficult to be private: we leave traces everywhere. What we spend, who we speak to on the phone, where we live, our credit history: it all goes into the *record*.  
I have just spoken at the very congenial [Access 2005](https://access2005.library.ualberta.ca/?ref=lorcandempsey.net) conference, in Edmonton. The conference had active blogger participation (aggregated at [Planet Access](https://access2005.library.ualberta.ca/planetaccess/?ref=lorcandempsey.net)), and the presentations will be podcast. I think this is marvellous; I find it enormously useful seeing a commentary or record of presentations.  
It did set up a particular dynamic as I was speaking though. Usually, during a conference presentation I have a sense of being ‘*off record*‘: so one might make the odd aside that would not be included in a written article, for example, or have that not not quite validated detail in a presentation knowing that it was not going to go beyond the room.  
Now, however, everthing is going into the *record*: one is always *on record*. One might rely on the discretion of bloggers, but it is all there in the podcast … The private, public conference space is becoming a public, public space 😉  
Mmm… Update: a colleague points out that videos of presentations at last year’s VALA are [available](https://www.vala.org.au/vala2004/2004pprs/vide2004.htm?ref=lorcandempsey.net). I never knew!