Seems like nowadays, there is an increased sensitivity
people have when reading online comments.
The post can be innocent enough, but there is the chance someone will
find offense to a word written or a perceived tone to what was written. I am conscious of the ability to offend even
when I do not intend to offend. I do
not expect others to agree with me.
There is a part of me that believes that anyone can respectively post
comments online and be respected in agreement or disagreement. Reciprocity.
The pin that burst my bubble was a response to a comment I wrote on an
online support group page.
Earlier this month I joined an online support
group for healthcare workers. I read the
website articles and found them useful. I clicked on tabs and found that the website
offers community resources, referrals to local agencies, and an online support
group. I thought it was a great idea to
join the online support group. A place
to share what we do, how we do it, tricks of the trade, and a place to safely
vent. That was the vision I had in my
head of what the online support group would be like.
An anonymous profile person wrote a post about how he was
going to travel with a loved one who was incontinent. The person asked for tips from the support
group. I responded first. I thought I provided good tips and ended the
small paragraph with “happy travels”. My
day went on. One notification later and
I was being scolded for using a term that was deemed offensive. The person scolding me was not the anonymous
profile person, she was someone in the online support group. She used caps and exclamation points. I thought she went too far by writing a
paragraph to correct me. The post was
asking for travel tips, not attack a word day.
Even when I stood by my word, acknowledging the offense and maintaining
my use of a medical term, I felt like this person took it too far.
After the experience of unintentionally offending someone
online, I learned that I should always feel comfortable posting online, I have
no control over how other people read my post, and ultimately it is up to me to
be respectful, thoughtful, and stand by my words.
I have to feel comfortable with how I express myself
online. There are words that I use from
my background in healthcare. There are
words that I use when expressing happiness over a television show, Netflix
series, and music artist. There are
times when the words are a serious tone, a lighthearted tone, a silly tone, and
so many more tones. Don’t get me started
on emoticons. Love em. If someone finds offense with what I wrote, I
have to be able to trust that I was appropriate to the topic when I expressed myself. I have to know what my
intention was and be comfortable with the tone in which I commented. Most importantly, I have to know when to apologize.
The people who read my posts will interpret the post with
their own thought processes. So many
factors go into how someone can read a comment.
If the person has a great experience with the topic you post, they will
likely have a great feeling after reading the comment. Sometimes they will even give it a like. If the person has a negative experience with
the topic you post, they can reply with a rant about how what you said is
wrong, stupid, or otherwise unlike. There is no way I may plan on how to write a
post that does not offend anyone. How
people read the post is out of my control.
I can control me.
When I post online, I try to use words and a tone that is
respectful. That is what I do. I am not the type of person to just go in on
a rude rant free for all, using words meant to hurt. That is just not what I do in person or
online. With the online support group post, I wrote
what I thought was helpful. I wanted to
let the anonymous profile person know there are products to buy and take along
with him to make his trip as enjoyable as possible. I stand by my words, my intention, and my
ability to help a fellow healthcare worker.
I enjoy reading posts, comments, and replying with my
thoughts.
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