Comments at 1am

I spotted these comments this morning. At first, I thought the first comment had been made by a mate being silly; until they started making sarcastic comments about my husband. This is not something that my friends would do. Not even tongue in cheek.

The second comment about my blog being "dreadful, egotistical, self-serving dirge" made a clear statement about the true tone of the first. Just to ensure that they were clear R/regarm then made their final comment which affirmed the nature of the original post.

The first question I had was who had written such a thing? Perhaps, I thought it was someone who had just stumbled upon the blog and had had too much to drink? Being the nerd i am I always track all users on my websites, this helps me to evaluate who reads what; particularly on my business sites. I developed this skill through playing with the code on this blog. As such I am able to see who was online at 12:46, 12:51 and 12:53, where they were in the world (down to a few miles) and how they stumbled upon the site in the first place.

This made things more interesting...

You see someone who stumbled upon the blog wouldn't have gotten to it by typing in it's actual address. You have to have either clicked a link I or someone else have created elsewhere (a site referral would be logged in this case) or know/be told the address by someone (who would know me). At times, you see, people might do a Google search for something I have blogged on (usually a place I have travelled to) and google will direct them here; this would be a person who did not know me or this blog. The person commenting on the post below though obviously knows me or at least the site as they came to it by typing in the address.

I say person because, although there are two names in the comments, both of them came from the same IP Address so we're looking at a couple of people sat in front of the same PC at 1am writing.

Most would have advised me to delete the comments, to ignore them. One actual friend reminded me that they must be strange and bitter people who are unhappy with their own lives to have written something like that; particularly if they do know me. However, by writing a public blog I do open myself for such criticism and, apparently, even for attack.

I am reminded however of the assembly I witnessed last week on cyber bullying. This was aimed at children... It made the obvious point of how much easier it is to be nasty when hiding under a pseudonym. That it takes real guts, and perhaps acceptance of consequence, to say things to people's faces. That perhaps if you can't say things to someone's face (and face the consequences) you're cowardly; the traditional bully.

So regarm and trusp, thank you for your "comments". I don't think much of them however. You are misinformed and your apparent cowardice strikes me as childish. In truth, I hope the evidence pointing to the location is wrong, that you aren't on Virgin Media Broadband, on the Harborne server (to be precise) and that you don't know me at all.

My "pathetic blog" began as a means for me to vent my thoughts and frustrations. So yes, it can at times be self-serving - that's exactly what it was intended for. Now it has morphed into a place where i post about things that happen to me to my friends who live all over the world. I have NEVER "bragged about how much {my} house is worth" In fact I was merely recording my shock at losing over £20,000 grand in 10 months. Indeed, I can sympathise with others in such a predicament. As for my spelling? This 'egotistical' writer has never ever pretended to be perfect; not in any way. I am just a normal person, who has skills, interests, passions and flaws.

I hope you find this response satisfactory, being that you have checked back five times today to see the fruits of your labour.