If we continue down the slippery slope you’re sliding down, Meredith’s book blog links her to “American Libraries” and her blog is noted in her January article in AL (and I assume in future columns). In a post on her personal blog, she solicits input for the column. In fact, in the January article she asks readers to send success story ideas to a personal email address of hers, so I guess now *her* personal opinions expressed on any website also reflect on ALA. Nice. Hey, Meredith – maybe we should consider this whole thing an internal disagreement and the rest of them are just interlopers! :-p

Seriously though, Meredith, you never asked to post about what I said to you in private email, and I certainly didn’t give you permission. I can’t believe I have to say this, but please don’t do that again. It’s common courtesy to ask permission before doing something like that. If you plan to continue doing this, you should at least note it on your sites so that your readers are forewarned (see Dorothea’s blog for an example).

Meredith, I appreciate your words and your actions, and I reiterate that you are certainly not responsible in any way, shape, or form for mine. It’s quite brave of you to maintain an open forum where matters can get out of hand. In future, I shall endeavor not to be at the bottom of the pile.

Things sometimes get murky in the professional/personal realm even when we try to keep them separate. I have gotten comments from a staff member, a faculty member and one student regarding my blog posts (all positive fortunately!) though I had never pointed them to my blog. I know it’s not the same, but I’m just saying…

Dorothea and Mark, you shouldn’t feel responsible for anything. You’re both good people with minds of your own and I admire how you stand by your beliefs even when they are unpopular.

“The ALA Washington Office and ALA as a whole are determining what services our members would like us to provide in this online environment. What would you like to see from ALA and/or the Washington Office on Second Life? Please leave any suggestions using the comment link below, at the Shifted Librarian Blog or join me “in world.”"

http://blogs.ala.org/districtdispatch.php?title=title_25&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

I am not going to claim to be the arbiter of when the line is crossed from personal to professional, but when an official ALA blog asks for feedback on ALA business at either itself or the personal blog of one of its employees … well, some line has been crossed.

Believe me, I am not trying to prolong any of this and I, too, wish it hadn’t happened. If one were to look around the blogosphere closely they might find that I, in fact, feel somewhat responsible. That is, of course, fairly silly, but nonetheless I do since your post was partially in response to me.

But the fact remains, an official organ of ALA has asked for feedback on the personal blog of one of its employees. I’ll leave it to my betters to tell me what line has been crossed. All I can say is isn’t as simple as you have graciously tried to make it.