Step Up to the Roundtable...If You Dare

I originally envisioned this blog as a place for potential future employers to view my writing samples, so I chose to use my name for my blog's URL address as I thought that appeared more professional. My blog has since taken a more personal, casual path, still writing as best I can about my interests but without holding myself to any restrictive "rules." Looking back on it, whether professional or personal, I didn't really have to use my real name.

On the other hand, I'm always slightly perterbed by "anonymous" comments and bloggers. It's just too easy. Isn't part of being an adult being accountable for your actions? Granted, even non-anonymous commentators usually just use funky, weird names instead of their real ones. I never thought I'd have to worry about attaching my name to my writing, but now I kind of envy the freedom anonymous writers have to say anything they want. Not that I'd go around writing about torturing kittens, but still...

I started thinking about this responsibility more in the past month for two reasons. First, I had my own personal experiences with this blog that made me question my own actions as well as those of others, which made me wonder: should I take advantage of the blogosphere's lax rules on identity? Is it too late and, therefore, should I just stick with what I'm doing? Second, in some small way, the James Frey chaos almost mirrored my own predicament regarding personal choices and documenting experiences, opening up a debate that is still continuing all over the web.

Writing on the Internet, it's easy to say whatever you want about whomever you want. Identity, confrontation and accountability are all thrown up in the air. But what if that person showed up at your door? Would you have the guts to tell them to their face?

Which leads me to my two-part Roundtable discussion:

If you could say whatever you wanted to someone face-to-face, with a guarantee that you would receive no negative reaction whatsoever, what would you say and to whom?

And, since there's no consequence to your actions, would you choose to remain anonymous (your identity would be protected) when you told them?

Would you talk to a famous actor? Athlete? Musician? Maybe a scientist? Your next-door neighbor? Your mother?

Maybe you would inform Clint Eastwood that he didn't deserve to be nominated for Best Actor for Million Dollar Baby, or explain to Wendy Pepper that she shouldn't have been in the Top 3 at Fashion Week for Project Runway.

Would you tell Nicole Ritchie and Star Jones that, despite their books, they don't get to refer to themselves as "authors"?

Maybe it isn't something negative you want to get off your chest. Some people embarrass easily, and would therefore prefer to give compliments anonymously. Maybe you would tell Drew Barrymore that you want to lick chocolate off her toes, or inform your local barista that you look forward to his coffee every day.

The only caveat is that the Roundtable does not talk politics or religion, so please keep that in mind.

Basically, I'm handing you the microphone and the spotlight, only no one in the audience can throw tomatoes at you. Whether you reply anonymously, with some made-up name, or with your own, I'd love to hear how and what people would say if given the chance.