How do you draw the line between enforcing your views publicly and sharing them? What constitutes being responsible for what you're blogging or commenting? Is apologizing because you've offended a reader for stating your beliefs publicly being responsible? Maybe we should just be sorry that we have any opinion at all. Or that we live in a world where we experience life in our own way. Would you apologize for something you didn't imply, but your reader has perceived differently?

I believe that before blogs, before interactivity of the media and reader, the same scenarios would have happened in any era. The only "benefit", if you could call it so, to MSM is their detachment and professionalism. Blogs, depending on its category, can be personal writings. Sometimes even akin to books, I'd say. When an author writes a biography or fiction based on fact, isn't he writing based on his experiences or observations and sharing it publicly? Have they been accused for not correctly portraying events, facts? Of course. However today, the magnitude of it in the form of blogs would probably be ten times that. Don't quote me on this though, because I'm no expert. I'm just rationalizing the difference being that a book author doesn't need to deal with daily anonymous or pseudonym based comments, like blog writers do.

Maybe to show how responsible I am with my blog, I should just publicly say,

I'm sorry I have an opinion that's different to yours. Or, I'm sorry you didn't understand what I wrote.

Fact is, I'm trying hard to eloquently explain myself and my thoughts in my entries, every time. They are personal thoughts, questions and ideas sometimes shared emotionally, thoughtfully or at random, albeit publicly. If I had meant something, I would have said it up front.

I've learnt and still am learning how my blog has become an extension of my life as I realize that those reading include my mother, father, brother, partner and very close friends. So to say that I'm not being responsible, while being aware that these people I love are sharing my thoughts and I am a reflection of who they are, I'll tell you - I respect your opinion, but I won't go out of my way to change it.