Stalking Feeds

Been so obsessed with Armory and WoW-heroes recently =X

Here's a screenshot of mine

It's so addicting with the new activity feed! Satisfying my stalker urges.

You have people you like to keep tabs on?

Ferraro Revealed!

Many of you probably know of Ferraro, author of blog Paladin Schmaladin. There was a lot of drama surrounding that site as it became known that Ferraro had been posting pics of another person without permission and passing it off as themselves. Then when confronted about it, Ferraro admitted to the farce and then further revealed that she/he was the 7th in a long line of Ferraro's ala the Dread Pirate Roberts in the Princess Bride (book/movie), which is also debated if that is true. This is a rough summary and I'm sure I missed many details of the whole debacle.

The Ferraro facade, TechDarling

So basically, all this drama caused so much controversy but Ferraro continues to blog (after coming back from quitting blogging when the drama broke out) as well as adding more bloggers on board his/her site. I'm sure many paladins have been helped out by his/her website, much as I have been too. Ferraro is a prolific blogger and is intensely interested in the paladin class as proven by the many varied posts on the blog.

As an anonymous blogger myself, I wouldn't want to out any one that chooses to blog anonymously. However, Ferraro has chosen to out him/her self.

I have no clue how long this has been up but I guess since WoW Armory was revamped as there is now an armory link for a holy paladin on the side, which I assume is Ferraro #7 =P

I am not sure why Ferraro has decided to do this now and apparently, without much fanfare or comment from his/her readers. It just makes me curious.

Anonymity as a WoW Blogger

Everyone seems to be blogging about a certain scandal about a certain paladin blogger. I'll give you a hint - it's not me. I'm going to assume everyone knows what I am talking about as it is the talk of the WoW blogosphere right now. I am not going to pass judgment or talk about the scandal.

Instead, I want to talk about how I present myself on the internet.

As all of my precious readers know, I am basically anonymous on this blog. I really don't think I've slipped up much or dropped many hints at all as to the name of my WoW character, server or guild. I really really strive to be anonymous. This is in direct opposition to all other WoW blogs I have encountered so far.

Why is it important that WoW bloggers identify themselves and present themselves honestly? Is there a stigma to being anonymous?

I find there to be much more benefit being an anonymous blogger compared to being out there in the open. Though there are drawbacks to both methods of course.

I. Advantages of Anonymous Blogging

• No trolls can find you on your server
• You can speak honestly without retribution from people that may follow you on your server and know exactly who or what you are speaking about, thus avoiding e-drama
  
• Your real life information will be harder to discover unless you, yourself, volunteer said information
• You will not be subject to "lol @ your arena" or "lol @ your gear" comments people tend to get when they post on their mains in the WoW forums
  

II. Disadvantages of Anonymous Blogging

• Anonymous or not, there will be trolls or disrespectful fools
  
• People may think you are talking out your ass - "post on your main" syndrome
• You have to be careful and censor yourself or you might drop too many clues
• You can't tell your friends about your blog unless you really trust them
  

I guess this is my choice to make and I hope all of you respect my need for anonymity even if you disagree with the reasons for it. So far, I've been pretty happy about my choice and maybe in the future I may reveal myself but I don't think that is likely.