Oops

So the blogosphere thing can be tricky.

As I am finding with business, there is no longer anything that a company can call "internal." For once a memo goes out, once a new product is planned, once an idea is articulated, it somehow finds its way into the ether.

The notion of "where there's smoke" there's fire is true. If a reporter calls asking about a rumor, chances are there is some element of truth to it. So while I was getting calls about a magazine being sold or a CEO retiring, behind the scenes, these things were really happening. In front of the scenes, I had deniability because I HAD NO CLUE.

Today, however, there is a new transparency. Nothing happens behind the scenes anymore. With blogs, a newsmedia that runs news as it happens (and sometimes before it happens), we are all subject to exposure.

I got exposed yesterday. I monitor an industry blog and on occasion, I will comment on a post. I do this under a nom de guerre. But in yesterday's post - which was very innocuous and thankfully did not call out a client -- I signed the stupid post "Toni."

Not sure now what to do. There are a lot of Toni's out there, but if I'm monitoring those blogs, I know a lot of other people are as well. I'm just waiting for someone to tell me they saw my post.

The lesson? Just like there's no more transparency in business or life - there really is no anonymity. Sooner or later, you are exposed.

UPDATE: Nailed! Just got asked by a friend if I was "Toni" on the already mentioned Blog. Things move in superhigh speed online.