superintendent. As we move through these roles, because the impact of our decisions widens, so does our exposure and the poten- tial for those around us to disagree expands in a seemingly exponential manner. With the advent and wide use of social


media and Web 2.0 accessibility, daily rou- tine activities of school leaders can quickly turn into very different situations. What seemed like a good decision today can run through the network of communication venues in a manner that takes on a life of its own – a life that often is not rooted in the truth, kindness or respect for others. One widely used communication venue


that has emerged in recent years is blogs. Many are connected with local newspapers or focused leadership factions in our com- munities, platforms whereby readers can express their views. Sometimes the blogs morph from articles contained in the local publications into cesspools of negativity and misinformation. It’s challenging to go from the happy-go-


lucky principal who was everyone’s buddy to the destroyer of hope when releasing that probationary teacher you know just isn’t going to cut it, or the superintendent who has to close schools due to declining enroll- ment. But the sheer nature of blogs and the ability anyone has to chime in, often anony- mously, puts school leaders in a quandary.


Wait a minute – I didn’t say that! Eventually, as leaders, we all do our time


in the barrel. We endure some level of un- pleasantness based on a tough decision we had to make that unfortunately did not meet with 100 percent approval. A community’s ability to express disapproval, now through the use of social media, including the blogo- sphere, can magnify decisions to a level that is not commensurate with the situation, the decision or the outcome. Online dialogues through blogs can take


on a life of their own, and sometimes this life is not a pleasant one as some people, unfor- tunately, can be downright mean. Further challenges include the sharing of conversa- tions you didn’t have with others, comments you didn’t make, rationale you didn’t pro- vide, and a level of sanctioned cyber-bully- ing that we commit our time to protect stu-


What to do if you’re the focus of a negative blog I


f you are the unfortunate target of a negative blog, take heart; you are certainly not alone, and you will survive. A


few tips to consider: 1. Don’t overreact: Consider the 10-10-10 rule: will the


contents of the blog matter in 10 hours, 10 months or 10 years? Chances are, no. The half-life of any gossipy blog, like most news stories, is short-lived, and count your blessings if


it runs on a Friday when parents are busier than other days and may not have a chance to keep up.


2. Don’t take it personally: The blogs are rarely about you, but about someone’s


reaction to the situation or outcome of the decision you might have had to make, which most often is a reflection of their own personal negative experience with school. There is a book that may apply in this situation: “What you Think of Me is None of My Business.”


3. Don’t read them: If at all possible, don’t read the negative blogs. They will only


make you feel worse. Repeat after us: “I will not read the blogs. I will not read the blogs.” Anyone can say anything and some can be hurtful, so why read them? Turn to friends and family and keep your focus positive.


4. Don’t respond: Whatever you do, don’t respond. Best to go Zen on this stuff


and simply let it go. Imagine yourself letting go of a rope that you have been pulling against. Feel the energy move away from you as you move on to bigger and better things. Responding to the blogs gives them more energy and more resistance. Let go of the rope.


5. Be true to your principles: Negative blogs can actually provide you with an op-


portunity to reflect on, and stay true to, your values, those guiding principles that keep you centered as you navigate the sometimes-turbulent waters of educational leadership.


– Lisa Gonzales, Charles Young and Gretchen Shipley


dents from, but from which we can seldom protect ourselves. If your name pops up and you become


the focus of a discussion that makes you out to be the greatest of all villains, take heart. You are not alone and you can survive. Naturally, your first reaction to a negative


portrait of what you thought was a darned good decision or program implementation might be stunned disbelief: “Wait a minute, I didn’t say or do that,” or “Is that me they are really talking about?” or “Uh oh, my ca- reer is over, as I am now the laughing stock of Not So Pleasant Valley, America.” These are normal human reactions.


They can also be followed by feelings of fear, sadness and anger. You might find your- self longing for the job you wished you had taken, the one before you decided to become


an educator. You might find yourself want- ing to jump in your car and just drive away, or longing for an extended walk on some secluded beach in Brazil. While the experi- ence of being negatively blogged can be very hurtful, there is hope and a way through the painful feelings of the moment.


Now what? The psychology behind blogs The blogosphere is, in effect, the new


lingua franca of our media-rich world. The proliferation of online, real-time, and the- world-never-sleeps communication op- portunities are the new grocery store lines, parking lot conversations, soccer field dis- courses. They provide an unlimited venue for society to talk to itself about anything and everything ... and the conversation never ends, nor is there a limit of potential


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