Mark Gardner asked me on twitter the other day why I wrote this article without specifically naming any names. I realized my reasoning here is probably worth sharing and elaborating if the question needs to be asked.

A lot of people would naturally think most of the post was about the perl community given that's sort of what this series of posts has been about up to this point. While it does indeed apply in large part, it's far from the only place I've seen these phenomena, and a general treatment will naturally be more useful. I've also personally "been the bad guy" here myself, so I can't throw the first stone.

People don't usually read blogs because they're useful. It's all about getting engagement these days which gets down to the more important reason to not "name names" unless the situation described is already well understood in the public. When you do, your brand immediately becomes pro wrestling and you're either gonna be a heel or a face.

This is also why calumny is considered sinful, as it provokes strong emotions which tend to make people do things they regret. When you decide to participate in an online kayfabe, don't be shocked when you get the wrong kind of followers. Sometimes the drooling fans are more annoying than the online lynch mob.

Beefin' is generally not what you want to see from a professional offering actual goods or services. Do you want to sell software and services, or entertainment? You generally don't get to do the same within one brand. There's a reason my political/entertainment persona online is quite separated from my professional. While I don't try to hide that it exists, the degree of separation is an important signal that you can, in fact, control yourself when it comes to what's actually important -- making an upright living through service to others.

A lot of this first year of entrepreneurship has been de-programming myself and unlearning bad corporate habits I didn't even know I had. Much of my content up to now has been little more than sharing my journey. It's been useful to some people, but nowhere near as useful as my actual skill set has been to my clients. Sure feels good to write though.