Musing on Notoriety

As it says at the top, this blog comprises my views from my perspective in Mensa. I think I have some interesting perspectives: I'm a national officer, and have been for 5 years now. I'm on a bazillion committees and one of the most active, out-spoken, communicative, my-gawd-she's-everywhere members of the AMC. Plus I'm still one of the uber volunteers in my Local Group.

I'm also a member, a peer, and just as opinionated as other Mensans.

One of the  great things about having a personal blog not hosted by anything connected to Mensa is that I get to make my own guidelines about what and how I write. When I'm being complimentary, I feel free to use surnames unless I happen to know the person would be uncomfortable with that. When I'm being feisty, I usually use initials or first names. I figure those in-the-know will know, and those not in-the-know will be able to get the gist of the article without knowing the specific identities of the characters. It seems to me a fair middle-ground approach for the Internet.

On the other hand, I read members' posts about me frequently, calling me out by full name, denigrating my actions and guessing my motivations. I read things that are twisted half-truths and some that are total fabrications. I even endured reading one member complaining about how fat I looked on camera (yes, true, but how many other members have to endure being called that on a message board read by hundreds?).

Are there some Mensa characters who are so prominent that they have relinquished their right to privacy? Is it only officers? What about former officers? Or people who post prolifically in many online communities? How is one to know when that line is crossed? What is notoriety in Mensa? What are the rules for how in-the-spotlight members are treated by other Mensans? What are the rules about how those well-known Mensans must treat other members, even when they're being mean?