A Boston doctor faced the jury of his peers to defend a medical malpractice law suit one day, and settled the next. His blogging brought him disappointment in an above-the-fold story in the Boston Globe.

If you want attention, above-the-fold on page one is your hope. If you want to avoid attention, above-the-fold on page one is your disappointment. The good doctor may be humbled by his blogging.

The blog is down, and presumably, this doctor’s comments cost his malpractice insurance company a sizable claim. The doctor wrote too much, joked about plaintiff attorneys, caught the juror’s dozing, and detailed his defense strategy.

During cross-examination, the plaintiff’s attorney asked if he authored the blog named for a small bug attached to dogs and cats. He admitted writing the blog.

Boston Globe reporter Jonathan Saltzman writes that the plaintiff’s attorney “…had telegraphed that she was ready to share (the doctor’s) blog - containing his unvarnished views of lawyers, jurors, and the legal process-with the jury. The next day the case was settled.” (Boston Globe, May 31, 2007).

No matter what you call your “My Space”, you (and I) are responsible for the gossip, slander, and demeaning comments written on that space. Hiding behind a pseudonym may be cute, but it does not keep you out of trouble when your words bitch instead of blog.

An ancient proverb says, “The person who keeps their tongue, keeps their life out of trouble.” Words wield wisdom, or words destroy character and reputation. This doctor’s reputation may remain intact, but he’s unlikely to write blog comments that increase his malpractice premiums.

“When the debate is over, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”
Socrates, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)