I was just thinking this morning about the various levels of candor I employ when I think something potentially offensive and consider talking about it, stated as the questions I ask myself. (The calculation is different if privacy is the issue.)

  1. Would I say it on my blog?
  2. Would I say it in front of my grandmother?
  3. Would I say it on Twitter?
  4. Would I say it at an all hands meeting at work?
  5. Would I say it in email?
  6. Would I say it to my mother?
  7. Would I say it to the coworkers who I know well?
  8. Would I say it to my close friends (in front of their spouses who I know less well)?
  9. Would I instant message it to a close friend?
  10. Would I say it to my close friends?
  11. Would I say it to my wife?

You can infer from this that I am not as funny on my blog as I am in other settings. The other thing you can deduce from that list is that I’m a bit cautious about what I say when it’s going to live forever on a hard drive somewhere.