From Jessica Hagy’s blog (and soon to be book) - Indexed.

Seth Godin wonders:

In a world where twitter and facebook and blogs can spread an idea around the world in a few seconds, how do you have a conversation with someone in confidence?

I hadn’t really really thought about it until a few weeks ago when the contents of one of my emails (one I thought was private) found its way into a blog post.

Seth proposes that we include “NFYB” (Not For Your Blog) in emails that we want to remain private. While I like the idea, unless it finds widespread usage, the acronym is a bit clumsy.

I saw the following footer the other day on a listserv that I am on that I thought hit the mark.

This e-mail is [ ] bloggable [x] ask first [ ] private

I like the third category here that Seth NFYB doesn’t address, namely, that I wouldn’t mind certain people blogging the contents of a private email if I trust them and/or have talked to them about what they intend to blog.

Either way, I think it is a fascinating point that will only become more important in the future. Until shared cultural norms are in place, being explicit about the intended audience of your emails cannot hurt.