I think a better and more pro-active approach is to completely own one's past. My blog goes all the way back to shitty poetry I wrote and delusional statements of grandeur I made when I was 15. As far as I'm concerned, all they indicate is that I've come a long since way since then.

That's not easy to do in retrospect - both because the technology may not have existed to do so (automated blogs), or the content may be scattered in many places (message boards, listservs, etc.).

Also, you may control the source, but not its dissemination. Once your stuff makes its way onto archive.org, removing it from your won blog won't make a difference.

I think he means 'own' in the sense that he openly acknowledges his past and isn't ashamed of it, not that he has control over the information itself.

Ah, you are right. I guess I didn't see that because I don't see that is in opposition to what I said.