A few bloggers have posted in the past couple days about how much a person’s true personality (or lackthereof) comes through in their blogging, and whether or not that makes them a good blogger.
I can’t say I have a concrete answer, but every blog on my blogroll is there because I read them and enjoy them. And all of the authors write with varying degrees of depth to their true person.
I’ll also share my personal philosophy about blogging: If I wouldn’t put it on a billboard, I wouldn’t put it on my blog. The last thing I want is to end up being dooced by my friends, family or job. Not to say that I advertise my blog – but I don’t hide it either. Most people at work know that I write and where to read it. I haven’t told my family, and I don’t think they read it, although it would be fine if they did.
I haven’t told my roommate the URL, and my only remaining blogging fear is that she find it and read the horrible things I’ve written about her. Not that it would bother me that much, but I haven’t said anything to her face yet, and it would be really rude of me if she just stumbled on my words out in cyberspace.
But I digress…. Back to why I do and don’t put certain things on my blog.
I’ve just found that real life is so much more important. If I post about something wonderful or meaningful or terrible online, it would be about a bazillion times cooler if someone phoned me or visited to share the experience in person. I’m trying to do that more, instead of just commenting on my friends’ blogs. Granted, I’ll still comment, and won’t always phone, because I’m a bit of a chicken with people I don’t have a firmly established friendship with. But I’m trying.
I’ve always been a bit of a social retard. Always more comfortable with communicating with people online than in real life. Always really afraid of rejection. Sure I went out, but that usually involved being intoxicated and acting like a bit of an ass. Then I’d go home and not feel super great about myself (although I’ve been told I was always a lot of fun).
I’m not sure what exactly changed – maybe I just grew up – but being a person, rather than a persona, is #1 on my priority list these days. And it’s impossible to be anything more than a persona online. The double dimensions of my written words are a poor substitute to the real life 3D me.
So I’ll continue to write here, because I enjoy it. And I’ll keep trying to be a good person and a better friend to everyone I know and meet.
And even though I still won’t put anything here that I wouldn’t put on a billboard, it doesn’t mean those things won’t get whispered to my closest girlfriends while we giggle over some wine. And you’re welcome to come along!
I came to a point just over a year ago when i decided that posting certain things on my website (where i had no control over who was reading what) really wasn’t in my best interest, so i ended up posting somewhere where i could control who read what i was saying.
Now i post almost nothing to my website, and post absolutely anything i feel like in the other place.
For me, it all boiled down to the pressure that other people put on me for what i might say publically, even though it would be something that i would say in person.
I’d rather write with the freedom of knowing that i’m writing for me, rather than an audience. It goes to the point where i print out entries i’ve written online and chronologically file them away in a binder. I want to be able to read these things once the internet is dead 😉
I’ve never used mine or my roommate’s full name on this blog. Googling myself doesn’t point here at all.
It is very easy for people to find out what you’ve written about them when you’re using their proper name. I’ve had three subjects of blog posts send e-mails or leave comments on my blog in response to what I’d written (fortunately, everything I had to say was positive and vice versa).
A lot of people are out there Googling their name on a regular basis.