Recently, there have been blog posts and notes on Facebook referring to "Ask Me Anything": a website called Formspring that allows users both anonymous and registered to ask people any question of their choosing. (You are not required to answer every question - although I imagine the purpose would be lost if you skipped all of the "juicy" questions!)
Cool concept. It got me thinking. For the most part, I am a pretty private person. Although the concept of "private" has definitely changed for me over the past year or so. I have shared my entire wedding planning experience. I have written about my health issues, squabbles with my mother-in-law, and private moments with my husband. I have let readers in on big chunks of my life.
Yet, I still hide behind a veil of some mystery. That's just the type of person I am. Even though I have relatively little to lose, I still find myself seeking a certain level of privacy.
Blogging can be a super fun, yet daunting activity. There's a trust issue there that can make you paranoid if you really think about it. Given that anyone can anonymously read a blog, you trust that your readers are good people, and not...well you know...bad people.
Do you feel your blog is an extension of your real life personality? Do you share a lot about yourself on your blog? Are there things you don't share? What's off limits?
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6 thoughts:
A co-worker once asked me if it was "okay" to read my blog. She said she felt as though it was like reading my diary. I assured her it wasn't as personal as she may believe. ;) As they say, "Still waters run deep." For everything that seems incredibly personal, there is always more going on. My blog doesn't really touch on any specifics of my dating life. For now, that's how I'll be keeping it. (Though I can't wait to annouce "THE ONE" when I'm sure I've found him. ;) ). I also keep family matters fairly close to the chest, as both my legal family and my biological family occasionally follow my blog.
I'm a pretty quite, reserved, and private person in real life but I am willing to share anything on my blog. The only things that are off-limits are:
1. Things that could potentially hurt my family
2. Things people have specifically asked me not to share
That being said, although I'm willing to share practically ANYTHING, I still have trouble thinking of things to write about!
I am pretty much my normal self on my blog. I don't put all my business out there because I just think that some things should be kept private. I hope that people feel that they know me.
My blog is such a teensy tiny view of who I am, things I think about and and what I do every day! I enjoy writing for it but I hope people don't think that's all I am because that would mean I was a pretty silly and boring person. :)
Great question. I just had the thought the other day that my blog is not truly all that reflective of me. It highlights some activities, but doesn't really convey my thoughts, opinions, beliefs (maybe it should). I cringe at over-sharing and am pretty private. A casual reader might glean that I'm pretty vapid, focused only on lifestyle, food, etc., which is fine.
Ohh good question! I am just starting my blog but I've already had to censor myself a few times. I know that one of my sisters-in-law reads it, and my husband's side of the family is Mormon. So far in our two and a half years of marriage, I haven't felt like I have to be DIFFERENT, but I definitely show them the best sides of me. So sometimes I censor my blog in the same way... don't talk about drinking, sex, use too much profanity.... all things that I reveal more when I'm around my non-Mormon family and friends. I know I will slowly have to get used to the idea of them seeing the "good" and "bad" sides of me eventually, but I hate the idea of them not thinking well of me, even for a minute.
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