It’s been really hard to balance having a public blog up-to-date and still keep my personal life private. After all, plenty of my posts are kind of personal and I’ll tell you something – I really enjoy writing these posts.
And I’ll tell you something else… many, many visits on my site are in that category.
People like to creep me and my life (and that’s okay with me because I get to choose what to blog about). A rule of thumb I’ve had for myself is that if it’s a little more than “kind of personal”, it probably belongs in my private journal. And this method has worked for me quite well. But the balance of keeping your personal life private vs. still blog about your life is an issue I’ve been thinking about a lot lately as I started to get more viewers on this blog (and I thank you very much!).
I reached a turning point last night when I received an email from a reader and he said that he wished I could be more personable on my blog and be my candid self (not in so many words, though). I guess for this reason he said that he thinks I’m quite fake sometimes. He elaborated by saying that he didn’t think I should exclude my nights of “partying” from my blog. “Why don’t you have any party pictures? I know you go out (….),” he said. Ok, bear with me and try to ignore the creepy factor of that line.
Hmm…
I wasn’t offended. I wasn’t mad. This person doesn’t know me personally, and if he did he’d know just how incredibly real I am (Oh man, now I sound like one of those people boasting about how real they are. Forgiveness, please).
Sometimes I feel a little sad that I can’t share more personal things with my readers. Just sometimes. Most of the time, I am glad that only a special few really know who I am. Although I commend the many bloggers who go above and beyond to give us the tmi of their lives, I just can’t be 100% comfortable with it.
So, question if you’re a blogger:
Bloggers, how do you deal with keeping the balance between your personal life and blogging? Obviously it depends on your blog; I’d imagine business bloggers, or those with a niche, can provide an easier answer than those who do “lifestyle”.
Please let me know in the comments or email me.
Thank you!
Mr Epidemiology
March 9, 2012I think your tone and language can set the difference between a formal blog and a laid back personal blog. I like to use lay language and colloquialisms in my writing to be accessible, but I’m not going to write about my weekend or my personal life because that’s just not within the scope of my blog (and most of my readers won’t care). And I’ll link to the Old Spice videos if I want because I think they’re hilarious (even if they’re not about Epidemiology).
For what it’s worth, I’ve found your blog interesting and fun. I never got a “fake” vibe, but that’s me. And at the end of the day, it’s your blog. You can write about whatever you want, however you want. That’s the joy of the internet and blogging!
Maria
March 9, 2012Thanks for saying that! Appreciate it 🙂
You’re right though, the joy of Internet and blogging really is the freedom to do and write whatever I want. This person that emailed me will have to find some other girl’s blog with party pictures because I don’t think that’s appropriate content for mine.
seanbailey
March 9, 2012I don’t really write about my personal life on my blog, but on the occasion when I do, I notice that I get a lot more visits. People love reading content that’s personal. You write about personal things, but just because you’re excluding stories, doesn’t make you fake. Personally, I’d never post a personal story that I know could affect someone, just so I could get more views, which is why I steer away from it for the most part and stick to my opinions on things like movies, books, news, etc.
Maria
March 9, 2012It’s true — people love personal content. I guess that’s also why Facebook creeping is a huge hobby these days. I think that’s what motivated this person into emailing me, now that I think about it.
And I agree excluding stories doesn’t make anyone fake, it’s just a result of being selective with content.
Marcin
March 9, 2012I think that due to the expansion of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and blogs, many people expect to see those drunk photo’s of ourselves and to read up on how we got into a fight with someone and think that their idiots. Those tweets and posts are always fun when you are bored, but it also says a lot about the individual posting them. They’re unaware that these same tools can be used against them by professionals (businesses) when considering employment or other avenues.
I know that hasn’t answered your question but I think you know where I was going. You are not fake just because you don’t post private things about your life. Fake people, are those who will agree to something publicly but do not follow through later on. For example, if you agree to meet with a twitter follower on your public timeline or perhaps through DM, but then never actually follow through. That is being fake, and I can tell you that there are many people that do that.
Keep what you want private, if you choose to share something that excites you and you wish the rest of the world to be a part of, then do so. Don’t let others dictate what is right and wrong. It is after all YOUR blog.
Have a great weekend 🙂
Maria
March 9, 2012That first part of your comment really hits the nail on the head with a hammer (…? or however the saying goes haha). With agreeing to meet someone in person and never following through, it sucks but maybe they just don’t have time? I know there’s a few people I definitely owe a coffee to! But I guess you’d be able to figure out which ones are “fake” and which are genuinely crammed for time. Thanks Marcin!
Alexis
March 9, 2012I basically just post what I want, when I want. There’s a lot more stuff I wish I could post but sometimes I just have no time. I wish I could just take on blogging as a full-time job!
At one point, when I bought my domain name and posted about it, I got a comment that asked why I bought one if I hardly even posted. I didn’t let that get to me because I’m essentially blogging for myself, and if someone wants to read it, it’s because they want to. Buying a domain will make it easier for those readers to visit my blog, and of course, for me as well.
But then again, it differs depending on what your blog is about.
I recently read this article on a popular blogger in the US (whose name presently escapes me, sorry!) who was the guest speaker at a social media event. She admitted that she realized she is more ‘active’ when she’s online and a bit more reserved in person. Online she’s like “HI!” and offline she’s more like “hi”. She also said that her online personality (as shown through her posts) does not always relay to her everyday offline life–she gets angry at things, upset, etc., but she doesn’t necessarily blog about it.
So the comment about you being ‘fake’.. I think that would only apply if you now start sharing said ‘party photos’ on your blog. You’ve been choosing what and what not to blog about in the first place for whatever reason, and that’s what makes this blog you 🙂
Maria
March 9, 2012Haha I would be very selective if I had to blog full-time – it’s a lot of work!
I LOVE that example (HI! vs. hi) – and of course! Who wants to blog about the negative things they experienced today? Not me. Your blog can never reflect who you are 100% and maybe I lost sight of that when I was deciphering this email…
Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate you took the time to write the “novel”! And I can pretty much guarantee you there will not be “party” photos on this blog 😉
Alexis
March 10, 2012‘Your blog can never reflect who you are 100%’ Exactly!
At times when I’d wish I had more visitors on my blog, I lose sight of why I started it in the first place, just like you said when you were reading the email. Only thing really is to stay true to ourselves and… post what we want! 🙂
Crystal
March 24, 2013I think just because there is a sea of lifestyle bloggers out there who are happy to share every intimate detail of their life, doesn’t mean every blogger should. It’s whatever you are comfortable with (we all know those people who like to share everything with everyone ;p).