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Since I've started blogging again one thing I've struggled with is finding a balance between writing open, honest, genuine and interesting posts and while at the same time maintaining my own privacy and respecting the privacy of family & friends. Not to mention making all those great blogger connections! It's also really important to me to abide my confidentiality agreement that comes with my job. For the most part I think I'm finding my groove, some of it is instinct and other things I've picked up from other bloggers. I know what I'm comfortable sharing and if something feels like it's too much I go back and reword it before I hit publish.
The other day I came across a blog that totally blew me away as far as what they were sharing online...especially since I found the blog through a LinkedIn profile. I'm all for connecting and networking, if I blogged exclusively about summer camp or programming then I would totally have a link to my blog on my LinkedIn! But sometimes I blog about how much I love Vanilla Coke and Jesus. And sometimes I rant about being single. None of those things are particularly relevant to my professional life. When I clicked on the blog link I was expecting to read a blog full of interesting opinions and perspectives about volunteer work and experience working in non-profits, even a review blog would have made sense! Instead I spent an hour reading about relationship and friend drama. Exactly what employers look for when hiring, a person who airs their dirty laundry on the internet for all to see and makes no attempt to disguise themselves while doing it! Also featured was a photo of their drivers license complete with personal information!
Kind of blew my mind.
Like I said, I'm still figuring it out. Right now I don't have my Twitter connected to my blog (even though I do follow a few bloggers on Twitter), but it's something I've been considering lately. I already have a link to my Instagram and Pinterest, so I'm not entirely sure what the hold out is on Twitter. I still have those accounts locked because even though I accept 99.9% of Friend Requests there are still some I decline. I don't do it to be mean but if I don't recognize your name or can't easily identify you as a blogger or if it's clearly a spam account!
I think living with my parents inhibits my participating too, there are so many fun swaps and exchanges happening in the blog world, but I don't really want to explain to my parents why I'm getting packages from Florida. Heaven forbid somebody I know in real life start reading my blog! I've read about other bloggers' experiences with "coming out of the blogging closet" to their family and friends but I'm totally not there yet. Maybe someday, but not someday soon.
I don't really know where I was going with this post, it's just something I've been thinking about lately. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on things. How do you decide what to share on your blog or is it something you even think about? Do you have all your social media accounts connected to your blog, or separate accounts for the blog world and real life?
Kind of blew my mind.
Like I said, I'm still figuring it out. Right now I don't have my Twitter connected to my blog (even though I do follow a few bloggers on Twitter), but it's something I've been considering lately. I already have a link to my Instagram and Pinterest, so I'm not entirely sure what the hold out is on Twitter. I still have those accounts locked because even though I accept 99.9% of Friend Requests there are still some I decline. I don't do it to be mean but if I don't recognize your name or can't easily identify you as a blogger or if it's clearly a spam account!
I think living with my parents inhibits my participating too, there are so many fun swaps and exchanges happening in the blog world, but I don't really want to explain to my parents why I'm getting packages from Florida. Heaven forbid somebody I know in real life start reading my blog! I've read about other bloggers' experiences with "coming out of the blogging closet" to their family and friends but I'm totally not there yet. Maybe someday, but not someday soon.
I don't really know where I was going with this post, it's just something I've been thinking about lately. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on things. How do you decide what to share on your blog or is it something you even think about? Do you have all your social media accounts connected to your blog, or separate accounts for the blog world and real life?
I can't come out of the blogging closet either. My mom and I have a strained relationship as it is and she thinks I spend way too much time on my computer. Also, a lot of people from my church are very nosy and will find anything to gossip about so I keep my blog away fom people I know personally!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the package thing!
ReplyDeleteI live with my grandparents and am always worried about what they would think if I won things in giveaways or whatever.
I did win a few things awhile ago, I just passed it off as things that I bought.
I only have blog social media accounts. Personally, I'm just not that into it and never have been. Got rid of facebook long before I began blogging. So all my social media accounts are under my blog name. But, I tell all my friends about my blog and basically force them to read it and follow me. Even my mom reads it!
ReplyDeleteI have my social media accounts linked to my blog. I had my Facebook on there, but recently removed it. Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest... meh. If someone REALLY wants to figure out exactly who I am, me having links on my blog isn't going to make it that much easier. Savvy people can find whomever they want using the internet (I'm an excellent person-Googler :) ). If I was that concerned, I wouldn't have the accounts to begin with. BUT, to each her own
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to sharing my blog with others... my coworkers, family, and friends all know I have a blog. Some follow, some don't care. Meh. I just keep myself in check with what I write :)
You totally aren't alone in this!! I think we all struggle with this on a daily, or at least weekly, basis. I want to share how I'm doing and learning and growing as a wife and friend, but there's a line that I could easily cross by sharing too much about my husband or a friend. It's a weird balance, but it's not my place to share other people's business, you know?
ReplyDeleteSo I feel you, Donna!! And with social media and real life people knowing about my blog.. it was kind of inevitable, so I just let it happen. I try to be careful about what I write because I know friends and family read it (and complete strangers lol!), so I don't want to share too much. It's a constant discernment question with each new topic.