Writing was the driving force behind my initial obsession with the Internet. I saw the WorldWide Web as a gateway to meeting kindred spirits, to publishing opportunities, and to finding an audience. The Web definitely became all that to me - and more.
So, it was probably no surprise that I was an “early adopter” of all things blogging. Long before people thought of weblogs as an opportunity to enrich one’s professional life or to make money online, it has always been a tool that I used to communicate on a personal level. Not just with friends and family who live in different countries, but as a way to connect with people who share similar interests.
And, I presented myself in my blog in such a way that I would in real life: Open, but cautious.
As my ‘real life’ world and online world began to become more and more blended, I found that things have started to change. I have become more cautious than open.
In fact, some of the things that I did in the last 3 to 4 years included:
1) Deleting all my early blog entries online (from year 2000 to 2004) - and just keeping a copy of hundreds of posts in my computer.
2) Putting part of my personal blog on private (password-protected) mode. Only a handful of people know how to get there.*
3) Minimising posting photos of my family in my public blogs. And, avoiding blogging about them in a really personal manner.
While I do miss being more open in my personal blog, I’m now thinking that pushing forward a more ‘professional tone’ is the way to go.
But, I’m not sure. I don’t want to alienate people, but at the same time, I’m seriously considering the repercussions of personal blogging.
What do you think? Do you have a personal blog? How personal do you get in your blog? What are your rules, guidelines and considerations?
Have you ever been attacked on a personal level online? How did you deal with it?
And, ultimately, what do you get from personal blogging?
*If you’re a long-time friend who never got my note on this, please feel free to email me privately for the password. Thanks.
Technorati Tags: bloggers, blogging, online culture, weblogs
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Kari 09.11.07 at 3:46 pm
I had a one time friend turned cyber stalker on me. She would visit my blog dozens of times per day and obsess by analyzing things to anyone who would listen. I changed my blog domain, but then it carried over into real life. She would drive by my work and home constantly. I finally had to get a restraining order against her to get some peace and quiet. I’ve never had this problem with the ’strangers’ that read my blog. Just the one I knew in real life. I suppose it’s more about how much a person is willing to put up with. I never say anything in my blog that I intend on keeping private. If I must vent, it’s in a password protected entry.
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Jura-Capresso 09.11.07 at 10:53 pm
I have never been attacked on my personal level online and don’t want that it can happen
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Jon Y 09.12.07 at 6:13 am
I agree. I’m very careful to never put personal or family info on the web. I think the most I’ve done is the LinkedIn profile .
Definitely agree that there should be privacy limits on the term ‘open web’.
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Shai Coggins 09.12.07 at 5:50 pm
Kari: Sounds awful. Hope that never happens again. Strange indeed that it was someone you know in real life, huh?
Jura: Absolutely. But, unfortunately, it DOES happen.
Jon: It is interesting how this comes up isn’t it? We’re all ‘more open’… and then not. :-p I guess, we all just have to exercise some kind of ’street smarts’ online.
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notsquare 09.13.07 at 4:08 am
when it comes to being conscious on privacy in my blog, i am not very consistent…
also i sometimes use real names of friends and of my fiance. hehe 
but so far no untoward incident has come out of it, thank gawd. and i hope it remains that way! 
oh well. yes once in a while i have recieved comments wherein total strangers have totally lambasted me. but since i dont know them, i also dont give a damn on what they say.
my blog is not for family consumption, its really for my online friends. thus i also do not use my real name, but most of my online friends are now real life friends, so sometimes when they comment they refer to me with my real name, hehe
its nice too though that my online friends and real frineds are still open enough to be honest to me. they just know how to properly say it online, and i am very thankful for that!
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Kat 09.13.07 at 5:08 am
I try not to post anything that I wouldn’t want my in-laws to read! *lol* And I’m stingy with photos of people. Actually, I’ve had to ask a couple of friends to take down photos of my kids because they were accompanied by personal info. On one hand, I get paranoid, and on the other, I figure if Dooce can live with people knowing who she is then I shouldn’t worry too much.
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