I'd like to bring up an issue that every person using a blog or publishing a book or doing any kind of writing they intend to make public has to face. How much personal stuff do I share with everyone? My email? My picture? Pictures of my family? News about my family? Do I talk about where I live?
Will my blog be about personal issues, writing issues or a combination? Are my friends on Facebook really people I have a personal connection to, or are they a community of writing professionals? Do we share personal news or only promote our writing?
Each of us has to make our own decisions about how much of ourselves we put out there. Some people maintain more than one blog, one professional and one more personal. I've made my blog mostly about my writing, but some personal issues sneak their way into my posts. My day job, my family and my daily activities are sometimes tied into my writing news and views.
I never bring up politics on my blog and seldom ever comment on someone's blog who does. It's not the kind of debate you can host without angering someone.
So how personal is your social networking? Do you give a lot of your personal info out or keep most of it private? Do you dip your toe in the boiling water of politics or avoid it?
25 comments:
Thank you - it is an interesting & thought provoking post. As an anonymous blogger I certainly hold some details back, but on the other hand I will often go places where other would rather not tread!
I'm very selective of what I reveal.
I've stopped following (and reading) certain authors who feel they have to get it all out there.
There are some I peeps I keep at arms length. Some are better kept as business friends.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
I am sensitive as to what I include about my personal life on my blog and on FaceBook. I remind myself that I don't live in a vacuum and that I have the potential to hurt others I love if I write too much of a personal nature online, so I choose not to.
Uh, politics. It seems that people are one extreme or the other, no middle ground.
I avoid politics. That's my hard and fast rule. And I have several email addresses that are given out depending on the situation.
I purposely don't talk about politics in any of my social media. It is the one thing I stay away from. In my writing, I use a lot of my own experiences and details. And, my critique partner called me on one of these details and I got offended. It was actually something that happen to me. So, I am more weary of doing that in the future at least I will avoid getting my feelings hurt.
I think it's important to keep a good balance. Sometimes I'm shocked with how much people reveal. But everyone is different... Great topic. :)
I avoid politics and religion. I have tried to keep my geographical location general in that I post the state. I signed up for a post office box this week to help keep my address more private.
Readers and people in general like to see photos. I have a grown son who had been seen in photos with me, but I would post pics of a young child.
You've probably guessed that I'm rather private. Promised my wife our life would never become crazy. But I do talk about the things I enjoy.
I'll share photos and some personal stuff. Since I travel a lot as a speaker, I don't reveal my exact location though. Don't want weirdos showing up on my doorstep.
I get a little personal. Sometimes it is hard to avoid. My husband helps me write so much of my stories (giving ideas, suggestions, etc.) that I can't not mention him. I do have family I'm connected with on Facebook, so I'm more open there. But my blog and Twitter are more about writing and promoting other authors. While some stuff does slip through, there's no harm in it. I feel that sometimes new writers like to know you are only human as well.
As for politics? I avoid discussing that, along with religion, like the plague!
Politic, religion (for the most part), controversial social issues - for the most part I leave those alone. But I love to mention the grandkids, the dog, and other various family members as the occasion arises.
I think it's tricky when deciding what to say and what not to say. I talk a lot about writing and some about my family. I avoid politics and other touchy subjects too. I don't want those sorts of debates on my blog.
I don't like posting about anything personal, unless it's something I can remain anonymous about. I very rarely post photographs, since that's not what my blog's about.
I don't mind politics on blogs and I've posted about it myself in the past. I think it's interesting to find out what people's perspectives are, even if I disagree with those perspectives.
I am one of those people that live pretty much like an open book, crazy nowadays maybe, but I have a hard time separating my writing identity from the real me. It's easier I suppose since my daughters are adults and my husband and I are all over the globe and rarely sit still long enough for someone to catch up with us. But it's very important to always be safe. I keep a lot of things separate only because hubs doesn't totally heart my half naked men! LOL
I strive to be honest and be myself, but I also don't talk religion/politics/hot button issues. I don't put everything out there (say, photos of my children, etc.), but I do want people to know me.
Shannon at The Warrior Muse
after my son informed me and then proved to me, that privacy is so 80's...i began to reveal more.
My posts are usually very light but I also like to push the buttons sometimes too...
I'm very private and don't really like talking about myself. Subjects like politics and religion are highly sensitive... so I try to steer clear of those.
Since I wrote web content for The Mining Company (now About.com), BellaOnline.com and Suite101.com back in the mid-late 90's, my name has been in public for a while (although I remarried so now different).
When I started my first personal blog, I didn't hide my identity but I did use my nickname of Froggi Donna.
Now with 6+ blogs (and only one using a pen name), there are no secrets. I never post anything I wouldn't want a stranger (or family member) to read. Easiest that way.
I have 2 personal accounts - a Facebook and a LinkedIn. The rest of my social presences are blog related only. I try my best to keep the two separate, but it's very difficult to do so.
Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom
this is my dilemma as a writer--i am hardly ever truly 100% honest--and yep i do steer away from politics for sure :)
This is a huge insecurity these days. I don't do facebook at all. I tried it under a nickname and even that was awkward, so it didn't last. I'm pretty up-front on my blog, but have never named the company I work for, or my exact job. I also steer away from politics and religion, though I think those views can sneak in subtly. This is a nice discussion.
I stopped caring about what people think of me a long time ago so I post whatever I feel like at the time. So I'm not too concerned what I put out there.
I've tried limiting myself to certain topics, but then I found myself running out of ideas. So now I'm just posting what I feel like, and we'll see what the future holds.
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