Bloggers, do you tell people you know that you blog?

[Valerie in Chicago]

I just started blogging last month. So far, only one other person outside of my husband knows that I'm doing this. And the one other person is the one who started me on it! She's a good friend from the gym who blogs and finds it a fun, creative outlet and resource.

I'm having fun and have encountered some new "cyber-friends." But I haven't told any other people who I encounter on a real-life, face-to-face basis. I think the reason is that I just like my privacy. I like that I can say whatever I want and not worry (too much, anyway) about embarrassing myself too badly. That might seem strange considering that it's not as if I've gotten all that edgy or anything.

Any other bloggers like this? Or do you use it as a way to stay in touch with friends/family? Kind of like a year-long Christmas letter? Or something in-between perhaps?

Just getting a feel for this whole thing........

[HiddenJewel]

I totally understand. I didn't at first but now I am posting a lot of picture of the family so my blog is the only way family and friends get to see them.

[Karen in CO]

My only real life friend that knows about my blog is about an hour away. We started posting to and reading each other's blogs after she quit coming to our co-op.

[nancypants]

If they strike me as the type that would care or might like that sort of thing I'll tell them.... or if it comes up in conversation. I don't generally bring it up. Several of my friends and all of my family read my blog. It's funny because I forget that they do because they rarely, if ever, comment. My Mom just got home from visiting my aunt and was telling me that my aunt was talking about how much she enjoys reading it.

[Tutor]

I started my blog as a way to keep friends and family up to date on our family, so I sent anyone I thought would be interested an email with the address and many began subscribing to receive updates. Then I began blogging about my thoughts on politics and religion, I wrote some poems, shared some dreams... it has been a wonderful outlet for me. A place to vent, a creative outlet. Since I tend to be shy face-to-face, even with my family (although not with my dh or kids), it has been a great way to open discussion with family and friends about topics that I may shy away from bringing up in person in daily conversation. One thing I don't do is talk about other people in my daily life without their consent or discussing a topic with them first (for example, I posted a couple times on a Sunday School class I attended where the pastor discussed the role of women in the church; I didn't agree with the pastor in many aspects and posted about where I disagreed, but I discussed this disagreement with my pastor before I posted. I wouldn't want someone reading my blog and going to him saying, "Do you know what she said about your class?" without him knowing what I would have said in advance. KWIM?)

Now I list my blog address in my signature here and in my email.

[gardenschooler]

I only told a few friends at first. I especially didn't want to tell my girls, as it's mostly about them! But dd13 saw me reading a blog and after seeing the author's pictures of her kids, asked me why I didn't do that with theirs. I had to show her that I already had.

Hopefully they won't read it! It's mostly boring curriculum stuff anyway, which is why I started it - no one will stand for that conversation for the upteenth time around this house. :) Most of it is me changing my mind about what we'll be using next year, lol.

I have given it to a few family members. It's not for that, though.

[Rachel]

I didn't go around telling people.......but I did put a link in my email signature line and figured whoever was interested would look.

Funny thing, my pastor is a daily visitor to my site.......even with some of the negatives I write.......he has been supportive! So I wouldn't be scared......just be yourself.

[Lorna in the boonies]

I did tell the two local ladies who encouraged me to start one, but I haven't told anyone else. My husband doesn't know. My mother doesn't know. My kids don't know. (Those two ladies, though, have linked me on their blogs, and several other people that I know IRL have come to my blog from their sites. So far, at least, all of those visitors have just been acquaintances, so it doesn't bother me too much.)

My main reason for blogging is to have *something* in my life that isn't an open book to the other four members of this household. I needed a little privacy (not that I'm posting any huge secrets -- it's pretty dull, actually).

[Plaid Dad]

Most of my friends know about and read my blog. There is one couple I have neglected to tell because we have had conflicts in the past over things I've written. My opinions haven't changed and neither have theirs, so rather than risk antagonizing them, I just haven't pointed them to the blog. I do read theirs.

[CLHCO]

I blogged for 3 years then dropped for two and at first I did but no one, except my mother-in-law, read it. Nope. Not one of my family had any real interest in anything I had to say. Perhaps it's because I live too close to any relatives who would care and it's just what my family is like. I might be like that too if they blogged. Who knows.

My parents are now living in a more southern state during the winter. I went ahead and started it up again so perhaps when they're away from my kids they will have an interest. I may have chased away my mother-in-law, whose political beliefs are pretty much opposite to mine ;) but I promised myself this is just light stuff on the blog this time.

One thing I learned blogging last time is that you need to be very careful who you invite to read your blog. You need to decide up front if you'll be saying things on your mind that they may not want to hear. Like I said, I think my mother-in-law didn't want to learn a few things about my thoughts - not about her but about religion and politics.

Also, if it's a person that is a regular thorn in your side it will give further ammunition and you can't complain about that person on your blog. Once I get my blog going again I'm going to invite any family or friends again and be nice. That may be hard in an election year. :eek:

[elegantlion]

I use our blog as a way of keeping friends and family up to date. We do not live close to any family. However, I did find out one family member was reading my blog that made me feel a little self-consious about what I write. I have learned to just get over that however. For privacy I only use my real name, oh and my pet's names.

[PrairieAir]

I think I am a lot like you. Many of the times I have stopped posting for a brief period are due to the fact that I knew someone I know in real life had been reading my blog.

My mom and my mother-in-law both read my blog faithfully and say they really enjoy it. There are some posts that I really don't want to know they've read. I don't mind them reading them, I just don't want them to let me know they've read them. KWIM? Actually, I get a little paranoid any time they tell me they've read a post. They aren't critical or anything; it's just one of my little quirks. I've actually told them that I don't mind if they read my blog, but I don't want to hear what they've read. They just can't help it though.

Other people do the same thing. I told one friend, and I didn't specifically ask her not to tell others. I think she thought she was being helpful and supportive when she announced it one day in a group of other homeschool moms. The deed was done and with no bad intent, so I didn't bother to tell her I wanted to just die at that moment.:o

My husband knows how paranoid I am, yet once or twice he has given my blog address to friends. It isn't an invasion of privacy or anything and I'm not mad at him about it. I just find it very embarassing. He says he is proud of me and he thought they were people who would really enjoy my blog. He also tried to reassure me by saying they were probably not the type to read blogs much anyway. But these are people I really look up to.

I do not have links to the blogs I read on my blog for a similar reason. I may link someone once in a while, but I don't want a list on my sidebar. I'm paranoid someone I know IRL is going to follow me around on my blog run and read my comments!

Yes, I know how silly all this sounds. Yes, I know I am an absolute FREAK! Oh well:rolleyes:

[Jackie in AR]

I just started blogging last month. So far, only one other person outside of my husband knows that I'm doing this. And the one other person is the one who started me on it! She's a good friend from the gym who blogs and finds it a fun, creative outlet and resource.

I'm having fun and have encountered some new "cyber-friends." But I haven't told any other people who I encounter on a real-life, face-to-face basis. I think the reason is that I just like my privacy. I like that I can say whatever I want and not worry (too much, anyway) about embarrassing myself too badly. That might seem strange considering that it's not as if I've gotten all that edgy or anything.

Any other bloggers like this? Or do you use it as a way to stay in touch with friends/family? Kind of like a year-long Christmas letter? Or something in-between perhaps?

Just getting a feel for this whole thing........

Some people that I know IRL know that I blog. I didn't tell them at first, but after my sister's home was destroyed by the tornado I put some pictures of it on my blog and then told people when they asked me about my sister and her family.

As someone else said, people I know IRL never leave a comment, but they mention something they read or enjoyed when they see me later. I find that a little odd for some reason.

[~Tara~]

I don't go around blabbing about it.
I don't tell family. One of my IRL friends knows about it because that's kind of how we decided to keep in touch, then being MILES apart. She and her hub became rather faithful readers. Now, we have moved down with them and are attending/serving in church together. So, my pastor regularly reads my blog too. (bless his soul LMHO I'm so thankful we're longtime friends as opposed to him 'just' being our pastor).

I can't remember how my other real life friends found out about it. I must have mentioned it, briefly. Perhaps even inviting them as a way to keep in touch as we all live far away from one another as well. And I'm not a phone talker. Email isn't much better. With the blog, we can pop in whenever is convenient just to see what's going on with one another. Leave a quick comment to 'touch base' and call it good. KWIM?

Anyone else who comes to my blog I only know online, via boards. I have my link in my sig at most places I frequent.

But noooo I don't intend for it to be a place for family. I had to start the blog to deal with family in the first place LOL

[nuthouse]

as well as my local neighbors. I don't think I would have handled it well if folks I knew just stumbled on the site.

[Jill, OK]

...and there have been a couple of times when I thought, "Dang...I can't gripe about that thing at church, because folks from church read my blog", but you know...that's probably best in the grand scheme of things, lol.

Seriously, I have family on both sides, friends galore, and acquaintances that read, and it doesn't bother me. *But*...I don't want to blog anything that I wouldn't say in real life, anyway. There are some things I might blog that I would be too self-conscious to say out loud, or might not ever get the chance to say in a normal, every-day conversation, but not ever something that I'd only say anonymously.

[PrairieAir]

"*But*...I don't want to blog anything that I wouldn't say in real life, anyway. There are some things I might blog that I would be too self-conscious to say out loud, or might not ever get the chance to say in a normal, every-day conversation, but not ever something that I'd only say anonymously."

I don't say anything I would necessarily be ashamed to say in real life. I don't wish that I hadn't told anyone about my blog so I could get away with complaining either. Well, sometimes there's that thought, but I would never actually do that anyway. It's hard to explain why it freaks me out so much to know people I *know* are reading my blog. I've written several blog posts about it here (http://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=3623953532807547451&searchType=ALL&page=4), here (http://prairieair.blogspot.com/2007/10/room-of-my-own-or-full-disclosure.html), here (http://prairieair.blogspot.com/2008/02/songs-about-me-part-iii.html), elsewhere, and in many posts that have been deleted or never published. Have I mentioned that I am just a paranoid freak?:o

[Jill, OK]

...I think it's just that blogging *feels* really personal, even when it has the potential not to be, you know?

I really do think that blogging represents some of the most personal writing there is. No guidelines, no word limit, no editor, offering constructive criticism ("Whoa...maybe dial down the sarcasm to a 7 instead of a 10, there!")...you have a lot more freedom to be the real 'you'.

I was recently having a conversation with someone about doing some writing for her (some serious writing, as opposed to the kind I do on my blog, lol), and while I was excited that she was confident enough to pair something that I could scribble out (she's working with some really great writers), and flattered by the things she was telling me about my (serious) writing...the most exhilirating moment came near the end of the conversation when she said, "And I *love* your blog, by the way."

Why was that so important to me? Because my blog is the 'real' me. Not that the thought-out, polished 'professional' writing I do *isn't*...but the blog is the un-cut, unplugged version of me. The truest version.

I don't think you're paranoid...you're probably just selective about who you let 'in'. I am, too...but I'm doing the blogging thing with my eyes wide open. Even if you don't want certain people to know about a blog, there's always the chance, on the Internets, that they'll find it, anyway, whether you tell them or not. I think it's just safer to figure everyone you know will be reading it, even if you don't send them the address, KWIM?

It's sort of like the advice about journaling; don't write down what you don't want seen. I believe that. It's limiting, in a way. Or liberating, depending on how you look at it. Once it's out of your head, you have to make peace with the fact that someone that you don't want to see it, just might.

[Jill, OK]

...I'm not arguing 'for' or 'against' sharing one's blog...just sharing my thought process behind why I don't mind telling folks I have one, or why I wouldn't say anything you wouldn't want a cyber-savvy relative or friend to hear you 'say'. (Not much is truly 'private').

[Holly IN]

Nope! I rather them not know but if they find out I am ok as long as it is from somebody else.

;)