So, fellow bloggers, do your close, real-life family and friends know you have a blog? Do they read it on a regular basis that you know about?
How do you feel about that?
My parents (hi mom and dad) read my blog regularly, and frequently mention it to other family members and friends and gush... And to be honest, I never know quite how to react. I tend to suddenly be stymied and a little embarrassed about the whole thing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm so thrilled that my parents do enjoy my photos and thoughts here. Its nice to get the parental stamp of approval at any age, and its nice that they love it enough to share it with others.
On the other hand, I guess it feels a little like people reading my journal... which is fine when I can be somewhat anonymous, but strange when I know that real-life people in my life are reading. I feel exposed somehow.
What about you?
4 comments:
It's the internet. Anyone with a computer can read it. I don't understand blogging at all. Why would you post something for strangers to read that would make you feel uncomfortable if family members read it? A criminal on house arrest can read all these blogs with personal details. It's a very strange and somewhat frightening phenomenon when people seem to think that something as public as the internet is somehow private. I'm sorry if this sounds critical; I don't mean it to be. It's something I struggle with understanding when people demand the "right to privacy" but let it all hang out online and think it's a diary under lock and key.
Thanks for your comment, anonymous. I don't view my blog as a diary under lock and key, nor am I demanding the right to privacy when I publicly post things. I'm not protesting that anyone in particular reads my blog. I am simply trying to come to terms with the reality of this communicating style that is the blog world. Thanks for reading!
I know what you mean! I always feel a little sheepish/ridiculous/bashful when I find out that friends/acquaintances/coworkers read or have visited my blog. Although, I never include anything personal or post pictures of myself (my mom is still so very paranoid about the "dangers of the internet"). Anyway, it's more that I feel my hobbies and interests are so at home in the crafty/blogging world, but not quite as commonplace in the "real world" - or at least the one I live in. I feel like my fellow college students must automatically think "this is what you spend your weekends doing?" My writing is also so very flowery, over the top, romanticized and idealized in some cases. I love writing like that and it's not really allowed in the academic world, so the blog is an outlet I guess. Anyway, sorry for the short novel, but your post was thought provoking!
I totally understand what you mean. I sometimes find myself caught off guard when someone like my brother-in-law mentions that he's checked out my blog. It's not like I'm saying anything that he shouldn't hear I just probably wouldn't tell him all about how much I love the new issue of martha stewart living in a real conversation (because I wouldn't think he'd be interested).
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