One thing that I love about blogging is how personal it is. I read an awful lot of different types of blogs, and there's a recurrent theme for most of them - especially those I've been reading for a while - it seems like you're having a quick conversation with a friend as they update you on things that have been going on in their life, introduce you to new things or just talk about the things they love. You can also see that what they're writing is not only for you as a reader, but is what they would also love to read themselves, and you aspire to have your own blog reaching those kind of personal heights...
I've only had my blog for just over a month, so I can't comment as well as others, but the main reason I started a blog was just to take everything going on in my mind and put it out there. I love to talk about new music, I love watching videos on YouTube, I love reflecting on life and learning from mistakes and I even love just simply looking back on a good day - that is pretty much what my blog is full of - me sharing all of that with you, a lovely little reader. *pinches cheeks* *not aggressively of course* Yes, I could just talk to my friends about all this stuff, but a lot of them don't really like the same music, or generally have the same interests as me. I usually feel quite guilty when they have to listen to me ramble on about stuff, and then pretend to care, and so I turn this into energy into writing and I've been quite proud of some of the posts I've made because of this. For example, a couple of posts before this, where I compared Katy Perry and Lady Gaga's new singles, is something I just simply wanted to try, but was too scared in case I'd do it wrong, look like a mug, and even get negative feedback/turn people away. I then bit the bullet, and just made the post for myself... it took me quite a long time to get it to a point where I would enjoy it as an outsider but it was worth it, and I've made a couple of new friends online on the back of this one post - result!
A friend online said something to me a while back that's always sitting pretty in the back of my mind whenever I'm writing or planning a post - your blog is your slice of the internet pizza. This may be a weird analogy but it makes perfect sense - you can have whatever toppings you want, you can even have some the same as your neighbouring slice, but it doesn't matter as long as it tastes good to you. You might burn the crust, or the cheese may not melt properly but it's still a pretty good slice regardless - not everyone likes anchovies but if you like them, keep them on there! Ironically, I don't really like pizza, but I love the idea of it relating to blogging, and it sticks out as one of those little quotes I live/blog by and it keeps me pretty grounded when writing.
It's now 7:37 as I come back to write this, after watching (I was too scared to join in as a newbie) a discussion in the #lbloggers community about how much you would share about yourself online. I've been pretty open so far on here, as I talked about my anxiety story from the last couple of years, and I think that this kind of honesty really connects you as a 'human,' as opposed to just reader/writer. There's a fine line between keeping things personal and sharing a bit too much, and that line is at a different height for every person, and with matters like this, it really is a case of respect.
It's now 7:37 as I come back to write this, after watching (I was too scared to join in as a newbie) a discussion in the #lbloggers community about how much you would share about yourself online. I've been pretty open so far on here, as I talked about my anxiety story from the last couple of years, and I think that this kind of honesty really connects you as a 'human,' as opposed to just reader/writer. There's a fine line between keeping things personal and sharing a bit too much, and that line is at a different height for every person, and with matters like this, it really is a case of respect.
Some people may be scared to post anything too personal, in case they get negative feedback and others may not be able to cope with talking about personal things, and that's understandable, but from experience I can definitely say it's such a relief. I've literally had one piece of feedback from my anxiety posts, from a teenage girl going through something similar at the moment, and she said it's helped her knowing she isn't alone. That one message alone makes it worth it, and counteracts any kind of fears I had about posting it by far. You could get negative feedback from people, but it's just a case of remembering that this is a lowlife who wants a quick kick out of insulting someone - the delete button is there for a reason. Even writing a post and just not posting them can be so therapeutic and you never know, one day you might be ready to share it...
So, in summary, it's your blog - post about whatever the hell you want...
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