Boo - 11 December 2007 09:57 PM

I do, thank you.

I was just commenting on the rather sweeping generalisation.

It is a rather sweeping generalization. I meant it that way.

It was Huli’s generalisation that I quoted and was replying to.

The types of blog you mentioned are not what mine and the ones I read are.

I know that most people won’t be interested in reading my blog. That’s ok.
I only read blogs written by a few of my friends. I like to know what’s going on in their lives, what they’re enjoying, what’s upsetting them. Often, they are people who I don’t see in person, so it’s a nice way to stay connected and find out a little more about them.
If one of my friends talks on their blog about feeling depressed or bothered about something, I understand that they want to vent, in the same way that they would if we were meeting up for a coffee. I can then listen and support them, in the same way they do for me if I have a problem.
As far as I know, my friends read my blog for the same reasons I read theirs.

My general feeling is that if you’re not going to tell a stranger in a subway car something private about your life, because it’s…well…private to you or your spouse/kids/extended family…do what you want but slap a password on that blog.

Yes, but that assumes that it’s a private thing.

As updates for people we know, but may not get to speak to too often, it works.

The posts that are or aren’t updates could (but not necessarily) be of interest to those who happen by.

I don’t think anyone is under the delusion that blogs are private like a diary. When you write a blog entry you do so knowing full well that others will read it. I’m not going to share my most private thoughts that I’ve never told anyone else before and then be mortified when I’ve discovered someone had read them!

Most of the people who read my blog I actually know in real life - my dad, my cousins over east, the ‘complete strangers’ from here that I flew halfway across the world to meet last year, my sisters, and the ones I don’t actually ‘know’ I’ve been talking to them on MoH for about three years now and if that’s not ‘knowing’ someone then no one will ever ‘know’ anyone.

My husband doesn’t like blogs. Every time I mention mine he rolls his eyes and makes it clear he thinks they’re a waste of time. My advice to him and to others on here who don’t like blogs - don’t read it then.
Simple.

Nettie - 12 December 2007 12:05 AM

I don’t think anyone is under the delusion that blogs are private like a diary. When you write a blog entry you do so knowing full well that others will read it. I’m not going to share my most private thoughts that I’ve never told anyone else before and then be mortified when I’ve discovered someone had read them!

Most of the people who read my blog I actually know in real life - my dad, my cousins over east, the ‘complete strangers’ from here that I flew halfway across the world to meet last year, my sisters, and the ones I don’t actually ‘know’ I’ve been talking to them on MoH for about three years now and if that’s not ‘knowing’ someone then no one will ever ‘know’ anyone.

My husband doesn’t like blogs. Every time I mention mine he rolls his eyes and makes it clear he thinks they’re a waste of time. My advice to him and to others on here who don’t like blogs - don’t read it then.
Simple.

You’re so wrong. There’s PLENTY of idiots out there. They may say they know it’s not private, but they don’t “get it” till it bites them in the ass. But whatever. I’ve known more than one person who’s missed a job or been fired for having a personal (as in diary) public blog. They either said something defaming and got canned or the interviewer did a little checking around and felt that hiring someone who airs their laundry in a public forum was not best for the position they needed.

I think personal diaries and/or creative writing is great, but I say again…there’s a weird element of narcissism to put it out there and on some level assume that some stranger gives a crap. Also, should they care, it’s likely for not the reasons you want. Mostly, the only thing that pays attention to you is a spambot.

I do have a number of friends who have personal blogs, especially those who just started a family and are documenting their child’s development or just family growth. All of them have the common sense to password it and hand out accounts for their friends to access it. I also have many a professional friend who either blogs for a living and/or maintains content specific blog (like gizmodo.com, for example) or maintains a blog relating to their career (in a non-personal way, such as a Civil Rights Attorney blogging on court briefs, translating them into layspeak). They also have personal blogs on the side and they keep them private, either protecting all posts or selecting those that cross their lines of sensibility.

That’s brilliant advice. In fact I don’t read them. Neither does really anyone else that I shave any respect for.

davebgimp - 12 December 2007 01:02 AM

I think personal diaries and/or creative writing is great, but I say again…there’s a weird element of narcissism to put it out there and on some level assume that some stranger gives a crap. Also, should they care, it’s likely for not the reasons you want. Mostly, the only thing that pays attention to you is a spambot.

I don’t think that any stranger gives a crap about what I write. I do, however, believe that my friends and family are interested, and that’s what’s important to me.

That’s one of the main reasons I don’t have a MySpace or a Bebo account. Law firms nowadays regularly look applicants up online to find their blog/ MySpace/ Bebo/ whatever and check them out. Yeah, you could be perfectly presentable and fire off an awesome interview, but they’ll turn you down when they see the pictures of you making fire melons or read a blog entry about how you don’t think you’ll be good at the job you’re applying for (just examples but I’m too tired to think of any others).

In all honesty, if I want to get something off my chest, I’ll call a pal and we’ll go for a pint and have it out there.

Madmouse - 12 December 2007 01:10 AM

davebgimp - 12 December 2007 01:02 AM

I think personal diaries and/or creative writing is great, but I say again…there’s a weird element of narcissism to put it out there and on some level assume that some stranger gives a crap. Also, should they care, it’s likely for not the reasons you want. Mostly, the only thing that pays attention to you is a spambot.

I don’t think that any stranger gives a crap about what I write. I do, however, believe that my friends and family are interested, and that’s what’s important to me.

Exactly, I don’t disagree with you, I’m just an advocate of privacy first (whether you know you need it or not) and decent writing second.

Take a parent blogging about their child growing up, possibly throwing in some photos of the kid. Does the child understand the ramifications of having their life documented for strangers on the internet? Does the parent, really? Is the kid going to be horrified later in life at the possibility that records of their childhood can be recalled via an archive search, irregardless of permission? Is a pedophile going to feel guilty boosting the photos of your kids in leotards and reposting them to photo-trade sites? [disclaimer: I know nothing about your personal life, naturally. I’m just illustrating a point]

* dons curator hat*Ok, this has gotten waaaaay off topic. This is a thread for letting people know when they’ve updated their blogs, not a discussion about who thinks blogs are a good idea or not.
If anyone wants to start a thread about the pros and cons of blogging feel free to do so but lets not clog up this thread with that info.*takes off curator hat*