Yesterday, I published a post about my fifth-year blogiversary. Today, I want to ask everybody out there who's blogging, do you tell your family and friends that you are a blogger? A handful of co-workers, a handful of family members, and a handful of friends of mine know that I have been writing this blog... but it's not general knowledge. I've had a couple of cousins post comments here, and occasionally the subject of a post will discover it and post a comment. It's kinda weird, though, telling people that you rant on the internet, and it's especially weird telling them that you've been doing it for five years. How do you casually bring that up in conversation? Do you? It's kinda like telling people that you're a novelist without having anything published... at what point does someone become a novelist rather than someone who's just waiting tables?
So... anybody out there have any stories about coming out of the blogging closet? Any "I think you should know this about me before we get too serious" narratives? How about breaking the news to your parents that you've posted about, let's say, frog voyeurism or the dangerous allure of hoochie-coochie LaRoucheys?
To what extent do you allow "meatspace" and your online activities to intersect? Are you "outies" or "innies", people?
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I've been writing my whole life, mostly fiction and poetry in the pre-intert00bz days, and I ALWAYS was searching for an audience. I won a national writing contest in High School, had a piece published in the High School magazine, entered writing contests, sent letters to the editor - anything to see my words get read.
So on the 4th of July in 2004 I started my first blog - the plan, worked out over cocktails and barbeque was that my sisters would both contribute to it. Hah. There was never any chance of that - but I had become politically aware as a result of the 2000 Bush v. Gore coup and began in earnest as a result of my interactions at Sadly, No! also. And of course, everybody I know was immediately and repeatedly informed that I was writing on the internet and for the most part they still, even now, ten years later, can't be arsed to read what I write. For some, it's tl;dr, for others they aren't interested in what I like to write about, and sadly, as my global readership has grown, my readership among those who actually KNOW me is effectively zero.
My OBS blog and persona is entirely kept separate from my "real" life. My family is pretty liberal, but I don't know how I'd explain you lot to them.
"Well, see honey, there's this really nice big bald guy in New York, and there's this kinda half-dying blog place where a bunch of us used to hang out and have these long pun threads, and there's this zombie, and..." Yeah, I think I'll just keep you guys to myself.
I actually have another blog that I've had since, holy shit, 2005. That one my family knows about. Lots of beer and work related shit and suchlike. About a tenth the traffic of my OBS blog, go figure.
My family knows. Their concerns are limited to seeing any pics they don't want the world to see. But since I'm plant and animal-centric, it's not an issue.
~
It's kinda weird, though, telling people that you rant on the internet
Given the alternative, I would have expected them to be grateful.
The fambly know that I have imaginary friends. As for my siblings, they are offenders themselves.
Didn't even occur to me not to tell people, I don't think most of them read it anyway. My kids are not interested in the content of my blog, its too lame, they prefer my rants elsewhere on political issues and fighting trolls. I don't think they recognise the domestic goddess image my blog portrays.
"like telling people that you're a novelist without having anything published..."
Hey, you talking to me? You talking to me?! That's cutting it a little close for comfort.
So, yes I'm both. And yes it is.
My kids & spouse know I blog. They look in occasionally, esp. if I tell them there's something that might interest them—esp. vacay pix and tales. One actually digs my "This Week in Water" aggregations, but he's studying Oceanographic Sciences in Hawaii, and it gives us something to talk about. I work hard to maintain their privacy as well (no faces, no real names). I often show it to friends, esp. playlists.
A couple friends (besides writing groups) have asked to read my as-yet unagented, unpublished mss. I don't talk about it much with my sibs and parents, though. And the kids know better than to ask—it tends to bring out Father Grumpus. Besides they're pretty much wrapped up in their own lives.
Good question!
P.S. And, oh yeah, I'm going to keep an eye on all you Commenters in this thread. May even Comment at your place. And expect to see yourselves soon in my WotW blogroll. You have B^4 to thank for that.
Lol
I misread your post and thought you was coming out you lovely bald headed male you
Hey ho
So on the 4th of July in 2004 I started my first blog - the plan, worked out over cocktails and barbeque was that my sisters would both contribute to it.
Funny how our plans get derailed, isn't it?
My OBS blog and persona is entirely kept separate from my "real" life. My family is pretty liberal, but I don't know how I'd explain you lot to them.
Funny, isn't it? "Who are these Canadians and New Zealanders?" "Uh, just folks!"
My family knows. Their concerns are limited to seeing any pics they don't want the world to see. But since I'm plant and animal-centric, it's not an issue.
That's pretty much my deal- no personal pics, no real details about work or home addresses.
Given the alternative, I would have expected them to be grateful.
It's not even a problem if you're not wearing pants!
I don't think they recognise the domestic goddess image my blog portrays.
They're too close up to see you as "one better" than Martha Stewart.
Hey, you talking to me? You talking to me?! That's cutting it a little close for comfort.
Uh... sorry, man!
P.S. And, oh yeah, I'm going to keep an eye on all you Commenters in this thread. May even Comment at your place. And expect to see yourselves soon in my WotW blogroll. You have B^4 to thank for that.
I pretty much stole Thunder's blogroll.
I misread your post and thought you was coming out you lovely bald headed male you
I'm a little too old and set in my ways for that. I've been pretty much cartoonishly cis-and-hetero since I was a little tyke stomping in mud puddles. Sorry!
Not having a "real" life eliminates that; a couple of meatspace friends (one of whom is a once-paid alt-wkly writer & runs his own web log, the other is literate) do read mine, but seldom comment.
Most of the others I've known over the last 30 or so yrs. seem perfectly happy to wallow in the walled garden of AOL, uh, Facebook rather than the real iNternet, & none have responded when I've linked to my ravings & calls for revolution. Too much white blue & gray dull on Facebook anyway.
Pretty much what mikey said:
can't be arsed to read what I write. For some, it's tl;dr, for others they aren't interested in what I like to write about ... my readership among those who actually KNOW me is effectively zero, 'cept I sorta s'pected (or knew damn well) no one would give a shit (Friend & former sexual associate, proudly: "I don't read anyone's blogs.") & never made a big deal of it, not that I was hanging out much when I started it or now.
Also "I'm a writer, but not, uh, published yet." (I've heard that often enough in Hollywood.) I do tell snoops that I "dick around on the iNternet all day", & if anyone ever wanted to know what that means I suppose I'd admit it.
Also "I'm a writer, but not, uh, published yet." (I've heard that often enough in Hollywood.)
Ah, the flotsam and jetsam of creativity all seem to wash up on the West Coast.
They shook the country & everything loose/all the fruits & nuts (to coin two phrases) ended up in our corner.
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