6 Oct 2015

a fine line between personal life and blog life

Paper Lovestory has been going for over five years now and it is the longest I've ever blogged for. When I first started, I wasn't too worried about revealing personal information because I didn't think many people would be that interested in what I had to say! But as time as passed, I've had to be more careful with how much and what aspects of my personal life is talked about. You may have already noticed that fair bit in my weekly planner pages is blurred out but I am also wary of talking about the more private parts of my life in too much detail.

However, running a lifestyle blog without revealing some of the more personal bits of information isn't technically a lifestyle blog anymore. So where do we draw the line?

At the moment, I'm unsure. I feel that I reveal enough to be comfortable with the majority of the content I post but at the same time, I'm sure I could also reveal a bit more without compromising the 'boundaries' of my personal life.

Do you blog? If so, where do you stand on this? If you don't, what's your opinion of it as a reader? :)

15 comments

  1. I do blog and I draw the limit in intimate: I post personal stuff (that's what makes the blog mine and unique), with my tastes, but never intimate things. I think you're doing a pretty good job! Congratulations, I love reading "you" :)

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    1. Thanks, Maria! It's hard to know where to draw the line sometimes :) x

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  2. I tend to post very surface things. Basically my rule is I post things I wouldn't mind random acquaintances knowing. Or things I wouldn't mind strangers asking about. If I feel uncomfortable in any way I don' t post about it. Every now and then I'll talk about something personal and deep, but it doesn't happen often and it's usually much later - after the event has actually happened. I enjoy your posts, though! The blurring doesn't really take anything away from your planner :)

    http://activelygemma.com

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    1. That's a good way to go - if you don't feel right, then don't post it. The blog is quite shallow right now but that's what I'm comfortable with so maybe I'll keep it that way :) And thanks for letting me know about the blurring - I know a number of other blogs don't blur anything in their weekly pages at all! x

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  3. I blog! I'm pretty open with my followers, but I make it a point only to talk about me, and not about anyone in my personal life unless there's a legitimate blog-related reason. For example, I blog about beauty and travel, so occasionally I'll feature a friend's packing tips or be like "my friend who has blonde hair sometimes uses purple shampoo" but not reveal anything else about them.

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    1. Great advice! It's always hard to know who's reading as I found out that some university acquaintances managed to find my blog through a simple Google search and that got me a little worried! x

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  4. I totally get this. I hold back on some aspects of my life as I know that family, friends and colleagues read my blog but lately I've been thinking 'fuck it' and wanna just let it all out. There's no point doing it half-hearted, right?

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    1. Hi Emma! Maybe you could let all the stuff out in a private journal instead? I always worry that after posting something, I can't take it back as it'll be inevitable that at least one person will have seen it :) x

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  5. As a fellow student in medicine, I know how you feel. I keep it very superficial, with a few updates on my life here and there.

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    1. Yes! I don't know how it is in the US(?) but here in the UK, we get lectures on what we should and shouldn't do on social media. That's why I try not to talk too much about the specifics of my daily university life and anything relating to patients is a complete no-go. It does make the blog a little bit impersonal but they emphasise to us that even as med students, we have a professional code of conduct to follow :) x

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  6. I understand you, Angela. I used to blog, but I stopped after people I knew were very judgmental about the things I wrote (even though they weren't personal at all!)
    I love your blog, and you're neat handwriting (one of the reasons you got me hooked) but I totally understand and support whatever decision you make about blogging less, or more, about yourself, or even not blogging at all - though I have to say: that would be a loss! =( .
    Kind regards,
    Sil

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    1. Hi Sil. I think there'll always be a few judgemental people around - we just need to ignore them as ultimately, the issue can often stem from jealousy or envy :)
      Thanks for the lovely comment - I don't want to stop blogging but I'm aware that sometimes readers want to know a bit more than I currently reveal :) x

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  7. I don't blog, but I completely understand your hesitation to share too much. I've followed a few blogs that tell you all sorts about their personal life, to the point where children will be referred to by their names rather than "my eldest son" etc. It's kind of nice having that familiarity! But I don't really feel it takes away from the blog if the content is still good.

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    1. Hi Claire - that's really useful to know! I definitely won't be referring directly to friends and family by name, etc. as that's not something I'm comfortable with but I can see why some people do it. Good to know that you don't see it as a necessity though :) x

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    2. I actually stopped blogging because I felt I could not really see the line. I don't want to share to much or much all nf I felt blogging was asking more then I was willing. Pretty much if I cnt say what I need to on twitter then I dont. The world can be awful and I'm not ready for it.

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