68 Responses for "blogable?"

1. Ben May 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 am

   Been thinking a lot about this lately. I really didn’t anticipate where I’d end up with my blog when it first started so anonymity didn’t seem like an issue. Lately, I’ve been in a place where I’ve wanted to blog about more sensitive issues in my life, like you mentioned, and I’m feeling like I can’t. That’s a shitty feeling considering blogging is largely based on community and support…

   Emails are always welcome, by the way

2. enny May 22nd, 2008 at 6:48 am

   I’m been ‘discovered’ by a few people, but there’s a few more that could be out there that I just don’t know about.

   There are times when I’ve written something I’m really proud of that I wish I could just put my real name to it and get some praise, but then there are times when I feel censored already and think about all the ways that people I know could get/be getting offended…

   Sorry - no answer for you here!

3. nuttycow May 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 am

   I don’t *think* anyone knows who I am - apart from those few bloggers who I have email conversations with (but then I only do that if I’m sure I don’t know them first!)

   I think my blog itself is quite anonymous - I don’t tend to talk about work or my friends (although people do have a vague idea of where I live.) People know I have a boyfriend, they know I play rugby, they know my parents live in Kenya. In that way, I guess if someone I knew in real life stumbled across it they would probably be able to guess it was me.

   I like the feeling of being “not me” on my blog. I like it that my blog friends don’t know me in real life and so, if I’m having a shitty day, I can tell them about it and they don’t care.

   That was just one big stream of consciousness wasn’t it? Didn’t make sense at all. Meh, never mind!

4. heidi May 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 am

   i learned a lot of lessons on blogging when i had a lj that i used to be VERY open with. I’ve never discussed a lot about my sex life, i try not to use real names on my blog to keep it…semi-anonymous. If you google me? You can not find my blog and that? Is kind of how i like it. I don’t think i could handle the constant omg i have to keep this anonymous stress but yet I don’t want to fully put myself out there. does that make any sense?

5. sara jane May 22nd, 2008 at 7:08 am

   I started my blog so that my old friends could keep up with my new life when I moved away about a year ago. Shortly there after I found it therapeutic to write my random thoughts down. They loved it.

   More recently though, other people in my life have found my blog and it has gotten me into some serious trouble, and started a small feud within my family…ugh. I’m pretty sure that my sister in law to be wants to kill me.

   But I guess the bottom line is that by just writing what I feel, think and desire helps me. I am who I am, and it usually doesn’t bother me that people know me for me and recognize that. I have very little to hide.

6. The Maiden Metallurgist May 22nd, 2008 at 7:08 am

   The whole reason I started my blog was to keep in touch with friends I don’t see as often as I’d like, and it’s certainly served its purpose in that respect. I am in much better touch with friends (mostly friends from college) who live all over the country than I would be if we had to rely on calling or email.

   Occasionally someone I don’t care for will find it (still old college “friends”) and I just deal with the consequences if any arise. It helps that I’m pretty open and forthcoming in real life, and therefore don’t feel overly exposed by talking about my feelings.

   That said, sometimes I wish my blog was anonymous. I mean my parents, and my friends parents read it for goodness sake. Granted I try to live in a way that I’m not ashamed of my behavior, but you never know.

   One thing lately that has my blogging off kilter, I’ve started seeing a man I met through the blog, so now I’m a bit reluctant to talk about my feelings for him, as I know he’s reading. I’m working through it I guess.

7. poodlegoose May 22nd, 2008 at 7:22 am

   I went through this, too, when my fiance first found out about my blog. I was quite tempted just to shut the whole thing down. But then I remembered that I had nothing to hide, and just because I don’t talk about things like I did on my blog in real life, it didn’t mean I had to just leave the blogging world. I’ve actually grown to love the blogging world!

   Anyway, I decided to stay, but I know that this is a hard decision. I don’t know what I’d do without your lovely pink site and your lovely Edie, so if you do move to a more anonymous site, please. . . take me with you!

8. Miz May 22nd, 2008 at 7:41 am

   I have been tormented with my lack of anonymity lately too. There are times (like today) that I want to let out my feelings, but I know they would hurt some of the people who read my blog. I am a person who believes that if I can say it outloud then I should be able to say it to anyone (which I haven’t decided if that’s good or not…) In a nutshell…I understand how releasing your personal thoughts online can easily tug you in different directioins. Good Luck!!

9. Miriam May 22nd, 2008 at 7:41 am

   I am not anonymous but I try to keep other people from my real life anonymous on my blog out of courtesy

10. Rebekah May 22nd, 2008 at 7:52 am

    I know some friends read my blog. I keep it away from my FAMILY, actually. And boyfriends. And even when it gets personal, I don’t especially mind some coworkers reading it.
    The E and Me posts made me think of this specifically because they were SO personal - but it’s easier for me to deal with problems when I write them. They come out like a movie script, like I’m watching someone else’s life play out, and I can look at it more objectively than I do from inside. For whatever reason, it works for me.
    But i love the blog world and all the fun places you can go just from clicking links on links on links from someone else’s page. That’s how I found your lovely blog! You definitely should not quit writing - move the site if you feel weirded out by the identity situation, but email your loyal readers and let us know where you’ve wandered away to!

11. Hazel May 22nd, 2008 at 8:05 am

    i’m mostly anonymous, except for a few very select people who actually know me in person. i like being anonymous because then i really don’t sensor myself. and if someone i knew did come across it, they wouldn’t necessarily know it’s me. i don’t really think i write about anything too terrible that would make me come off as awful anyway.

    i guess i just stay anonymous because once you aren’t, you can’t really go back. unless you start all over.

12. Michelle & the City May 22nd, 2008 at 8:05 am

    well you know i’m still undecided on this front, but honestly - i enjoyed being not so anonymous. i could post pictures. i rarely held anything back. but i do envy anonymous bloggers to a point. because yeah, talking about sex could be fun

13. Deutlich May 22nd, 2008 at 8:07 am

    Iuno - part of me feels like I’m not really all that anonymous… between FB and my real name and all that. The only reason I even use Deutlich instead of my real name is to keep co-workers from figuring it out, you know?

    And everyone I know IRL knows I own that sucker. I mean, everyone.. the only two folks who don’t have the address are my mom and brother.. cuz.. no. No way…

    On the other hand, I do kind of enjoy the bit of anonymity I do have. SO.. I guess my comment doesn’t make much sense, eh?

14. sizzle May 22nd, 2008 at 8:12 am

    I go through period where I wish my blog was anonymous but the community I have through my blog is something I would never want to give up. There are plenty of things I don’t discuss- intimate details of my romantic relationship (now that I am in one) and issues with my loved ones that are theirs even if they effect me (sometimes difficult for me) and mostly I steer clear of work. I find that one the hardest!

15. Michelle May 22nd, 2008 at 8:12 am

    I loved when my blog wasn’t known by friends or family - there was such freedom. But my hubby outed me when he became a proud papa and was too lazy to email photos - so he passed around my blog address where they were posted. So that was the end of anonymously posting.

    I mostly try to forget that anyone I know reads so that it doesn’t inhibit me too much. But I don’t write about any issues with my mom or sister in law because they read. And if something seems in questionable taste, I ask myself if I want my mom to read that about me. I don’t like the self censoring but at least I don’t find myself embarrassed the day after talking about my sex life or something.

16. Lacey Bean May 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 am

    I dont really mind not having anonymity, because I try not to use my blog as like, a livejournal or something. Like, I try to be as honest as possible, but if I need to bitch about someone in particular or something, I’ll use a different forum. Like a private journal. I have a bunch of friends that read my blog, and Dave obviously reads it, so although I may tell them my personal stuff in real life, I dont want them reading it on my blog first.

    I dont know. I guess I just try to keep my blog funny and witty, and not dwell so much on the deep stuff. But that’s my personal pref!

17. Lisa H. May 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 am

    I mainly worry about blogging affecting my professional life, especially since (1) my co-workers have said they think bloggers are self-absorbed, (2) they are all smart tech people that can find *anything* on the internet, and run our company’s network, and (3) I worry about ruining my professional image if people know too much. For most people I would just say “that’s how I am, sorry if you don’t like it”, but I don’t feel like I can do that to my employers. That’s why I’ve decided to move to a new blog; now that I’ve been doing this awhile, I know more about what I want to put out there and what I don’t. It’s not anonymous, but I plan on being more mindful and critical of what I put out there.

    Plus, I have no attention span, so it was only a matter of time before I wanted to change things up anyway.

18. erin May 22nd, 2008 at 8:16 am

    I’m not 100% anonymous, but definitely not out in the open about my blog either. I like it beause I feel like I am uncensored. I can talk about whatever I really want to without feeling like I might hurt someone’s feelings. Now in the event that any of my friends did find out about my blog? I have NO idea what I’d do.

    And yeah, there are definitely things I would never post about just because I wouldn’t be comfortable putting it out there. We all have our personal limits.

19. Angela May 22nd, 2008 at 8:16 am

    I’ve had problems with this lately. I’m far too findable. And the people that find me don’t even seem to be looking for me specifically. But they’ll be looking up things I do, and come up with my blog. Like the person who found it from googling “Tony Tinas Wedding Chicago” and keeps coming back periodically.

    I used to attempt to google my own blog to see if you could find it just by knowing me, and I never could. So it was surprising to me when my brother found it (he won’t tell me how), followed by my mother (my friend and her mother both blog… my mom read her mom’s blog, which links to my friend’s blog, which links to my blog), a guy who I’m going to grad school with in the fall (who took it as a personal challenge to find it), a guy in my company (found a comment I left on another blog), and a coworker (who got it from a mutual friend).

    *sigh*

    There are some topics that I’m going to avoid. I’m still pretty open, but there are some things that probably just shouldn’t be on the internet. Especially when you blog under your real name. (Curses! Why oh why didn’t I come up with a pseudonym?)

20. Jamie May 22nd, 2008 at 8:22 am

    I’ve been doing my best to stay as anonymous as possible. It has been more difficult than I thought it would be, that’s for sure.

    I have a strict blogging ban on the following things:
    - my sex life
    - my work

    Mostly I just journal like I normally would - saving the choice (and identifying) details for actual conversations with very close friends. Plus, my mother reads my site occasionally, so I feel an obligation to keep things on the cleaner side.

21. Penelope23 May 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 am

    I finally told my cousin I had a blog and showed it to her. She is the type of person that can keep a secret and is completely supportive. And I can tell her anything anyway, without judgement.

    But if I found out WB or anyone else I knew read my blog… I would probably stop or change my URL.

22. jessica maria May 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 am

    Pretty much everybody that knows me knows I blog. It’s really funny though, cause I’ll go to a party and some acquaintances will reference something I wrote about as if I told them all about it in person, and I’ll get confused and then be like, “Ohhhhhhhh le blog!” And I’m totally fine with it because I put myself out there and I do have to censor what I post and don’t post. It’s not even like complaining or anything - I don’t like to do it, and I think complaining about friends or boyfriends is passive aggressive if you don’t do something about it in real life. I only complain about something post-mortem, as in, it’s been resolved (or not). The most I’ve probably had to censor about is the fianz’ band & friends - stuff I know that can’t be “leaked” (like talking about visiting him on certain tour dates that haven’t been released - ha, i know so dorky) …or stuff that is categorically “gossip” like people who are dating or doing drugs or getting married or getting preggers…ha

    I wish I could be anonymous sometimes, but in the end, I actually do it for the same reason I started: I’ve lived in like 18 different states/countries, and people need some way to keep up with me sometimes if we can’t talk all the time. Plus, I get to connect with people I don’t even know - which I’ve been doing all my life, but I get to read blogs like THIS! Yayayayay!

23. verybadcat May 22nd, 2008 at 8:36 am

    Wow. I had a dream last night that my parents found my blog, and I couldn’t get to a computer to delete posts, or move to WP where you can lock posts, etc.

    I’m fairly anonymous. WH knows about the blog, knows where it is, but doesn’t read. I may blog about things I choose not to make an issue with him, but if he read it, I don’t think he’d be super-surprised, and I would just be open with him about anything he read about that he didn’t already know. My BFF B knows about the blog, but she knows all my secrets, so that’s pretty irrelevant.

    I made the decision not to go public, because I don’t want employers and family seeking me out. I also made the decision that if I’m discovered, I will apologize if someone is upset at finding something out from reading instead of from me personally, but I won’t apologize for whatever it was they didn’t know about, and I won’t apologize for blogging. I have a story, and it’s mine to tell. I would hope that by not revealing what industry I’m in, or any names or locations, I wouldn’t get into trouble if I was discovered by my employer. The worst thing there is that I have HR responsibilities, and I’m pretty harsh about some of my coworkers and employees on my blog. With my teeny readership, though, I doubt it’s a problem, frankly.

24. Phil May 22nd, 2008 at 8:41 am

    I’ve been blogging for 2 1/2 years or so, and if there’s anything I’ve learned in that time it’s that you can’t always choose your audience. Like you, I’ve told some people and not others, but sometimes word of mouth strikes. And sometimes word of blog strikes. Recently, a friend of mine (who reads my blog) gave the URL to a blog we both enjoy reading to a good friend of hers who barely knows me, and I got linked to at one point and her friend found me and read through all my archives. Freaked me out a bit, but I got over it. I think the big question is: if you really wanted to hide something, would you actually blog about it? (Which actually makes me a hypocrite, because I blog about my roommate all the time, and would definitely prefer that she never read my blog.)

    What the non-blogging world doesn’t understand about us bloggers is, like it or not, we blog for ourselves. It’s therapy, it’s self-discovery, it’s fun, and sometimes it’s a way for us to be totally honest with ourselves. Given enough time, perhaps others in your life will come to realize the power of this form of expression, and the good that can come from being open will outweigh everything else. Wishing you all the best!

25. Angela May 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 am

    I’ve never been anonymous. I started five years ago attaching my name to my posts, and I don’t want to start a whole new blog, so there’s no way I’d go anonymous, either. But, I don’t go around telling people about it, either. A couple friends know, but I don’t think they read. I think anonymity is a “fake” comfort level. The internet is pretty anonymous to begin with. Anyone could be anyone. As for off-limits? I don’t know. There are certain things I haven’t talked about, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t talk about them at some time in the future….

26. Nat Marie May 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 am

    There are some things that I just won’t touch when it comes to topics on my blog. Politics and religion are definitely on that list. When it comes to TMI stuff (like poop and womanly stuff), it’s only hinted on by a few keywords, but nothing more than that. The actual words don’t come out of my mouth. I don’t talk about my sex life in detail. Once again, I make references to certain sexual things, but that’s as far as I go.

    The only person who (at least used to) visit my site was one of my nephews. He only said that he visits it sometimes, but he never commented on its contents. I’ve told others about it, but no one’s taken the bait. They’re not going to find anything overly scathing anyway.

    As for anonymity, I’m not really anonymous. People have seen pictures of me, and some people have seen pictures of my family as well (those pictures are private on my Flickr). The only thing anonymous to the general blogging public about me is my last name. I openly admit that I use the shortened version of my first name and my middle name on my blog.

27. jenny May 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 am

    oh yes, i wish i was anonymous sometimes! then i could talk about work and all the drama there. i would love that. i could talk about my relationship with my husband a little more candidly. i have put my blog out there to my friends and family so i don’t get too deep on real personal stuff. aaaah.

    i try not to talk about politics on my blog because i have strong views and can be very opinionated and i don’t want to get my bloggy friends in a craze. but sometimes i throw caution to the wind and talk about it anyways.

    that’s what i love about blogging - it’s totally up to you. and hey, if you want to be anonymous - start a new (free) blog under your secret agent name.

    sorry, i’m a nerd.

28. chasingparadise May 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 am

    I’m completely anonymous. Only one other blogger out there knows my real name, and luckily for me, she’s great at keeping that a secret. I have told B about my blog, but not the name. I didn’t want him to read it, but I did want his permission to blog about us. I felt that was fair, and he’s pretty great about respecting my privacy. Sometimes I think it would be easier to be out there and proud of it, but I really do value my anonymity. It allows me to write about whatever I want, without the fear of hurting someone else by what I share. And I’m with you…if someone out there has found me, I hope they don’t tell me. I really don’t want to know!

29. girlinterrupted1218 May 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 am

    I say to blog! I’m not completely anonymous but I do hold back some things. Recently a co-worker saw my blog and I freaked out. Not that I talk about that particular co-worker on my blog but just the thought of them reading my personal thoughts and rants freaked me out. I changed my blog immediately.

30. Morgan May 22nd, 2008 at 10:57 am

    Oh yes…. there are times where I wished I hadn’t posted a link to my blog on my myspace, for my sister in laws to see. Then, maybe I could vent my Mother in Law frustrations (I HATE HER) to the world and not have to worry about getting crap at the next Gable Family Function. Blehhh.

31. Steph May 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 am

    Wow this got a large response. I guess we’re not alone in our to blog or not to blog ordeal. I assume that everyone reads our blog because a lot of our family does. After we got married we said “Let’s make a website” Oh boy, we even included it on our new contact information send out so that people could see what we were up to, thinking that we would just put like big announcements (how often do we have those? haha never) on there. Well then I was like shoot i like this blog stuff, so I started writing more, and then I realized that there are some things I would love to write about but my nosy grandma and even my mother in law read my blog. I think it has worked out well though because it keeps me in check.

32. slynnro May 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am

    I’m sort of half in/half out of the blogging closet. I don’t use my name anymore so I’m not googleable. But still, I want all the way back in!

33. alexa May 22nd, 2008 at 11:27 am

    there is a lot of times that i wish my blog was anonymous but more often than not i’m glad that my family and friends know about it.

    hell, even my boss and everyone at work knows about it.

    i’m what one would call an open book.

    BUT what i often get creeped out about it when people i “kinda” know. come up to me and and bring up things i write about!!!! “like i know you went here. here and here” um weird!

34. LindzML May 22nd, 2008 at 11:29 am

    I wish that one person that reads my blog didn’t. It’s not even my mom, it’s just someone that makes me feel uncomfortable about it for some reason. Knowing they are reading makes me censor myself in a way I don’t want to. I want to gush about upcoming plans I have, but I feel bad doing so because they’ll read and probably be hurt. I want to tell funny stories but can’t because I’m concerned they’ll take offense. For that person alone? I wish I were much more anonymous (as I’m really not, at all). Still, you can’t google my full name and find anything, but if you google LindzML, you’ll find everything…so I’d have to create a whole new anonymous blog just to say everything I want, and that’s just too much work.

35. Jenn May 22nd, 2008 at 11:39 am

    I am definitely not the anonymous blogger type. I don’t have the patience or determination it requires of a person to completely hide their identity. I couldn’t cover all my tracks.

    I don’t post pictures of myself everyday or share my last name. I also don’t include too many details about my family. If I talk about them, I’m sure not to include full names because it’s not my place to share their information. I think at times I feel that I can’t say something on my blog, but I quickly get over it. This is my blog and it’s my voice. I can’t apologize for feeling a certain way and expressing myself. People who know me know that my intentions are never malicious or ill-mannered. I’m simply venting, and often times, they hear the same things they could read here.

    I don’t wish to be anonymous and I love being me. I love the community I’ve built and appreciate all the support. My best writing comes from my honesty and I can’t be honest if I’m hiding details.

    I just remember to be respectful, smart and tactful

36. L May 22nd, 2008 at 11:45 am

    My blog was made available by me to my friends and family. I almost wish I wouldn’t have, I don’t talk about certain issues that I would like to in fear of hurting someone.

37. Jess May 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    I love that I’m not anonymous because it reminds me of what my limits are. I can’t slander people and share other people’s business because there’s a chance they could find it, so it keeps me from doing things I shouldn’t. And very little is off-limits. Except sex.

38. chris May 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    I think it just comes down to personal preference. On my blog, I write about things that I would say to anyone who knows me, so it’s really no big deal to me.

    And I’m a poop lover, so I am mad.

39. katelin May 22nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    sometimes i wish i could talk about sex and my relationship, etc. or other questions or issues that are on my mind. but i know family and friends are reading so i sort of skim over that sort of stuff and it’s okay with me.

40. ashley May 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    I’m not anonymous - how could I NOT post pictures? I use my name, my husband’s name, and even the state we live in.

    I mean, I’m a “wear my heart on my sleeve” kinda girl anyhow, so I couldn’t keep my mouth shut too much. (I even blog about work in vague ways. But I’m leaving in July, at which time I’ll scream, “Suck it!” and run out. So, there.)

    I would love if my hubby didn’t read - because I need to talk about him. And I just CAN’T if he knows my URL. You know?

    On the other hand, I’ve heard you should blog as though everyone will read it at some point. We have to admit that blogs ARE A PUBLIC FORUM, no matter how much we’d like to pretend we can avoid that. It’s always odd to me when I read a friend’s blog who is confessing anxieties she’d never do in person — I feel like I’m reading someone’ Xanga or a diary…blogs are some balance of feelings and confessions, both lighthearted and venting rants. A place that is YOUR’S. A place to write and dream and create.

    But, it’s still public. As much as that sucks.

41. Annette May 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    I’ve pondered over this so many times, “should i start a new anonymous blog?” there are some things i wish i could blog about that I don’t because my friends read it and my mom reads it. so to blog about certain topics would just be downright inappropriate… but its my blog i could say whatever I damn well want to! and so can you.

42. Supergirl May 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    We do have this issue!!! I’m mostly anonymous (only close friends or far acquaintances know about it), mainly to protect myself and also my boyfriend and not totally embarrass him! However, I’ve realized it’s impossible to be completely anonymous. I comment on blogs that belong to friends of my boyfriend who I don’t personally know. As far as I know, they don’t know who I am, but if they read close enough, they could probably easily suss it out. When you’re talking about the day-to-day goings on in your life, it’s pretty impossible to be completely anonymous — but the idea of it helps me be more open.

43. Randi May 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    I wish sometimes I were more anonymous if not anonymous period. I mean I do censor a lot, because I have a son and I like my privacy, BUT somethings are WAY off limits to write about because so many family and friends read the blog.

44. Allie May 22nd, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    I haven’t made any huge effort to be anonymous, but I don’t put my personal info out there. But I don’t have a personal blog. Guest blogging over at Modern Gal today, made me wish I did though. It’s so nice to put feelings out there and get feedback.

45. robin May 22nd, 2008 at 3:14 pm

    i wish i was more anonymous than i am. or i wish i was more tight lipped. but i remind myself that i tend to think i’m more important than i actually am - as much as i would like to think all of my friends, employers, acquaintances would care about my blogging life, 99 percent of them probably wouldn’t.

    so blog on, my friend!

46. B2G May 22nd, 2008 at 5:33 pm

    Wow so many people have so much to say!

    It’s really funny because I go completely back and forth. Sometimes things happen that are extremely hilarious, but also very personal, so I decide not to blog them. Other times I want to throw the whole B2G thing out the window and go public. In which case I would totally keep the super personal things under wraps and delete some of my archives. I dunno buddy, it’s a fine like that only you can walk for yourself!

47. theglitterkid May 22nd, 2008 at 7:26 pm

    I wanted to say “thanks” for stopping by and that I totally understand about the pay it forward stuff. I think I’m done for a while after this!

    About being anonymous, I’m trying to be but I actually just deleted a bunch of my old entries because it made me nervous that someone might find them and read them. Sort of defeats the whole point of blogging, right? I’ll have to read the other 46 comments and see what they have to say

48. Jessica May 22nd, 2008 at 7:27 pm

    After the issue with my sister in law and the wedding, yeah I wish I was anonymous. Or that I was a bit more discreet than I am now. Oh well.

49. Meghan May 22nd, 2008 at 8:35 pm

    My theory, stay anonymous in context but not in content. I will not mention many friends/boyfriends names, will not name the company I work for and only a couple of people I know outside of bloggerville know about my blog.

    So with that in mind I don’t censor the topics, stream of thought or way I write cause that’s part of what makes it so ‘me’.

50. Erica May 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm

    Our blog is so un-anonymous it’s not even funny. We (my sisters and I) started it together and it’s read by tons of our family and friends. We all link to it off of our facebook accounts. Our grandparents read our blog! I love blogging as a way to keep in touch with everyone and they love a peek inside our lives as we are always so busy.

    I have been thinking about asking our readers the question that you don’t want to ask yours - who are you? I want more friends and family to de-lurk. I’m curious who reads it that we don’t know about.

51. Vanessa May 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 pm

    When I created my blog, I didn’t really know what I was doing and made my name my URL. Not just my first name either, my FULL name. Well, I thought, it’ll be ok, no one will really read this. Well, I was wrong there too. I wish I could go back and do it over, but I also know I might loose readers. For me, for now, the trade off is worth it.

52. Clarity Sage May 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 pm

    “Sorry poop lovers.” hahahah

    It’s so weird it seems a bunch of people are going through something similar right now (like me). Must be the stars.

    One reason I decided to make a whole new blog is because I felt I should write a blog where I assume anyone who knows me or will know me would read it because I think even the anonymous blogs are not so anonymous especially when people write about themselves. I’m not trying to make you paranoid. Though I don’t think you really write anything embarassing or TMI, so you shouldn’t worry too much if people you know do find your blog. I always have anonymous blogs, but I always feel like I reveal too much and end up jumping ship.

53. Andrea May 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    I definitely don’t mention the blog to my family. I’ve only ever talked about it with my best friend and people that I’ve met through the Pittsburgh blogosphere (the burgosphere). I tried to keep it ‘annoymous’ the first couple months– no pictures, no name mentions– but I can’t. It’s just not to me to do it otherwise.

    That said, I don’t blog about work (fear of being dooced).

54. J May 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 pm

    I blog about almost anything. I know my dad reads my blog sometimes and I also can’t have XXX content because my paid posts won’t accept me anymore. Definitely blog! Oh, and AWESOME Tyra gifs! Top Model fans represent!

55. tia May 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 pm

    i enjoy my semi-anonymity. i mean, people in my real life read my blog, but not many, so i don’t censor myself. much. i guess i just try to be really REAL…and i figure if people don’t like it, they can suck it.

    hee hee.

56. Clueless Cat May 23rd, 2008 at 1:48 am

    I have this blog which is anon and another which isn’t. I started with this one but as I got into blogging I really wanted to share some of it with the people in my real life, so I started the other one! I don’t actually think that many of my RL friends read that one, but I also post pics and use ppl’s real names. LoL

    I like the freedom of being anon, I post mostly relationship/dating and money/goals stuff on this one just cause it’s not something I can talk as candidly about with ppl in my real life…

    I love having both my blogs though, and wouldn’t do it any other way.

57. Christie May 23rd, 2008 at 8:16 am

    I think making my blog not annoymous lets me write a little more… well less, whiny. lol. Just knowing that they can put my whines to my face makes me more cautious. I struggled with whether I should blog annoynomously (wish I had spell check on comments) At the same time, I don’t blog about anything that would really put me in a bad position (i.e. work–in detail, at least) except for my dad’s 4th wife which I used a different name (anyone that knows me would know who that was) and maybe a little about the ex, heh.

    and on to poop. it wouldn’t bother me if you bogged about poop, as I am a mother. I’ve even blogged about it, though I try not to be a mommy blog. Poop just becomes so apart of everday life…haha. I know you understand because your a nanny but when you’re a mom you might even cheer for poop, haha.

    and if I was anon I wouldn’t get to put up nearly as many cool pics

58. Mark May 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 am

    whooo! i’ve been noticed!

59. The Modern Gal May 23rd, 2008 at 9:33 am

    Sometimes I do wish I could come out of the blogging closet, but I do like the feeling of safety my anonymity provides — although I realize that could come back to bite me in the arse, because we’re never completely anonymous.

    I never intended on writing personal things when I started my current blog, but it just migrated that way.

60. lfar May 23rd, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    Us Non-Anon bloggers don’t get enough credit. We but ourselves out there! But at the same time…

    Look, we all know the pros to being anonymous. But imagine going in the closet when you’re used to being so free? Stay non-anon! It’s fun!

61. Shannon May 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm

    I struggle with this sometimes. My semi-anonymity. A few of my friends have found my blog via facebook (i put a link up to gain some readers for the April RAINN event, but recently took it down). Obviously I posted a photo, and I like having the ability to do that. I’m not sure if I’d post photos of anyone else (unless they approved). I try not to use real names. I’m sure to be vague in my job positions and my school/locale.

    But really, I don’t feel like I have to hold myself back from talking about anything. I’m a what you see is what you get type gal. There’s very little about my own life I wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about on my blog.

62. e.p. May 24th, 2008 at 10:22 pm

    My BFFs, former roommate and boyfriend all know about my blog and read it fairly regularly. I feel like I sometimes need to censor myself because I know they are reading, but overall, I like that they know about it. It’s just another way for us to keep in touch, and a way for them to understand what’s going on in my life at the current moment. Sometimes, I wish I were anonymous because I would like to write about some different things, but all in all, the reason I began blogging in the first place (back in the day) was to keep up with my friends on the other side of the country… But I can definitely understand where you are coming from.

63. Holly May 25th, 2008 at 4:46 am

    My blog used to be a lot more anonymous than it is now, since two of my friends know about it and leave me comments, since they also blog themselves. I don’t mind though, nothing I blog about it all that sensitive.

64. WonderSpot May 25th, 2008 at 11:13 am

    This seems to be the question of the day, doesn’t it? I told a few friends from the beginning, but they were friends I’ve never censored myself around, so it never changed how I wrote. And then I went and put my link of Facebook, without really thinking about it. It sorta freaked me out at first, but after thinking about it, I’m deciding to write as if I were completely anonymous. It’s the only way I’ll still have FUN with it.

65. Princess Pointful May 25th, 2008 at 9:23 pm

    I enjoy being anonymous, but it can be a lot of stress and work sometimes. I also think it restricts me from being as social and connected with other bloggers as I would like to be.

66. alasmydear May 26th, 2008 at 2:18 am

    i thought about that too, when i started blogging. but it’s too fun to give up!

    i too don’t tell very many live people about my blog. just family, and close friends. all my other readers are from the internetosphere. and i don’t blog about incriminating subjects, like work. relationships. sex. very deep emotions.

    and i don’t curse people on my blog.

    it’s been working out ok, so far…

67. K May 27th, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    I am pretty much as ANON as possible. I have one real life friend that reads my blog and I hope to keep it that way. The thing is we met through blogging therefore its kind of a different story. Kinda? Maybe. Sorta? I guess you dont know where to draw the line and how thick you want to draw it. I am pretty open about everything.. more open than I have ever wrote on the internet and defintiely wouldnt be as open if my blog wasnt ANON (then again isnt that a given?)

68. Maxie May 28th, 2008 at 7:30 am

    I wish I were more anonymous. I feel a little better now that I have my own URL and everything, but the truth is that I still use my real name, my email address.. and i don’t cover my tracks very well.