This is an interesting subject for me. Blogs are a place to share information with the world. That being said, if it s a blog about your personal life and thoughts, the question of what and how much to share are questions that must be answered. Before I go much further, let me say that I have no deep dark secrets. I would share almost anything in the right context and to the right people. But the question of what to share with the world is one I frequently ponder. On more that one occassion I have started to write something and have decided not to because I felt really uncomfortable about it or wondered what the repercussions would be in the long term.
I remember reading an article about what not to do in an interview. The audience for this article was professionals who were candidates for fairly high level positions. For the kinds of positions I am talking about there is a fair amount of background research done on candidates which may include some basic web searches. What stood out was the author said some candidates have no idea the blogs they have written would be evaluated. In some instances the writings were the deciding factor in disqualifying a candidate. I have also read some blogs where I could not believe what I was reading. Some of the things people will disclose about their personal lives just amazes me.
So just how candid, open and honest should one be when blogging? I say is you decide to write on a subject and your blog purports to be serious and “real” then candidness, openness, and honesty are a must. Being selective about what is written is a different story. I wouldn’t tell everyone about everything in my life. Some things are too personal and some are just not appropriate to write about. But then there is that gray world of rants. There is a lot of stuff that concern or annoy me and I may want to shout to the world. Some may be about my job, my church, and my friends. But I’ll be careful! Don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
