Matters Of Opinion: How Much of Your Life Is On Your Blog?

When you think about it, writing personal blog really is the antithesis to everything we’ve been told regarding internet safety. A personal blog lacking any indication of authentic identity, be it via photos, location information or some other form of personal profiling, is just as good as dead unless, of course, there’s superb content or content that flourishes only in the presence of anonymity (gossip-y or snarky blogs are the first to come to my mind).

I can’t help but think every time I post an outfit of the day photo, Why am I ignoring everything I learned in Internet Safety 101? You shouldn’t be posting photos of yourself on the internet, you hamster! But I do it anyway, because I enjoy reading blogs where the writer is open with his or her identity and am willing to bet that’s what readers want out of my blog, too.

But there’s a limit to what I’m willing to post. Actually, back when I first began hobby blogging with the now-deceased Life Is Better In Heels, I covered both my face and the faces of my friends and family with black dots. It took me awhile to become comfortable with publishing unmasked photos. Rightfully so, in my opinion. Do any of us really know who’s reading? What if your employer stumbles upon your blog or, even worse, an outright crazy-as-batshit stalker? Even if you’re not posting photos of yourself in a whipped cream bikini or writing about last night’s bong fest, it’s still ‘no bueno.’ However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that, just like boring family photo albums with page upon page of scenery photos from travels, what people really want to see is the human element. The view from your Oceanside hotel room is certainly nice, but I want to see the funny face you’re making while posing (and the killer shoes you’re wearing).

 A picture of me disguising myself (complete with a SWEET Geiko mask) that was formerly posted on  

Life Is Better In Heels

And while photos certainly put you out there, the content itself is always a matter of concern. I’m truly flabbergasted when I stumble upon blogs where the writer outright posts his or her full name, place of work or other clear-as-day identification markers (note: always check photos to make sure that no identity giveaways are in the background).

All of these things seem rather obvious to me: don’t post your full name, don’t post pictures of my home (with address in clear view), don’t outright state where I work, among other things. But let’s talk about content itself.

Generally, I’m a pretty private person, and I truly believe it’s possible to be a private person and still have an interesting/entertaining/authentic personal blog. I’m willing to share snippets of my life, but definitely not all of it. Even on Facebook, where my friends are edited and limited only to people with whom I regularly converse in real life OR truly desire to keep in touch, I don’t post every photo and detail from my whereabouts. There’s something nice about keeping some things to yourself, you know?

With that being said, there are some topics I will never discuss (or, discuss at a minimum) on When I’ve Arrived:

1. My fiancé (who I refer to as SO or significant other). Besides the tidbits or generalizations I post here and there, we’re very private people when it comes to our relationship. It may come across that I live a self-centered lifestyle, but that’s only because I don’t post half of the details of what we’re doing.
2. Work. Besides the business-related travels I take, there is absolutely no reason to discuss my job. That kind of talk can backfire in the worst kinds of ways. Best to keep that information contained.
3. Family. I love them, but I don’t think it’s fair to be blasting too much information about them (or pictures upon pictures of them). Again, too personal/private, especially since they don’t even know I have this thing!
4. Personal grievances with people in my life. I know some people use a blog as a kind of journal and therefore tell everything like it is, but I prefer to keep my people-specific problems to myself.
5. Political Views. ‘Nuff said.

I’m probably forgetting other topics, but these ones are the biggies.

Are there any topics off-limits to you, or is everything fair game? Is your life an open book? And, on a more serious note, do you ever worry about personal safety when you post? 

Note: Please let me know if you encounter any problems when trying to comment by emailing me at manolochoolou {at} gmail dot com (if you'd be so kind). Apparently there have been issues as of late.