Blogging Under The Radar
One of the first decisions you will have to make, if you create your blog through our Blogging 101 course, is whether or not to be anonymous. This was a tough decision for me. I was so appreciative of all the advice I got through the class about blogging safety, and it gave me so much to think about. Originally, since I am a freelance writer, and have many articles published on the web, I thought it would be a great idea to connect my blog with my writing website, and have people be able to connect the dots. But then, when faced with the decision, I went against plan, and decided to keep my blog, Topsy-Techie, anonymous. Looking back, I am pretty pleased with the decision….and here are some of the reasons why.
- As “Topsy-Techie”, I am free to be opinionated. In my freelance writing, I am often presenting information in a logical, unbiased way. But in my blog, I can speak for, or against just about anything, and no one will be sitting there comparing my opinions with my freelance factoids.
- Topsy-Techie can make fun of herself, and her family, and no one gets embarrassed. I have let only a few close friends know about my blog, and you can be sure that I won’t be mentioning them in it! That way, I can let loose and tell it like it is in the Topsy-Techie household. My kids don’t have to be afraid that their friends are going to find out that they secretly suck their thumb at night (they don’t…chill, kids!) And hubby doesn’t have to stress out when I air some of his (literally) dirty laundry. Blog anonymity is great for keeping families intact!
- I can make friends without feeling like I have to invite them over for coffee. My blog has allowed me to meet some really neat people. People that I truly enjoy chatting with on the computer, but might or might not be so pleased to hang out with in real life. Thanks to blog-etiquette, my community of fellow bloggers understand our limits and restrict ourselves to blog comments…not late night phone calls asking each other to babysit.
- It’s just safer. I share a lot of personal details about my life, my home, and my family on my blog. Why lose sleep over whether Joe Schmoe, and his newfound parole status, is spending his nights trying to locate my exact whereabouts because of something I let slip in my blog??
Just as I have many reasons for my status as an anonymous blogger, you might can come up with just as many for why you choose to “let it all hang out.” If you are a fearless blogger, who writes under your actual name, how about sharing in the comments section why you made that decision, and how it has worked for you. Whether or not to blog anonymously is a big decision, so before you make up your mind, get all the facts. To find out more about blog safety and anonymity, sign up for one of our blogging courses today.
Until next time,
