Pondering Reclusion
I’ve been wondering for some time about the relevance of a personal blog on the internet.
I began writing a public journal online about 8 years ago, around the same time that the term “blogging” was coined. In many ways the early days were a time of innocence – blogs were diverse, interesting, honest, open, and truthful.
Lessons were learned along the way about disclosure, privacy, trust and probity. More than once I found myself being marched into various offices to explain myself after over-stepping the mark. I quickly learned that some subjects – family, work, friends – are completely out of bounds no matter how mild your opinions might be. Passing judgement on the actions or opinions of colleagues would amount to professional suicide – and on family would make you the easy scapegoat to blame every family argument, no matter how ridiculous.
Over the years I have been writing I have also been reading. I have come to know some of my fellow blog authors very well – “real world” friendships that will probably endure for the rest of our lives. Others have remained anonymous – and yet no less interesting to follow through their sometimes daily adventures.
I wonder if I made the right choice – exposing my identity as a blogger. Sometimes I envy the freedom that anonymity might have provided – the range of subjects I might have covered. The thoughts I might have shared. The more controversial opinions I might have explored.
Identity is a little like pandora’s box. Now I am known, the idea of retreating seems fraut with complexity. Could I really write a second string blog containing unfiltered thoughts without making some sort of mistake, and exposing it accidentally? Surely the only solution might be to retreat completely, and begin again – writing under a pseudonym – leaving behind everybody who has read me.
It’s a sobering thought. The prospect of leaving all the people who have shared so much of my life over the last few years (and there are a lot of them – I rarely share the visitors stats for this personal blog). If I did it, some might erupt in fury – presuming that I will be writing about them. Others will smile, and wish me well. A few might even miss me.
What to do. What to do.
If you came across somebody’s writing elsewhere on the web, would you recognise them by their words alone?
I don’t think I would recognize someone just from their writing, no.
I started the other way – anonymous.
After 4 years, I still try to guard my identity and more importantly that of my family with pseudonyms.
Some friends and colleagues read my blog and I’m comfortable with that.
Interesting question you post though. I think innate laziness would make me preserve the status quo though.
I’ve actually found people’s anonymous blogs on the web when I haven’t even been looking for them. I think it depends on how long you’ve been following their writing, and if you’re thinking laterally when reading it or just focusing on the text alone.
I say do it. And if you want some people to continue to be able to follow you, you could always email them your blog address privately.
I don’t think I’d recognise you from your writing style alone, no.
I’ve thought about it. My mom reads my blog. My mother-in-law reads my blog …. I know that in some senses I use my blog as “diary” to process things. Yet, unlike a diary, I’m always censoring the events I choose to discuss and how I word things.
On the other hand, in the end I decided an anonymous blog would just end up being me whinging about all the things I can’t talk about on my own blog. Relatives that are annoying me, etc. And who wants to read that? I think, if I really feel like I need an uncensored outlet, I should go back to the pen and paper diary that no one reads but me.
It’s a difficult call, isn’t it – the sharing of information works both ways; if you are anonymous you must not divulge too much information – and if you are not, you must not offend. A difficult line to walk.
I think perhaps there is a certain amount of paranoia at play – in presuming that somebody would go to the trouble of tracking you down. Having said that, I know my blog has been read in it’s entirity by a couple of people looking for excuses to attack me.
The chance discovery will probably keep me from going underground – and the loss of opportunity to share events lest the carefully constructed cover be blown…
I’m having second thoughts – going underground also means you cannot share photos of places and people. As much of my life is centered around them, it would leave me with very little to share.
After thinking about it for a day or so, I came to the same conclusion as you. I even started thinking about the paper diary too – about what should EVER make it down on paper… Everybody’s diary gets read in the end, doesn’t it…
That’s a good point–if you write it, it will probably be seen eventually. I can’t bring myself to get rid of 20+ years of diaries now, but I think I’ll burn them before I die. No one needs to know how sorry I felt for myself as a typical middle class teenager!