Rule of Thumb When Blogging About Your Life (3 posts)

  • Miss Jenny Kay, I think your post got the dropsies there, by dangy. I’m a-lookin’, for it, but I don’t seem to be able to find the content in your post at all. Alas, maybe I’m just a little old lady who needs glasses, tee hee…

    But let me take a very brief shot at this question anyway, as I find this little interrogatory most relevant in these topsy, turvy times. So here’s my take on it…

    Rule of thumb when blogging about your life? I say… just don’t. It’s always better to focus on a topic of shared interest between you and your readers. If YOU are your focus, you will rapidly turn into Gladly the Cross-Eyed Bear blogger, all puns and hymns intended..

    What do I mean? I mean that bloggers who proclaim self-interest at every turn are of no longterm interest to readers. Pity parties and braggarts are never welcomed or tolerated online for long.

    On the other hand, Bloggers who keep the focus on the SHARED interest, concern, joy, misery, etc. they share with readers, build trust in their readers by letting them know that they matter just as much as the blogger.

    Robin

  • Keep in mind, there are very few people (outside yourself and maybe your mom) who care all that much about the details of your life. I can think of three exceptions to the “don’t blog about your life” rule:

    1. If you’re a genuine real-life celebrity (not just famous in your own mind ;) ), then you likely have fans who will be interested in details of your everyday life… at least for as long as you maintain your celebrity status. (Eventually, though, even they will probably get tired of reading. Keep it interesting and upbeat and they’ll stick around longer. Nobody wants to read every single day about your adventures in brushing your teeth or how annoying your significant other is, no matter how famous you are.)
    2. If your “everyday” life consists of things like climbing Mt. Everest, reporting the news from a war zone or working behind the scenes in Buckingham Palace. In this case, the details of your life are probably interesting enough to keep people coming back. Just be careful about the depth and content of the details you reveal so you don’t spill any state secrets or get your celebrity bosses (and their lawyers) riled up at you. :)
    3. If you’re a world-class storyteller like Erma Bombeck or Bill Cosby and can turn a simple story of arguing with your spouse, cleaning the bathroom, or cooking supper into an entertaining adventure saga. (Note: it’s a lot tougher than it looks to pull this off well.)
    Robin’s exactly right: if you’re going to constantly indulge in pity-parties over how your life stinks, spend your time bragging about how great your life is, or simply bore people to death with excruciating details of your day, NOBODY will want to read it for long, no matter who you are or what you do with your life.


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