Do you put your best self forward on your blog?
Or a censored self?
Or both?
We all have layers of this, of course – nothing in life is so black and white. But there’s usually a focus.
If you’re using your blog as a portfolio for writing, I would say it’s likely your best self always.
If you’re more of a personal blogger, it’s your censored self.
The idea of self censorship fascinates me. Do you ever think about why you do it? Is there really a benefit?
I’ve been told a few times that my blog doesn’t have a niche. To a degree, that’s true. But I have three main areas I like to talk about: blogging, writing and lifestyle. (I still call it that for simplicity’s sake, even though other options have been discussed before.) There are a few things I want to do in the design and layout of my blog to emphasise these three things, but that’s just one of those tasks on a to-do list, and to me that’s less important than actually writing posts.
I try to not censor myself much on here. My only conscious acts of censorship surround things relating to others.
To me, not censoring myself is also about allowing myself to write in different ways. Sometimes I write serious posts, others are humorous.
Do you censor yourself on your blog?
I can be a bit of an over-sharer sometimes… I’ve definitely put my dark side out there on my blog, but there’s always been a reason for it, either to write my way through a problem, or to share a lesson I’ve learnt…
But I’ve also censored myself too, but more to protect others more than myself… Also, if I blogged what I really feel sometimes, I think I’d be sued a hundred ways to Tuesday! 😉
I don’t think sharing a dark side is necessarily as taboo as it might have once been. And the more ‘everythings rosy’ posts I see from people, the more I assume something is really wrong 🙂
But yes, not getting sued is a good reason to not post certain things haha. I keep notebooks in Evernote for things I can’t post but may make it into a book one day!
I self sensor myself on my blog because I’m aware that my family reads it. I’m more open on twitter and while my family could read it if they wanted they seemed to have kept their opinions to themselves if they have.
I’m not really sure who in my real life reads my blog to be honest. I don’t hide it but I don’t advertise it either.