I am a fully transparent blogger. I hide nothing, I am what I am and am not afraid to show it.
I believe it’s very important, when it comes to a personal blog like this one, that I stay as transparent as possible so my readers know without a doubt who they are dealing with. It just adds that much more of a personal feeling to the posts, don’t you think?
My readers shouldn’t have to guess as to who is writing these posts so I have always made it a point to never attempt to cover up exactly who I am or what makes me tick.
I believe it’s very important for myself as a blogger to let my readers see what lies beneath the skin so to speak, to let them know how I think and what I think about. To know that underneath this happy-go-lucky exterior I present to the world at large, there’s actually a very serious and intellectual type who thinks on all sorts of different levels. A sensitive person, someone who ponders the world and it’s people and all the havoc they can create and how that havoc affects the people around them. Someone who can gaze upon a sunset or sunrise and be enthralled by a long past memory that sight invokes.
These are the things that I believe a blogger should ensure his or her readers understand. Do your best to let them know exactly who you are and what you’re about. Provide your readers with a way for them to relate to you, an example that will help them see the real person behind the posts they’ve been faithfully reading all this time. Once you manage this, once you tune in your readers as to who you really are, then a whole new world will open up for you and your small corner of the blogosphere. Only then will your readers laugh when you laugh and cry when you cry. They’ll feel your joy and your sorrow as if they were sitting right next to you. And they’ll take the time to let you know they care.
And all because you let them see the person behind the blogger.
Kirk,
Interesting post and exactly why I’m closing my blog to the public. I want to be able to be more liberal about what I blog about. Westcliffe is a small town and I feel I can’t risk being so free about our comings and goings. The world is a scary place right now and don’t want to show up down there one day and find someone else has moved in.
So I will be inviting you to continue reading.
I enjoy your blog very much and although I don’t comment often, always know I’m reading and thinking of you.
Kirk,
Great post and you and I have discussed many times the very issue that janeywan brings up. Or I should say I’m in the same place as she. Wanting to say more and be more open about who I am, what I believe in and yet I hesitate to go too far. You’ve been a good friend and mentor to many of us in the blogging community.
Hi janeywan,
Always glad to know you’re around and I know what you mean about not commenting much…I’m the same way for better or worse. It’s just the way I am I suppose. Since I’m late on replying here, all arrangements, secret code words, handshakes and passports for access into Westcliffe and have already been made (can we make the secret dance a bit less physical on my part? I’m disabled you know). I’m looking forward to your new digs as well.
So is it going to be a brand new do-it-yourself type WordPress blog? Is it…huh…huh? Is it?
Morning Elaine,
Sorry the late reply (things have been rather crazy with getting ready for Laurie’s big weekend show which is happening as we speak).
I know how you’ve felt about this for quite some time now and janeywan’s solution or something similar to it might also be a viable option for you as well. You can close your current blog to the public and make it a “invite by email request only” type of thing and then start another blog that’s open to the public under a “nom de plume” where you can go “whole hog” as it were.
And you know me…just a sucker for helping others. Guess I’ll never learn to charge 100′s of dollars for my services. Oh well, I’ve always been much more satisfied being all at sea rather than waiting for the damn ship to come in.
I love this post. I would much rather read a personal blog that allows me to see who a person truly is because it’s more real. Being honest and showing your readers who you really are will keep them coming back, as well as help you develop online relationships & contacts. Best of luck to you!
Hello Jenna and welcome!
Can’t help but being honest about myself as well as things in general, just my nature. This, of course, completely negates any hope of my ever becoming a successful car salesman…
…and that’s just fine with me.
I like a little bit of sediment to mask the transparency – can come back to haunt you in the corporate world – I’m probably more transparent then I should be