Should I blog anonymously?

Aug 24, 2011 7:17 AM by Kit @ Blogging Dangerously

Posted in Parenting / Parenting Tips & Advice / Parenting Advice & Columns / Tough Love

To Share
Or Not To Share

In this installment of Tough Love, Kit from Blogging Dangerously offers tips on starting a blog.

Pregnant woman blogging

Tough Love with Kit of Blogging Dangerously

The question

I'm pregnant and I want to start a blog, both to keep track of my soon-to-be baby's growth and development and to "meet" other new moms. I admire the support and friendship I see in the blogging community. At the same time, I'm afraid of sharing too much information online and I'm worried about putting my baby's picture "out there." I'm also afraid I'll censor myself too much for fear that someone I know "in real life" will read my blog. However, I really want to blog! What should I do? Is blogging anonymously the way to go?

Kit answers:

How much time do you have?

When people tell me that they want to start a blog I say, "Wow, really? Do you have THAT MUCH FREE TIME?" Because the truth is that blogging, like anything, is a time commitment. Whether it's writing your own posts, or reading and commenting on other people's posts, you'll only get out of it what you put into it. Want an online journal? You'll need to post regularly. Want to build friendships with other women? You'll need to read their blogs and comment so that they come to know you. All of this takes time.

Why are you blogging?

Before you start a blog, ask yourself what you want from it. Do you want to share photos and stories with Grandma and other people that you know? Do you want to meet people and be a part of the online community? Do you want an online scrapbook for yourself? Do you want it to be some combination of the three? Or something else entirely?

Once you've figured out WHY you're blogging, you can figure out HOW you should blog. If you decide that your blog is a private journal for your friends and family, consider adding a password to limit access.

If you decide that your blog is a mechanism for meeting strangers and making them friends, then talk to your spouse about how much information you are BOTH comfortable posting on the internet. You may decide that photos are fine but that you won't mention what city you live in or your last name.

If you decide that your blog is a way for you to vent about all of the pent up frustration in your life and you want to talk about what a jerk your boss is or how STUPID your husband can be or how your mother has a drinking problem, then DON'T BLOG. SERIOUSLY. There's no guarantee that anything you put on the internet is going to stay private or anonymous. Don't write anything that would ruin your life if someone did a search on your name and found it.

Blogging is an amazing way to enrich your life through technology. Putting a little thought beforehand into what you want to say will help you find your voice.

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Comments

Comments on "Should I blog anonymously?"

Wise words. I blog about my divorce and issues related to a special needs child, among other things. I blog under a pseudonym and any photos of my kids are cropped so that there are no identifying features. My subject matter is way too delicate for me to use my real name. Even though I take precautions, I do worry that my ex will my kids will find out about the blog. I don't think any of us who blog can ever be 100% guaranteed of anonymity, pseudonym or not.

Really wise words, Kit. I agree about the time factor- blogging is really time consuming, it takes time to write interesting posts, fix up your blog site, and to visit around and read other blogs/comment. I kind of wish I had done my blog more anonymous, but kind of too late. I would think it would take a lot of work and thought to maintain anonymity. loved reading Kit's take on the whole thing. You should all click over and check her blog out, she is very popular, and so is her wineparty twitter party on Friday nights :)

If you are blogging about something as personal and specific as your pregnancy than subsequent birth and early years of your child's life there is a chance that your anonymity could be blown at some point. However, I have been blogging completely anonymously for over a year now (thesimpledude) and have developed a decent readership. My girlfriend, who I live with, is the one and only person in my offline life that knows about my blog. Not my best friends, not my coworkers, not my parents. It's not that hard to maintain anonymity if you're not too specific with your writing.

As someone who is also an anonymous blogger (Anonymous8), I can attest to everything that Kit says here. I am also a fan and friend of hers and we have had this discussion... You must always assume you won't maintain your anonymity... and I had the words must and always. So, tread cautiously. Yours, Sarah Baron Anonymous8