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Ask A Bloggy Question: How Do You Manage Your Online Blogging Personality... OFFLINE? ♥
in I Want... Business!, I Want... Blogging!11 Feb 2011 | 13 Comments
PHWOAR! What a question!
But before the 'What Do You MEAN Your 'Online Persona'?! Your Online Persona Should Be A Reflection Of Your OFFLINE PERSONALITY, You Confused CLOWN!'' Police come screaming after me (because heck, I KNOW!), WAIT! Allow me to properly explain the topic at hand, because it's definitely not that!
Sarah recently asked: ''I'm not sure if this will make sense, but do you ever feel that you have to think twice about what you say in real life because of your blog? Like, do you have to act a certain way, or worry that you'll do something in person that will change people's opinion of you?''
Oh, Sarah! Like this morning, when I popped on my $7 K-mart tracksuit pants and strolled out the door, make-up less and bleary eyed, half convinced that a passerby would shout ''hey, CORRINE! Here's a Style Challenge for you: GET SOME STYLE!''?!
Absolutely!
Online, we have the magnificently luxury of presenting our very best selves. Our glorious, stylishly-clad s-e-l-v-e-s, dolled up to perfection and sparkling with eloquence! Hideously unflattering photographs? What hideously unflattering photographs?! Standard conversational ''ummm'', ''ahhhh'' and ''huh?'''s Not on the internet (and with editing!), BABY!
An EXCELLENT example of a hideously unflattering photograph.
Our blogs are typically angles of ourselves (and lives), devoid of details about our frustration with capes (insert your own example here!), and for whatever reason: perhaps you're not interested in discussing your frustration with capes. Perhaps your blog is an ESCAPE from your frustration with capes. Whatever! It's entirely fine! You don't have to share everything!
Unless you're atrociously, unexplainably rude to someone or engage in an act that's violently inconsistent with your blogging beliefs (for example, attending a 30 Seconds To Mars concert when your blog's popularity lies in its 'I Will Never Attend A 30 Seconds To Mars Concert' title!), it's EXTREMELY unlikely that your offline actions will damage your online reputation. (And if you are/do, hey, that's okay! Fix it!)
We're all human. We ALL experience sadness, anger and look tremendously bored on buses, and there's NOTHING wrong (or to feel guilty about!) with that! We're all constantly striving to become better people, one day at a time, right?! To me, that's the exact definition of ''managing your online persona'' offline and portraying your best blogging self, not fretting over uttering ''the wrong thing'' (because goodness, IT HAPPENS!) or having a hair out of place! But what does it mean to you?
♥
(Psst! Boggled by something bloggy?l Fling your blogging question over to corrine@frockandrollonline.com - you can be as anonymous or probing (or both!) as you like! - and let's solve your problem/curiosity for the next edition of 'Ask A Bloggy Question'!)
xoxo
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Comments (13)
i'm glad you shared this. i admit i worry about this a lot and wonder if i can truly be honest, but know i'd lose readers.
22 Feb 2011, Elle Sees, ellesees.blogspot.com
Amazing and funny post! I post a lot of graphics on my blog and mostly shopping tips and rarely shares about my personal life. I didn't think my life is that interesting anyway but I can completely relate to what you're saying because blogging has made me feel very conscious in the way I dress even on errands and also speak carefully when I'm talking to someone who reads my blog. I'm also very shy in person so blogging has also made me feel quite confident when I see people "talking" to me in comments.
18 Feb 2011, Shin, http://www.fashioncappuccino.com
Ahhh yes. This is something I've definitely think about. Even though I don't do many outfit posts I sometimes think about if I just throw jeans and a t-shirt on will someone think "wth does this girl know about style?" if someone recognizes me out.
17 Feb 2011, Christy, www.slowsouthernstyle.com
So I guess the conclusion is that we don't have to worry about it? I like that :)
16 Feb 2011, Rachel
Great post! I definitely agree with everything said here! and just so you know Im hosing a giveaway on my blog so stop by :)
- www.itsanewkate.blogspot.com
13 Feb 2011, Kate, www.itsanewkate.blogspot.com
Euforilla - GOOD advice, and awwwww! THANK-YOU! :)
Laura - ''How do you manage your offline personality online?'' It's probably because I've juuuuuust stumbled out of bed, but I don't understand! Elaborate, pretty please! what would you like to manage from offline ONLINE?
Autumn - Aren't we all! And I totally understand: perhaps you live in a house full of leopard print loathers, and they've raised you to SIMILARLY despise leopard print, except that you secretly love it -and start a blog full of pictures of it, only for your family to discover it and go ''WHAT?! BUT I THOUGHT YOU HATED LEOPARD PRINT TOO! WHAT IS THIS?!'' (Okay, so that was an extreme/weird example, but I 110% get what you're saying! ;) )
12 Feb 2011, Corrine/Frock & Roll, www.frockandrollonline.com
A large portion of my brain is used with that very same question. That's the reason why I haven't told any friends or extended family about the blog- I'm afraid they'll be all "But that's not YOU!" when it really is.
Although, I am less afraid to tell my blog readers something than I am to someone in real life- I like to think I am more tactful with written word than spoken ones.
12 Feb 2011, Autumn, http://www.barntalkblog.wordpress.com
What the other way around? How do you manage your offline personality online? I want advice on that!
12 Feb 2011, Laura
Word!
You said it all!
And I could also tell Sarah that there is a foolproof way to avoid this kind of slippery path: just state it in your blog, I do it, I say it's a place where I want to think positive and leave the negative out. But this doesn't mean that I don't have my blues!
I just wanted to create (and with a blog you have plenty of time to think about what you'll write and display) a smiling place.
Looking forward for your blogging advice Corinne, they are always on the spot!!! :)
11 Feb 2011, Euforilla, http://euforilla.blogspot.com
Kylie, Julie & Kez - HEAR, HEAR! I feel like I'm cheating by replying to all of you at the same time, but I couldn't agree with each of you more!
Clever Frank Zappa once said of his music ''the people who are meant to get it will get it'' - and I think that sentiment perfectly applies to a blogger and their blog, too! ;D
11 Feb 2011, Corrine/Frock & Roll, www.frockandrollonline.com
sometimes I get self conscious when I meet a blog reader offline. Will I be funny or as sparkly as my blog persona? I'm really honest online but at the same time I try to maintain respectful privacy for me and those in my offline life. Therefore in person I worry people will think they don't understand me as well/intimately as they thought they did reading my blog. I don't want to come across as shady or not genuine.
11 Feb 2011, Kez, http://andsoiwasthinking.wordpress.com
We are all human and we are all allowed to have good days and bad days. We just have to keep improving day by day and there is nothing wrong with that :D.
11 Feb 2011, Julie, http://juliettemaxwell.com
This is so interesting! It's different for me because I am mainly blogging about natural health and whatnot right now, but I think anyone who is active online does kind of have to think about this. I am pretty real online. I don't share every negative thing I think or feel, but I don't do that IRL either. I try to focus on the positive simply because it makes me feel better, not because I'm trying to hide anything.
On occasions where I do "say the wrong thing" (online or not) I try to forgive myself. People are messy and contradictory and that's just the way it is. If anyone decides to use my imperfections to judge me as a whole, I don't really want them in my life anyway! I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and be understanding, and I need to be treated the same way.
11 Feb 2011, Kylie, everblossom.net
