Blogging is a brilliant way to share your knowledge, expertise and opinions on the topics you are passionate about however it’s also a solitary activity that requires focus, creativity, talent and a whole whack of determination.
Unfortunately in this fast paced internet-society it’s very easy to fall into the habit of taking everything seen online at face value and never spare a thought that behind every fun, effortless-looking blog there’s a load of hard, tedious work by an actual real person with a real life and their own daily struggles to get through.
On the other hand how can readers be expected to think about the blogger behind the scenes if nothing personal is ever shared?
So, just how personal should you get on your blog?
The short answer is: the amount of personal info you reveal on your own blog is entirely up to you and how much of your “real life” you’re comfortable sharing.
Here’s what happened when I posted my reality online:
I first began giving you a peek into part of my personal life with my Behind the Scenes of Blogging series, my completely honest look at the daily hard work that goes into creating the blog portion of my Confessions of a Refashionista empire.
A short while ago and after much thought and many sleepless nights I published a post about my reality. I revealed the unhappy truth about my life because, after years of trying, I had absolutely nowhere else to turn for support and the stress of my life combined with the pressure to single-handedly continue creating and posting daily to my blog, producing videos, writing/designing/publishing books, sourcing content for Refashion Nation, contributing to several DIY sites, marketing my work & being active on social media while receiving mountains of aggressive e-mails and comments from online trolls and those resentful of the “amazing life” they assumed I had just became too much.
In response to my honesty and query for help I received quite a few encouraging comments which most certainly boosted my mood.
Many people also felt compelled to send me messages detailing their own past & present personal struggles and thanked me for my honesty and candor which helped them to feel much less alone in their own circumstances while also letting me know that my posts brightened their days and brought some much needed laughter & creativity into their lives, which made me more than bit happy-weepy and teary-eyed.
“Just know, that you touch many lives with your creative energy and humour.”
Unfortunately very few people were willing or able to offer any kind of actual assistance or support beyond a comment or personal story.
Help does not have to financial. Sharing your favourite posts with your online circles, enthusiastically introducing people to my work and encouraging them to follow & share would really go a long way to increasing my visibility and those all important behind the scenes numbers which are so crucial when attempting to create opportunities and find the “right” connections needed to help me take my talents to the next level and have the ability to provide a better life for my munchkin in the happy, healthy environment she deserves.
To answer those who asked why I hadn’t created a crowdfunding campaign to receive donations if anyone wanted to help financially:
Receiving money for nothing from strangers on the internet is not something I am at all comfortable with. If anyone wants to help in a financial manner they can purchase my very reasonably priced e-books or wardrobe refashionista packages and snag some awesome sustainable style in return.
So, has anything changed since I shared my personal post?
Nope, but I am working harder than ever to make those all important opportunities and connections.
Do I regret sharing such a personal post online?
Nope! Through sharing my own struggles I discovered that my hard work, quirky creativity, strength and positivity helps others to get through their own adverse circumstances, brightens the days of loads of people online and inspires a whole horde of DIY divas in their creative endeavours. (which absolutely canceled out the gross trolls who felt the need to contribute their absurdly ignorant opinions – see how I deal with trolls here)
Getting personal online can be a very rewarding experience and may help to free some of the stress you’re carrying on your shoulders. Share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with and don’t hit publish until you’re ready for the mixture of positive and negative reactions that will follow.
Stay tuned for more of my backstage of blogging series and feel free to request a behind-the-scenes topic that you’d like to learn more about in the comments below.
i haven’t blogged in over a year. i do it anonymously. when i write, it’s about my family. we have a mix of birth, adoption and foster kids. some days are rather difficult, some are awesome, but my family and the life we live together brings me the deepest joy i’ve ever felt. because of the nature of our lives, i self-edit so much. in fact, one of the reasons i stopped writing was the self-editing. i miss it, but i’m finding it way hard to return–so much has happened and i just don’t know how to begin again. i suppose the answer is to just begin. thanks for your post–the level of transparency issue is a tough one.
I honestly believe that you should only write what you’re comfortable sharing and publishing when you’re sure you’re ready. You’ll get back to your blog when you feel like it (or not), what’s most important is that you are happy and content with your “real” life. 🙂