Those of you who know me (and even those of you who don’t) may have noticed that I’m pretty public about what goes on in my life. I talk about my professional endeavors and personal exploits on this blog. I offer you a glimpse into the day-to-day through my Twitter stream. And you can see me every week in the Dot Com Pho videos. It’s not really that hard to figure out what is going on in my life and I’m okay with that.
Public and Private Life
Even so, I think it’s very important to make a very clear distinction between what should remain private and what I disclose publicly. From what I recall, Darren Barefoot had a similar post a long while back, saying how he very much maintains a personal life that is outside of the public eye, though onlookers may feel that he is very open with his life.
For me, my blog is certainly a personal platform that I use to express my thoughts. It also serves my professional interests, as it serves as a living portfolio of sorts. It also lets me explore subjects that I may not otherwise explore with my freelance writing clients.
Professional Ramifications
By extension, I also have to realize that everything I write and share on this blog is going to reflect on my professional life. It’s going to affect my prospects with new clients and taking on new projects, because these new clients can see exactly who I am and what I do by reading this blog.
Absolutely, blogging is a fantastic idea for freelance writers to explore. It helps to establish your expertise and it’s just good practice. At the same time, you have to be careful when you start treading into that grey area. A professional blog needs some personal flair, but it can’t be too personal. Once it’s online, it’s online forever.
Just Write It Down
If I am experiencing some struggles in my personal life, for instance, I likely won’t share it on this blog. I may discuss some of the related issues in a tangential fashion, but I would not approach the specifics of the situation. Blogging is not my venue for emo angst, nor should it be.
For the record, although I blog six days a week on this site, I do maintain a personal journal as well. I don’t write in it nearly as often, but it does help to get my thoughts down on paper (so to speak). Sometimes, putting your thoughts into real words with real sentence structure can point you in the right direction; just be careful what you share on your blog and what you keep private in your diary or journal.
There’s a common misconception that if people read your blog, they know you in some complete fashion. That’s definitely not the case, as we’re almost always presenting a facet of ourselves, usually in a positive fashion.
We all project the positive site or ours. It is a common practice which implies to everybody.
I feel that blogging and twitter are ways to write about things you feel without as you say being specific. It’s an outlet to blow off steam, to rant on an issue or just to help you rationalize what you are going through by writing it down to get a clearer picture.
I do that in my blog, but I also am just a little bit more open with my actual feelings.
I’ve been following this blog for well over 2 years and I can’t say I know who you are.
So I don’t think “new clients can see exactly who I am and what I do by reading this blog.”
“Can.” Which is why I have to be mindful of what I do and do not post here.