We were talking about how my blog voice is "neutral", which she feels doesn't reflect my true personality.
She said I'm more vocal in expressing my opinions face-to-face than on my blog and that's true. I intentionally try to be more neutral when I'm blogging. If I don't like something, I'm honest in saying I don't like it but I would be more animated and opinionated in describing it if I was telling you about it than blogging about it.
Why is that?
I think one reason is I'm trying to be respectful. If I go to a restaurant, for example, and have a bad experience, it has to be a REALLY bad experience to get me fired up about it on my blog. I'll write that I wasn't crazy about a dish or the service wasn't great but I'm not rude about it. Maybe that person was having a bad day ... someone close to them is sick, their cat died, etc. If it is a consistent occurrence, I just don't go back. Or when I write about a book I've read that I didn't like ... it's nothing against the author, the style of writing or the storyline just weren't for me.
Another reason is because once something is on the Internet, it's there forever. I would rather have something out there that is fair and respectful than a crazy rant. Yes, this is my space but whatever I write is a reflection on me.
If I like something, I blog positively about it but I'm not one to use flowery prose ... that's not my style.
What about you? Does your blog voice reflect your true personality?
I think like you, I am more balanced and careful when blogging. Besides it being there forever, I feel that the "tone" can be missing in writing and it is much easier for people to misinterpret things. In spite of this, I think my blog does reflect part of me.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think I am a little more careful on my blog than I am in real life, but so many people tell me that after talking to ne, they can picture me reciting my blog posts.
ReplyDeletei'm not careful in my blog, unless it involves my job or coworkers, because i signed an agreement about that. but i also don't often blog about things other people would know, like you do...books, and real life places/businesses, so I can't say how i would write about the "real world" other than just my own.
ReplyDeleteI think I blog the way I talk in person. I'm very animated in person and I try to make my blog reflect that. However, I try not to post about topics that are too, too serious. I also don't like to post negative things unless I have a horrendous experience either. When I do rant, I try to make it humorous so that I don't seem like an outright jerk.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that whole "whatever you post on the internet stays forever" thing. I'm trying to be a teacher, so I'm very careful with what I post. Although, my upcoming post is probably going to be an outright rant...