Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Bloggers Beware

I have been talking to Mr S tonight about why we blog. As tired as I am, I have got to get this down on paper or should I say screen! He is writing about something similar tonight but from a different angle.

My biggest reason is the arm injury that has stopped me writing and I missed keeping my Journal so much. That said, Blogging is totally different form of Journal keeping. Writing a Journal is a private experience, you can say what you want, when you want, safe in the knowledge that it stays with you, at least until you go to your grave. I have read bits of my Journal to others but even those have been heavily censored, sharing only the tamest parts with them. I still maintain there is something very satisfying about beautiful suede bound creamy paper, just begging to be marked with a pen. I had no choice so here I am.

Mr S and I talked about this a few weeks ago, asking ourselves why we even bothered. I think you have to be a bit of a frustrated writer to start with. My Journal was my safe space, somewhere I could let my innermost feelings run free. Forget therapy of any sort, writing and recording events was better than telling any counsellor your thoughts, fears and dreams. Then on a lonely night awake (as usual) it was a place to go back and look at how you had dealt with certain things in your life.

I wandered happily onto Blogspot and was just relieved to be writing again. But I did not question the bigger picture and how different an experience it was until I had posted for about three weeks. I also posted a link to my Blog on FB, I did not even justify that, as I was always careful about who had access to my FB wall. It's a contrasting experience because by making your Blog public, even to a small number of people, you are opening up you private life, so it is inevitable that it must be somewhat sanitised. Then you ask yourself the question... why don't I just block my Blog to anyone apart from me? Hmmm....that is where I start to question the validity of my statement, 'I had no choice....'.

Lets go back to the frustrated writer in me. Every writer wants to be published and when you look at this at its most basic, it is a form of vanity publishing. Friends have encouraged me, egged me on after my first few posts and I loved that, yeah, I was at least giving others enjoyment. Then I got frustrated because I found myself not wanting to Blog if I did not have something positive to say. It has taken a while, and I am not completely comfortable with letting you into my most private moments but I have become more confident and hope to relax just a little more with it.

The Beware in the title is a warning to those that think their Blog is bomb proof and they can say exactly what they want, on any subject. As well as the usual libel laws, Blogs are now admissible as court evidence and are routinely being used as such. Oh, by the way, I am as guilty as the rest of using my Blog for propaganda purposes, as my recent posts regarding our Armed Forces show. On the plus side, it is an excellent way of staying in touch with your friends, soothing your ego and trying to give someone a smile. The Blogs out there are a fascinating insight into other peoples lives. One thing is for sure, it is highly addictive!

Be Kind to yourself

Muse x

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