The Perils of Blogging

[Peg Herring]

There are, in my view, two big dangers in blogging. One is that your blog is not read: you waste time, writing long, carefully-thought-out messages to no one. The other is that your blog is read and you say something dumb or hurtful or, worst of all, libelous. Ah, yes, the joys of the dilemma.

If you are read, that's good, right? People get to know your name, get to know your views, and remember you when they think of authors. But writing every day or week or whatever means you have to put yourself on display: give opinions, tell stories about yourself, become a public persona. And that can be a little scary.

The main thing to remember is that a blog is not the same as a diary. It is revealed to others, and therefore it should be a writing exercise, not a rant. If you're mad at your agent or your publisher or your brother-in-law, it should not go into your blog, at least not specifically. It's a bad idea to reveal things that are too personal. Most people don't want to know anyway, and those that do aren't the type of "friends" you need. And if, when an agent googles herself, her name comes up in your blog in a bad way, the word goes out: "This blogger has an unprofessional attitude."

It does help sometimes to write down your anger or sadness or frustration. But writing it doesn't require posting it on your blog. Keeping your private thoughts separate from your public postings is a good thing. Then if no one reads your blog, you've gained practice in both writing and self-control. And if everyone does, you won't look like an idiot.