Some of us start blogs with a purpose in mind: to talk about music, to show pictures of food that we’re cooking, to share our knowledge of knitting or child-rearing or celebrity gossip.
Others of us just want to air our dirty laundry.
I’ve been in the blogging/online writing scene for a bit now, and I’ve always clung to one principle: I never blog about my personal life.
I’m not saying that I’ll never share my thoughts, or briefly mention friends or vacation plans positively, but I make a firm principle out of not waxing long-winded about guys I’m dating or specific friends or problems at work. I figure, somehow, something I write will ALWAYS make it back to a person who I’d rather not read about my awkward date with him.
But some people view blogging the opposite way. A lot of people take to Xanga with the intention of blowing off emotional steam, of finding a place to get all of their emotions down on paper (well, screen) and maybe get feedback from readers. Then there’s people like Julia Allison, who have become notorious in the media for typing out every single detail of their lives in excruciating reality, and who often have it backfire in their personal lives.
Although I admit, Julia’s plucky confessions about her love life often make for more interesting reading than my Tweets about concert tickets!
So, my question for you Lovelies is this: do you blog on Xanga or elsewhere about your personal life, or do you keep things surface level? Are there any topics or people you refuse to blog about? Are there people you hope NEVER stumble across your blog?
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I do blog about my personal life, but I also try to keep the people I blog about unknown: names are never mentioned. Also, if I am blogging about a specific personal encounter then there usually is some thought or point to it, whether it’s clearing my head or looking for advice.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, it maybe some one’s way to unwind or clear their head.
sunflower / 323 posts
.. i blog about things that frustrate and upset me, but i think thats only because i don’t like talking to people about these things . and yea , i make those entries private kekeke .
sunflower / 287 posts
My blog was started off as a joke but now it is always about my personal life because I think of Xanga as the place where I can vent and write my feelings, something that is harder to do in real life.
sunflower / 321 posts
never. I keep things to myself, dont wanna hurt anyone
orchid / 130 posts
nope but I blog about FML moments of my friends =P
ranunculus / 3285 posts
I blog about my personal life to an extent on Xanga. I vent further on blogspot though because nobody knows that account.
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more often than not, i do.
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Yup, most definitely personal stuff but now I’m trying to switch gears.
hydrangea / 93 posts
I always blog about personal stuff on Xanga, but not that much on Facebook. Xanga is “private”, Facebook is “public.” Almost no one but my closest friends read my Xanga.
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Yes, I DO! coz I wanna be honest to myself.
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Yes I blog about my personal life but I dont personally know anyone here and sometimes say names but I know that the person will not stumble on it because they wont be looking.
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Interestingly enough, I have been blogging my personal life. It’s more interesting to look back on it. Buuuuuut I made the mistake of not logging out and having the person of which the note was referred to see what I had written. It was nothing bad – but, hey. It was very embarrassing.
sunflower / 408 posts
i think most bloggers would be lying if they said they were not blogging about their personal life. in fact, everything that we put onto this screen is scripted form our everyday lives even if that life is a story or fantasy that was created or written. these ideas come from the world around you, your actions, the words you say, and your personality. so in fact, each and everyone one of us put ourselves in words everyday showing people a little into our personal lives. the same thing goes for item purchases, fashion, beauty reviews, surveys, quotes from others that you enjoy, pictures, and whatever else i may be missing at this moment. each one of these things are a voice, an opinion, and a look into your personal life; you’re loves, dislikes, activities, etc…
guest
oh shit hell,
i used to blog about my daily love life…party life..family life..but i is too busyy now a days
daffodil / 1975 posts
Oh yeah, I blog about pretty much everything.
cherry blossom / 27 posts
Never. Why would I blog about something I wouldn’t tell pretty much everyone I know. Blogs go round by word of mouth easily.
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I originally joined xanga six years ago to blow off emotional steam. That’s also why I rejoined last year….though I find myself reading blogs like this one more often than writing my own.
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I do to a certain extent. I share a lot of my thoughts and emotions on certain things but I would never give specifics. I usually keep my personal life to a minimal.
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My blog is like a witty, often deep, more often silly chronicle of my life and it’s adventures…or lack there of. I actually wish more people would see it. I feel like I’ve got a lot to share – weird, mundane, inspirational or other.
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I blog about situations that I go through on a daily basis. But I do not reveal names or relationships.
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nope. i vent my stress through my character and turn it into art inspiration, and role play rather than spread negativity. not to brag or anything. my current layout is the most captivating i’ve made so far. and i was inspired by having to let someone i hold dear go.
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@betterdesigned@xanga - what about sea cucumbers? do you blog about those?
daffodil / 1975 posts
@CrimsonxBallad@xanga - If sea cucumbers were a part of my everyday life, yep, I would.
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@betterdesigned@xanga - touche. did you know their crap actually makes up most of the oceans sand? don’t drink the water. xD
daffodil / 1975 posts
@CrimsonxBallad@xanga - Even more reason for me to dislike going to the beach! =P
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@betterdesigned@xanga - I personally hate the beach. The water isn’t relaxing, or clear. It’s filled with lies. And crap.. and rotting corpses.. and semen. And who knows what else.
daffodil / 1975 posts
@CrimsonxBallad@xanga - Me too! I really, really dislike whale sperm. *blech*
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i use my xanga like a diary.
however, it is completely private and for my own eyes, and not anybody else’s.
otherwise, i just read other blogs, like datingish or lovelyish.
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i blog entirely about my personal life, on my xanga. no one knows about it, and i don’t have any personal information or use names on my site, so i figure i’ll be okay. i need some type of blog or journal to blow off steam because i don’t like discussing my problems i’d rather just get over them myself. i have a tumblr for posting pictures and other stuff like that, and that site is more public.
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@betterdesigned@xanga - I prefer showering in my own home, or just walkin´ in the rain. I don’t like my water infested with nasty stuff.
daffodil / 1975 posts
@CrimsonxBallad@xanga - Same here.
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@betterdesigned@xanga - I’m singin in the rain singin in the rain.
I don’t know the rest of the lyrics.
rofl.
XD
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do you blog on Xanga or elsewhere about your personal life, or do you keep things surface level?
YES! I never use real names though. But I do blog about my personal life to a certain extent.
Are there any topics or people you refuse to blog about?
Certain things are too personal to blog about.
Are there people you hope NEVER stumble across your blog?
LOL! YES! I don’t use real names, but they’d have to be pretty dense to not know I ws talking about them.
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yup
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Yes I blog about my personal life on Xanga. I didn’t start my xanga to entertain people.
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I use Xanga as my own personal diary. But I’m always worried that people I know will see it, so I don’t really ever put anything too personal.
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to an extent..yes. but i spare the details…it’s all the same ol’ bs
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I do!! I just don’t friend anyone so no one reads it
. I just like having public access to nifty stuff like lovelyish and such.
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I started it to air the dirty laundry.. does anyone come on here thinking, I want to make some online friends and blog about random shite? Well, maybe.
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all I do is blog about my personal life
orchid / 147 posts
I have two blogs: a personal blog where I vent about everything and anything, and this one where it’s more surface issues, general things to share with the general public.
Family members are the ones I hope would NEVER find my personal blog. I have relocated twice because they found the blogs each time. c__c I hope they don’t find my new personal one.
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i always blog about my personal life. it’s an outlet for me to get things off my chest, and then i can look back on things that have happened in my life. my blog is not very detailed but i get the jist of what is going on with me.
daisy / 630 posts
that’s pretty much all I blog about. But no one on here knows me in real life.
dahlia / 2012 posts
I sometimes publicly blog about my personal life, but it’s often a very watered down version of what’s going on. Most of the juicy tidbits are in protected posts.
cherry blossom / 30 posts
I have no problem blogging about my personal life sometimes, because no one knows that I have xanga account so no one that i don’t want them to read it will read it, before my bf was knowing about it and i couldnt write about any thing when we are in a fight because i know he will read it, now that i canceled my old one and had the new one , im so comfortable in writting anything I want, but not so much.. so i won’t regret it later
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hmm… sometimes… I let out some steam
magnolia / 1054 posts
yeah, i do, but nothing too too personal. never say names
daffodil / 1540 posts
my blog is mostly about my personal life, but i don’t reveal every single detail.
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Xanga is pretty much like a journal for me for the past 4 years. It’s interesting to look back at like, 8th grade and stuff, or the end of it anyways.
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I used to blog quite directly about my personal life. I think the best thing was that I could choose who saw it and who didn’t, maybe I could just keep it private. Even on here I could keep things private. However, I also told myself I wouldn’t refer directly to personal things with so much detail that it could be figured out. I have to blog a little about my personal life, because the blogs I write deal directly with my personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences. I want it to be personal, but i don’t want it to be so personal that people can read about themselves or not relate to what I’m talking about. I don’t want to be ”this was my day, blah, blah” because it’s not the kind of general ideas that I want to blog about. I want to get people involved and thinking, but it’s threatening thinking people could actually get to know me.
I would never want my family to find my stuff. Most of my family doesn’t understand what i think or say, and i’d rather keep most things more private. I would care less if a stranger was reading my stuff than if my family was reading it. (that’s especially why I want general ideas on here too, and not completely personal experiences!)
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Well… I’ve been here for 8 years and back then pretty much everyone blogged about themselves so yeahI’m keeping the old skool vibe going.
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I blog about my life, but as I don’t have any readers except for my best friend it’s not like I feared someone could read it. Plus, none of my friends or people I know are on Xanga or even know what that is (it’s not known at all in Germany) or speak English good enough to understand what I write…
And I also have a diary to write down the really personal stuff.
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I’d say I write about 80% of my life.
However, I only write about what I want to remember.
sunflower / 260 posts
Of course I do! I think that’s what blogs were originally meant to be – an public online journal of sorts where you could let friends and family know what’s going on in your life.
My own personal blog is a photo blog with personal entries as part of the post. However, it originally started out as just a journal. For me it’s interesting to look back at entries and see what I was doing/feeling/thinking at that time. But because it is so public and available for anyone to see I keep negative thoughts and opinions out of my posts.
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Not everything, but the main reason why I started blogging was to get things out of my head.
dahlia / 2942 posts
i blog about my personal life but since i have gotten more readers, i have had to censor myself a bit. some ppl that i write about have read my blog and been angered because i talk about them, but really, i’m just talking about my life. if they’re in it, i’ll be talking about them. simple as that.
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no one i that i have met in real life knows about this blog and i have friends lock on to keep my real friends out, which is funny cuz i will add pertty much anyone i dont know….. my blog is totally personal
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I used to blog about everything.. But it did come hit me in the face a few times before.. So now, it’s kind of like.. I don’t know who you are, but if you’re reading this and you really want to get to know me, why don’t you try and become a friend of mine? That’s just the way I see it.
I don’t like reading my old entries over where I’m all down on everything and such, it just isn’t a happy thing for me. I want to remember the good things. The bad things, if they’re worthy of remembering, I will write in my personal journal. lol.
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Yeah I sometimes blog about my personal life. But I keep my blog pretty secretive, and for those who do read my blog, I don’t really talk about them.
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i have a tumblr for posting cool pics and whatnot , but my xanga is mostly personal details, but NOT THAT PERSONAL, but there are occasional funny moments, but mostly ranting and rumbles
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A few years ago, xanga blogs were all about personal blogs and what not; there were no “featured web-logs” and so on. I came to xanga with the intention of it being sort of like my daily journal where I can express my days, my opinions, my feelings, etc.
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i blog about personal things, because its somewhere i can vent!
and i talk about peoples i don’t like or hate or annoy me but with no names, just general things but very obvious who it is! if they read it they will know! maybe its my cowardly way of telling them i hate them and they piss me off instead of confronting them in person and sugar coating everything they annoy me with.
so i vent, and im not afraid of them reading it because if i have the guts to write it then i dont care if they end up hating me or if i end up getting fired because its probably the best for the 2 of us!
i swear alot.. but not really suppose at work or at church or at.. anywhere..
so i do it on my blog.. who really cares right?!
i dont expect people to read it. i have it for me and not for anyone else
sunflower / 477 posts
i learned the hard way that its a bad idea, even if you’re using fake names
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I blog about my personal life, but never anything about other people.
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I’m probably the poster child for everything you shouldn’t blog about. Lol. I’m ok with saying anything though, because I do have limits on my blog and I can see who exactly is viewing what and where. Also, so far no one really reads my blog. And I’m totally cool with that. It’s my way of putting everything in perspective.
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i used to blog every once awhile about my life
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…I have been blogging my personal life. It’s more interesting to look back on it.” abeyance@xanga
That’s what I do. And it’s always interesting to look back at some old entries that I wrote and reflect on how far I’ve come since then and see how much has changed. I’m also like thingsarechanging@xanga where everything I write is private and for my eyes only.
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Alot of stuff i refuse to blog about my personal life in detail or about most events because a few of my friends which i dont want them to know too much about me is on there and might read it. that would not be to pleasant, after all i would not know if they started spreading rumours etc. so yeah
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=]
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I wouldnt have anythign else to talk about if I didnt rant about bothersome people or things that go on in life. In a sense, doing things that I can actually write about on xanga makes me feel like my life is actually intresting.
orchid / 234 posts
yeah sometimes
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I blog about my personal life which is pretty boring, but if its something really personal then I’ll protect it so only my close friends can read it.
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oh lordie yes I blog about my personal life.. and I’m sure one of these days it’s gonna get me in a heap of trouble >.< but the really personal ones are all protected posts… and no one knows about my blog.. so yeah.. I think I should be safe.
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yup, i do. i’m anonymous so it’s okay, and i created this account so i could have an outlet whenever i need to vent.
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Haha I only blog about my personal life honestly… I use no names and it’s good to let off steam you know?