Weekend Writers Cafe - Friday March 7th to Sunday March 9th - Let’s Talk Writing
Wow! What a great start we had to our first Writers Cafe for 2008 with lots of familiar faces and some new faces too. It was great to catch up with everyone last week and hear what you’ve all been up to.
We also talked about what makes for such strong connections between bloggers, despite often having never met.
Robert Hruzek summed it up
When we bloggers spend so much time writing from our hearts, we naturally assume others are doing so, too. And our words reveal far more than we think they do about ourselves.
Easton Ellsworth suggested
…There’s actually something comforting about NOT being able to easily meet someone in person. You get an extra sense of security and feel more able to share things that might leave you feeling vulnerable in a face-to-face setting.
Grab a coffee and some yummy goodies. The Writers Cafe waiters are at your beck and call… and no washing up either. Kick back and relax!
As always, chip in and talk about anything writing or blogging related. Share, ask questions, network or vent… whatever you need right now.
Discussion Starter - Just to get things rolling (tangents allowed and welcomed) -
As we share so much of ourselves online, (selectively or inadvertently), how do you strike a balance, between using the web to promote yourself as a professional and the more informal interactions and nature of blogging?
Sharing your personal thoughts and peeling away some of the “mask” in blogging is courageous and sometimes difficult. How do you approach this?
Rather than being indulgent, blogging as a professional under your own name can be a brave thing to do. This was evidenced just this week by a number of bloggers who let me know they took the step to use their real full names rather than their nicknames or a Christian name when blogging.
This was after reading my post - Do You Make This Simple Personal Branding Mistake? If You’re Not Cher or Prince, Read On…
Let’s talk. Remember, anything else goes too, so feel free to throw your own writing or blogging discussion topics or questions into the mix.
Thanks to those who caught up at Grow Your Writing Business last week.
Laura Spencer - Writing Thoughts
Lillie Ammann - A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye
Jeanne Dinnini - Writers Notes
Mihaela Lica - eWritings Online Public Relations
Ellen Weber - Brain Based Business
Joanna Young - Confident Writing
Matt Keegan - The Article Writer
Monika Mundell - Writers Manifesto
Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
Misti Sandefur at Life Of A Writer
Rachel at Heart of Rachel
Scot Herrick at Cube Rules
Princess at The Cookn Tcher Mom
Easton Ellsworth at Business Blogwire
Debbie Yost at Three Weddings
Karen Swim at Words For Hire
Sharon Hurley Hall at Get Paid To Write Online
Michelle Henriques at The Maltese Chronicle
Alina Popescu at Views Of A Broken Mirror
Toni at Wifely Steps
My blog has always been about everyday slices of my life. Recently, I had dinner with several blog friends including one who is here in our country for a short vacation. It was amazing how we seem to know so much about each other as if we were long time friends… all that because of the things we share through blogging.
Hi Yvonne
It’s an interesting question, and I think it does depend why we’re blogging and if our blog’s for business or is more personal. I don’t share too much of my personal life on my blog, but I think I share a lot of what I’m about, what’s important to me, my values and so on. That’s the gage that I try and use when deciding what to write, whether or not to include something - is it true to my value base?
Some of the other media are even more… challenging - Twitter for example is v. rapid and conversational and can lull you into the sense you’re having a private chat with a few friends - even though hundreds may be reading, and your messages are on a public timeline.
I think I’m more cautious there than most, maybe cautious isn’t the right word, I try to remember that everything I write is still a reflection of me, my business and my brand. I’d want any client past, current or future to be able to read everything I’d written there (and every comment on every blog post for that matter) and think ‘yes, that’s a person we’re happy to work with and confide in’
Sorry for the long answer!
Hope you’re enjoying being back around the blogosphere, it was great to see such a good crowd here last week
Joanna
Hi Yvonne!
I have always sort of viewed myself as a representative of my own niche. When I blog about writing, I’m blogging as a writer. When I blog about working from home, I’m blogging as a work-at-home mom. When I blog about business and blogging, I’m blogging as a blogger.
The approach I take, whether or right or wrong, is to focus on what interests me (with a mind to the fact that whatever I say can and will be read by anybody and everybody for years to come). Typically, when I visit forums or comment on blogs that I’m interested in, I find others with similar interests who also just happen to be a perfect fit with one of my niches.
I hope all this made sense. I didn’t mean to leave such a wordy comment.
So many things go on in my family that I would never put in print. Not necessarily because they are bad, but because you are affecting other people. I’m not just talking about myself but my children and husband. I have to think about how they would feel to have the information shared. In addition. For instance, my oldest daughter is having some social issues, that as a mother, breaks my heart. I’d like to rant about it, but then, maybe she would not appreciate it. I think it would make a good post, but I’m not willing to get more readers or comments at my daughters expense. I don’t write too much about my parents and siblings or in-laws. Believe me, I could rant on some issues, but they might read it and I might hurt feelings. I think we have to be cautious of what we say. It is easy to be lulled into a sense of camaraderie and tell some of your innermost secrets, but we have to remember anyone can read this. It is not a diary or a conversation with a close friend. Even though I’ve grown fond of many people who read and comment on my blog, they are still strangers in many ways.
I think I agree with Joanna. What readers see on my blog is the real me, because I love talking about writing and I discuss real things that happen in my writing life. I keep personal stuff more restricted, because you never know who might be reading your blog. On other blogs, I also write about real things, but if something seems too personal, then I may choose not to blog about it rather than write a censored version.
Twitter is rapidly becoming addictive, and I agree that it’s wise to remember that your tweets are public. Context is even more important when there are only a few lines.
Shoot, forgot to subscribe to comments. The woes of hitting ’submit’ too quickly.
Hi, Yvonne,
I’ve been always a nervous, less assured writer. Even my blog shows that. I have to have that right moment, without which no amount of prompt can make my brain to function. Thank you, Yvonne for the motivation. I also thank the blogging world because it doesn’t hurry me up.
Have a great weekend.
Good question but also one that is important. I’ve seen some interesting patterns emerge in my own blogging as of late.
I’ve moved away from the forever re-spun and previously chewed traditional blog topics and morphed more and more into freelance writing related topics. I guess this was also due to my business growth - a natural progression really.
What I like to stress here to anybody who is a little unsure as to move away from their previous blogging habits, don’t be afraid as it is never too late to change tactics.
I also have no problems sharing a little (or a lot more lately) of myself with my readers. They are what brings me new connections and eventually work and if it wasn’t for my blog, I would have never gotten into this business as I did.
I also connect better with those whom I see are humans just like me with all their faults and blemishes. There is nothing wrong with sharing at all and in the end we can’t please everybody anyway.
Hello Yvonne and WWC Writers! This is a question that I have sometimes struggled with and I do think it can be a precarious balance. I suppose blogging is much like working in the office. You are professional in the workplace but you also inevitably share some of yourself with colleagues. You may talk of weekend plans, recent vacations, funny stories or other tidbits that help you form relationships. While my life is not quite an open book online I have shared personal stories. Even if you run a business blog, allowing readers to see your personality helps create connections and ultimately that is the point of blogging, right?
Wow, this is my first writers cafe and I love it! Thanks Yvonne!
Karen
Hi Rach
That would have been fun.. especially as you already “knew” a lot about each other from bogging.
Hi Joanna
I can identify with your approach too. I always keep in mind that a client might read comments and posts, but I also try to keep it “real” balanced with being professional.
Hi Laura
This is interesting as you blog across a number of topics. I do too, and as you say, you are wearing that particular “hat” with each niche.
Hi Debbie
As you say, it’s easy to be “lulled into a false sense of camaraderie”. It’s not just those you think are reading your blog who can access or come across what you write.
Hi Sharon
Another mention of Twitter. I haven’t joined the Twitter crowd, but I’ve heard it’s addictive.
I’ve also heard that it’s “off the cuff” informal nature lends itself to sharing maybe more than what you’d like others to know, if you thought about it some more.
Thanks for your insights.
Hi Princess
I think you’re selling yourself short. Your blog is always interesting, partly because you do share your experiences.
Hi Monika
I love your turn of phrase - “forever re-spun and previously chewed traditional blog topics..”
As you say it’s the very connections which come from blogging or writing online that help our business. I guess it’s all about balance, what each of us feels comfortable with, and what works for you.
Hi Karen
Welcome to your first Writers Cafe… pleased to hear you’re enjoying it.
The analogy with the workplace is interesting. The only difference is I guess, on the web, we don’t really know who is privvy to what we share. As in the workplace, we only share what we are comfortable with.
I think you sum it up beautifully with “Even if you run a business blog, allowing readers to see your personality helps create connections and ultimately that is the point of blogging, right?”
Thanks for joining in the conversation. Hope to see you here again, often.
@ Yvonne: yes, that is exactly what lets us connect with each other on a deeper level.
*she sniffs the air and wonders where that delicious smell of freshly baked croissants comes from*
There’s a great thread going on over at Men with Pens about bloggers that fake it(http://menwithpens.ca/bloggers-that-fake-it) that seems to fit in well with this discussion.
Yvonne,
I agree with Karen that deciding how much to share on our blogs can be a precarious balance, and yet the very thing that sets blogging apart from many other forms of writing is its more personalized nature: the personality of the blogger is expected to come through.
Every time we write a post, we make a decision about how much of ourselves, our lives, our experiences to share with our readers. This decision can be a little easier with a niche blog than it would be with, say, a “slice-of-life” blog (naturally). Yet, even with a business blog–and more so with a writing blog, where we often explore ideas, inspiration, emotion, and the like–we often illustrate our points with personal experiences.
So, there’s always that push and pull, that wrestling with precisely how much of ourselves and our lives we should reveal. We need to reveal enough to become “real” to our readers and to give our writing that spark of “life” that enables the reader to relate to it, yet not so much that we compromise our personal privacy or that of our family or friends and take away that higher, nobler, somewhat more romantic quality that a piece of writing can have when something is left to the imagination–when every gory detail has not been revealed.
It’s definitely a “balancing act.” It’s as if we writers–and bloggers, in particular–walk a tightrope every day! Yet, we do so enjoy it, don’t we?
Very thought-provoking topic!
Jeanne
Hi Yvonne,
Blogging habits sometimes change drastically. I started it all as an experiment and tried out quite a variety of topics, from personal to news to tourism and my line of business. I think what’s important is to keep it real. Being honest, not pretending to be someone else allows people to get to know you and your way of thinking without necessarily telling them everything about your day.
For personal blogs, I still believe there needs to be a limit. From a certain point on, things can get dangerous. The world and the internet are not the safest places to be at time. So I think personal security should make us all have a few warning signals on stand by.
I have to agree with Joanna that Twitter can be sometimes misleading. You start with a few followers and see it as a bunch of friends having fun. But actually it’s all quite public in the end.
Hi Monika
Help yourself to those croissants. The chef will also bake you anything else you care for. Indulge!
Hi Sharon
Thanks for sharing the Men With Pens link. That looks like a useful, interesting site.
Hi Jeanne
As you say “Every time we write a post, we make a decision about how much of ourselves, our lives, our experiences to share with our readers.”
It is indeed a thought provoking topic with some great discussion here. I guess in the end, it’s about striking the balance that works for each of us.
Thanks for your valuable insights.
Hi Alina
It’s easy to get swept away, so your caution is timely. With issues like identify theft and even flaming, not everyone on the internet has good intentions.
Mar 9th, 2008 at 9:42 am
[…] Oh and by the way, if you happen to feel like stopping by for a coffee during that walk I was assuming you’d be keen on, stop by Yvonne’s Writers’ Cafe! […]