How do you blog personal information in a post without embarrassing yourself, your readers, or the other people involved in your story?

This next post about personal blogging ties right in with Earth Month. (Yay!  A whole month!  It’s about time.)  How does personal blogging tie in with Earth Month?  Because the man who prompted this article has dedicated his life to a better Earth.

Glenn Fay from Love Earth Always, has just revamped his entire website.  It is, in a word, phenomenal.  I love it to pieces.  It is professional, easy to navigate, is filled with pertinent information and content that is important to everyone in the world.  Yes, it’s about our environment, and Glenn has constructed a site that helps all of us help ourselves and each other, one step at a time. 

Part of Glenn’s mission is to add a personal flare.  One of the ways he does this is by the inclusion of a personal blog that is Green centered. Question is, how do you write a personal blog, include personal information, and keep your, your friends’, and your family’s privacy at the same time?  Glenn e-mailed me the following in hopes that I could help:

Glenn Fay 24 March at 05:34

Hi Michelle, Hope all is well. You don’t have to respond to this question if you don’t want to but I feel like you will have a smart answer. I grew up in a culture where sharing personal information was taboo. This conflicts with many successful bloggers M.O.’s. It seems the funniest, richest and most appealing blogs often are very revealing. My teens and wifey to say the least would have issues with me airing family matters in public! Other than using a pen name (wink wink) do you have any insight or suggestions for me as I try to transition from an informational blog to an interesting blog? Thanks, Glenn

Well, it’s been a while (and I do feel terrible about this, sorry Glenn), however, I’m pretty sure I was able to think this through well enough to be able to offer the answer Glenn needs. 

People write personal blogs and articles all the time, right?  I mean there are so many personal blogs out there, but do we really know the people that are writing them?  More than likely, no we don’t.  We know what they want us to know.  So this is what I’ve noticed…

I too grew up in a world where giving out personal info was a no-no.  Neighborly privacy was a respected thing, and one did NOT cross that line.  A best friend, sure, for the most part, but even parents didn’t share half the information that they do now with their children.  Today, we find that all over the world, and on television, the “real” world and reality shows are a major hit.  Find the right reality show, and you’re hooked, obsessed even, and satisfied with the idea that you are being presented with “real” and “honest” and “true” information.  But are we really?  Yes, but with one catch.  We’re getting “niche” information.

There is a niche for everything. And niches are important.  If you have a niche this means that you’ve done your homework, found a target audience, and are good to go with likeminded people.  I’ve noticed that personal blogs are exactly the same.  A good, personal, niche blog will get better reviews than what I like to call a “super store” blog.  Glenn has already created this personal niche blog.  So what now?  How can he say what he wants to say, bring you, his readers, into his world, allow you to make connections with him, without having to open his underwear drawer?

One has to walk a careful line, but the essence of blogging is one to one communication between the author and the reader.  The more personal you can be the better off you are.  What you want to build is a very unique and personal presence on the web.  Blogging by its very essence is personal.  And yet, one has to walk a careful line and watch both their own and their readers’ comfort zones.  ~Roberta Kyle

Here are some useful guidelines I’d suggest.  While they are geared towards Glenn in particular, the application to your own personal blog can and should utilize the same solutions:

Assuming you are not using a pen name (and even if you are) here are five important questions you want to ask yourself before you write or before you publish your post:

• What is the message you are trying to convey?  It should be one relative to your niche.  Don’t go off topic.  Period.
• Why are you writing this post?  In other words, at what level are you trying to communicate to your readers?  How useful will it be to your readers?  It could be as simple as to make them realize how beautiful a walk in the woods can be. It could also be as simple as wanting to let your readers know that we all come against choices, but what can we do if we can’t afford them… or can we.  It could simply be just to make someone smile and want to go outside and look at the sky and just breathe.  just make sure that your reason is in line with your niche.
• What is the most important part, or focus, of the story (personal or otherwise) you are sharing?  This ties the first two points together.  Once you have the essence of what you are wanting to post about, it is much easier to exclude what is not essential, and therefore making your post more productive, still personal, and above all meaningful to the reader.
• Do you have to name names? - If so, is there a way you can niche this person, only including pertinent, non personal (just human) relative characteristics?
• Is it important to be specific? - if so, where and how, what are the key elements?  Once you’ve figured out the above given points, you’ll find this will come on its own, but because it’s easy to go off track (especially if you’re long winded like me), it’s always good to give yourself a double check on this one.

That said, there are certain personal stories, like something that happened or was said while washing dishes together or some other daily or haphazard routines, that just have to be told.  There are so many great reasons for writing about these personal moments.  And Glenn is correct, as I’m thinking this is what he’s referring too when he mentions…“It seems the funniest, richest and most appealing blogs often are very revealing.”  It is these moments that when shared, can be most memorable and valuable to one’s readers, and can gain much in the way of loyal readership, when done tactfully.  Yet look at those pieces that work best for you in this way.  What elements do they all include?  Chances are, the above points are really more relevant than one would presume, and it’s the utilization of the answers to the questions and info I related above that make a piece a winning piece, one that won’t be taken for granted or tossed away when the next “funny” comes on the screen. 

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Well that’s my two cents worth.  If I think of any other valuable tips, I’ll be sure to post them.  As always, thanks for reading.  Hope you all are having a beautiful and Green day. ~Michelle PG Richardson

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Please visit Love Earth Always via the above the LoveEarthAlways banner link.  It’s well worth the read, browse around, and product purchases. (Vermont totally rocks!)