A belated Merry Christmas

I've been neglecting my blog big time. I didn't even come on here to write a 'Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays" post at the appropriate time. So let me just say, now- Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year to everyone who happens to stumble across this page, for whatever reason.

I feel like I've had a good enough reason to for my benign neglect. I've been enjoying being at home in VA with my family, celebrating the holidays. I've been doing some very welcomed lazing about, had some very entertaining reunions with high school friends, and opened a whole bunch of presents. Oh, and of course I have been soaking up every second of time possible with my nephew. I thought it seemed kind of silly to be buying so many gifts for Landon and making such a big deal of his Christmas- after all, at 5 months old, there's no way he'll remember any of it! But I've actually been amazed at the inklings of greater comprehension I have been seeing in him, and the great enjoyment he's been displaying in many of his gifts. His development, even day to day, is just unbelievable. I know this does not come as news to anyone who has kids of their own, but for me the past five months of watching his growth have been awe-inspiring.

It's not all been fun and games- there's been some family drama here today that has been very hard on my family. I'm not going to elaborate any further as it's not my issues to share in the very public setting of the blogosphere.

The issue of blogging boundaries, in fact, is one that I've been thinking about a lot of late. Some of the blogs that I really enjoy reading lay it all on the line- and it's a guilty pleasure to read all the intimate details of another person's life, the workings of their mind, and the relationships they share. I often find myself wondering, however, where the line of appropriateness lies. It's tempting to use my blog as an outlet to vent my anger at people who hurt my loved ones or piss me off; to unload petty annoyances that are an unavoidable fact in marriage and friendship; or to make snarky comments about acquaintances that do unthinkable things. Always, however, I'm stopped by the thought of what it really means to be posting on my blog: this is publicly available to ANYONE with an internet connection. It's not anywhere close to anonymous. And I have associated my professional identity with this blog, so the way I represent myself here is, in a very real way, connected to my business persona.

When I'm reading and revelling in the juiciest of blog posts, a part of my brain stands back, wondering if the poster has considered the potential repercussions of their words made public, or if they've considered outlets through which their words could reach the person they reference. I've read posts, written by people that I don't know at all, that detail dates, fights, sexual activity, mental breakdowns, drug usage, binge drinking- you name it. I know that everyone has their own reasons for blogging, and some people actually want to promote a persona that is edgy, or controversial, or whatever random adjective they aim for. Don't get me wrong- I don't judge- it just makes me think, long and hard, about what I would call (for lack of a better term) the ethics of blog disclosure. Where is the line that delineates the appropriate from the not-so-appropriate? How much can you reveal about events which involve other people before you start impeding on their right to privacy? How do bloggers handle it when they post about an interaction with one person, and that person ends up reading the post and feels that it was a violation of trust?

I'd be interested in hearing other people's opinions on this matter. I have lots more questions and thoughts but this post has already gotten pretty lengthy. In other matters, I have some interesting news to share, but I'll be holding off for a while till it's a done deal- so stay tuned!

My Place in the Blogosphere- Musings

In the wake of my recent immersion into the wide world of the Blogosphere, I've struggled a little with my blogging identity. It seems like most of the folks out there who've got more than a handful of readers on their blog are comfortably settled into a very specific niche: Food Blogger, Mommy Blogger, Tech Blogger. I haven't found a niche that suits me. No kids yet, terrible cook, proficient enough in technology to do what I need to, but no more.

There's a set of 'writing bloggers,' which seems a little redundant, but that's who I mostly follow and where I see myself fitting in best. Still, it's not a perfect fit by all means. I started my personal blog originally as a place that friends and family who cared could follow the ups and downs of my attempts at freelancing, and as a place that I could unload my thoughts on occasion without thinking to myself, "is this post in line with the theme and purpose of my blog?"

I'd love for my posts about my adventures in writing to be helpful to other aspiring writers. That niggling little hope is one of the reasons that I post about my failures, along with the little victories. Maybe, another struggling, aspiring writer out there will learn from my mistakes and avoid making the same ones themselves. Or perhaps they'll find relief seeing that someone else is facing the same challenges as them. I'd love to be seen as a resource, or have my blog be a rallying point for a little community of self-starters, all enthusiastically cheering each other on and sharing ideas. But, I don't kid myself into thinking I have the experience or expertise in this area to try and tout myself as a 'newbie-freelancer-guru.' There are plenty of sites out there, with veteran writer-contributers, who do a much better job than I ever could at gathering resources and rallying a community of input on writing issues. I am indebted to these sites for the help and resources they provide. I'm not, at this point, capable of providing a service of the same magnitude, or even close.

So I've been feeling a little bit down. I mean, who's going to bookmark your site if it's just a jumbling of your thoughts and feelings? If someone wants to browse a bunch of randomness, they'll just turn inwards to their own thoughts, right? No one's going to digg or buzz or return for further reading if you haven't firmly ensconced yourself in a niche, will they?

In the spirit of my last post, however, I'm not going to let these little rumblings get me down. I do feel like my posts on this blog, in the past few weeks, have evolved a little and gained more of a sense of purpose. I'm going to think of my site as dynamic and organic- ever changing, little by little, is ok here. I have faith that eventually I'll find the right combination of content and ideas that will optimize this blog for both readers and myself.

I think I'll even do a little food blogging (maybe I can inspire some other non-cooks out there to abandon their microwaves for an evening), and a tech review or two (every writer needs a digital voice recorder- post to follow), and even some mommy blogging (cats are practically children, if you ask me). And I'll continue to reflect on the bumps and the thrills of pursuing my writing dream. One day, maybe I'll have "made it" and I'll get a comment from someone just like me *right now*, thanking me for a little guidance in getting started on the freelancing path. I'm looking forward to that day.