I know it's totally ridiculous because the whole point of (most) blogs is that other people read the stuff you write (a LOT of times about yourself and sometimes it gets pretty personal).
This only popped in my head because while I was eating lunch and enjoying the quiet of sweet heavenly naps I checked my email and had an email from Linked In (it's actually one word -- LinkedIn) that so and so from high school wanted to connect. I'm sure it just automatically connected him to his Facebook friends or something and does anyone even use/utilize LinkedIn? I don't know. When Simon was working nights once and I had run out of Pinterest, beauty product reviews, and Hulu I filled out my profile and never looked back. I relooked at my profile today -- snore. Of course it's boring! I listed my old jobs but what do I write for current occupation? diaper changer? mom? wife? domestic engineer (cringe)? or ... blogger? Ick.
I'll never forget several years ago when one of my good friends said something along the lines of, "blogging is REALLY weird" when we were talking about someone's (long gone) blog (that I enjoyed reading!!). I didn't necessarily agree because I could see the appeal but just nodded my head and the conversation moved right along. So I think that stigma has sort of stuck with me and now even though it seems like more people than not have blogs these day ... I think I probably turn the shade of my current nail polish (HOT RED) when I meet someone and they say, "oh, I read your blog!" ... I instantly wonder what in the hell they think of me taking pictures of my stupid outfits in the neighbor's driveway? Probably that it's weird but I plug right along and keep on posting, don't I?
Where oh where are you going with this, dear Grace? I don't know. I just was curious if I'm the only weirdo that feels this way. El Camp isn't a secret or anything and I think the majority of my friends probably know about the blog. What did I think was going to happen when I followed someone on Instagram and they saw my blog address in my profile? I couldn't bank on them clicking on it but they might!
I've never put my blog on my Facebook page but I have nooo problem inviting almost every single one of my friends to please become a fan of the official fan page (because everything is official around here!!). Almost every single one. If I reconnect with old friends I'll send them the link, and I love hearing from strangers that they enjoy reading but I still bristle when an actual friend reads.
Don't think that I don't enjoy blogging and connecting with people because I do! I hate to use the overused "community" but that is exactly what a lot of bloggers find online. I love that one of the first people I turned to when I started giving Theo formula (another story for another time that I may or may not ever be brave enough to blog about) was a fellow blogger because she had struggled with doing the same and had told the internet. Or when I got a truly nasty mean-spirited anonymous comment ... that I could email bloggers that have dealt with much worse and they can help me (eventually) laugh it off. And the list goes ON and on and on.
I mostly love blogging and ultimately that feeling of, "oh no you didn't read that post about the time Sebastian ate Julia's poop ... did you?" isn't going to stop me from soldiering on while the minions sleep. I guess I just need to get over it and I probably need, as Julia likes to say, HAAAAAAAAALP!!
ummm have you been listening to my thoughts? also have you read my blog? zzzzzzzzzz
ReplyDeletei have a "family only" one that i do baby posts on but otherwise i blog now bc im bored at work. you are a great writer and i can only imagine your real life friends are happy to know you in person :)
Haha, I think it's weird too but I still blog anyway!
ReplyDeleteYep yep yep. Just this Sunday I was at the house of a young family from our church. I don't know the girl super well yet, but I like her and we've hung out a few times. All of the sudden she started bringing up things from my blog! I turned bright red. Why do we feel more comfortable sharing our lives with strangers? It's peculiar world we live in.
ReplyDeleteYES!!! I do feel embarrassed when people I know read my blog. Most especially of all, my mom. Not sure why I'm so embarrassed that she reads it (because I try really hard not to post deep dark secrets), but I am.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get friends or family to read my blog if I paid them. They always tell me, "Yeah, I'll read it blah blah blah." I've finally given up asking them. Instead, I now WRITE about them knowing they will never, ever read it. :D
ReplyDeleteHaha, I do this, but then go back and change it a little just in case they do look one day!
DeleteI think a better question is "who isn't embarrassed of your blog?" We all are! I put mine on Facebook and I'm still embarrassed when people tell me they read it! And I agree with Rebecca - I'm a million times more comfortable sharing personal things with complete strangers than I am with people I see every day. I can turn the strangers off, but not my co-workers/family/friends/etc.
ReplyDeleteYou are far from alone. After telling my sister that online writing was so perfect for my crazy, little, introverted self, I found myself a (paid!) freelance writer with a link back to my blog in the bio. My handsome husband proudly shared the article with everyone we've ever met, and suddenly the idea of ALL THE PEOPLE reading not only my article, but my blog as well made me panic to the point of going upstairs and hiding under the covers in bed. I immediately called my sister and confessed that perhaps this was a very poor profession for an introvert after all, to which she replied: "Isn't that the point of writing? You don't have to see people? Just think! You're the Dickinson of blogging." I was partially soothed until I realized: "Wait... wasn't she only published posthumously??" And so it goes...
ReplyDeleteNow I simply avoid com boxes and only publicize new posts when feeling especially gregarious. It lets me go back to my happier impression that I publish to the ether and no one reads what I write anyway. ;)
I was somewhat embarrassed when friends found my blog, mortified when the extended family did, and I still don't tell people in my immediate community--so I have no idea whether they know about it or not--I'm talking about the other moms at school, and people at church, yada yada.
ReplyDeleteOne friend, who knows I blog, brought up a conversation about how she thinks blogging feeds vanity, and that there are too many voices out there giving their opinions on things, and it was clear also that she didn't realize that blogging is not journalism, because she was all upset about journalistic integrity. And I have to admit, that while it would have bugged me a few years ago when I was worried about all the same things myself, and also worried I was part of the problem, I'm all over it now. Blogging just IS. It's morally neutral, but can be a conduit of sin--just like anything good--chocolate, sex, wine...
What I'm saying is, I'm 37 years old, and if I want to act like an idiot on the internet, I'm also totally willing to take the punches that come with the territory. Even if they come from a friend.
Oh man. I once gave my dad the link to my blog, thinking it would be another one of my interests he'd totally forget about. He's since passed it on to my grandparents, and they all read it religiously. Everytime I call or go home to visit, I don't have any stories to tell them because they automatically respond, "Oh yeah. That's right. I read that on your blog," and I cringe because clearly that means I'm sharing way too much.
ReplyDeleteYES. Every time someone I know in real life mentions they read/like my blog (in person, over the Internet I gladly take the praise) I get all tongue-tied and try to change the subject.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even tell my mom about my blog until a month ago! I started the blog in November 2010 and I just now told my own mother. I'm a horrible, strange person.
The Brayn of Chalayn...... and now I feel extra weird because I instinctively posted my blog link after telling the Internet how I didn't even want MY OWN MOTHER to read my blog because I'm so awkward. Sigh.
I think I'm even worse because I don't like to even tell anyone I know in real life I write a blog, let alone for them to read it! I have no idea where my strange hang ups come from, clearly it means I have issues right?!
ReplyDeletesorta, yes! mostly because I barely update because I feel that 7/8 of what I post is utter inanity. INANE. But my mom tells me I should update more. Soooooo.....that's about it. Anyway, I love your blarg ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I didn't tell a sould for almost 2 years about my blog. Then my dad kept bugging me for not having a facebook account, so I blurted out the fact that I blog. He now not only reads, he comments, and annoys all of our family and his friends, telling them that they need to read it. I wouldn't mind people reading if I didn't have to talk about it with them.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I hate it when I'm telling someone a story, and she says, "Oh, I read that on your blog." That sentence stops coversations in their tracks, as I don't have a clue where to go from there except to say, "Oh".
I am SO with you here. I invite everyone I know to the facebook page, but when my college roommate (you know, the one who has seen me at my worst?) once said "oh yeah I saw that on your blog", I about died. I'm learning to get past it. People either 1) Think we're weird and ignore the blog, 2) Think we're weird but read the blog because they want to know everysingledetail of our lives anyway, 3) Don't think we're weird and ignore the blog, or the bestest 4) Don't think we're weird and read the blog like it is nbd. Honestly, I fall in the #2 category.
ReplyDeleteYes! In fact, I'm so embarrassed of my blog that it's private. NO ONE gets to read it until I'm dead. :s
ReplyDeleteI guess it's worse than that, even. Even thought it's totally private, and no one knows it exists...I still use code names and places. I guess I wonder sometimes if I could pull it off so that my peeps would never recognize it as me?
DeleteGrace, you needst not ever be embarrassed of your blog. If you ever got rid of it we'd all probably start a petition on whitehouse.gov to restart it. That being said, it's def. an intimidating thing to put yourself out there! I have a piddly blog I started just for a hobby and am so super embarrassed about it I haven't told any of my friends or family. But it sounds like most bloggers are in the same boat about the embarrassment. :)
ReplyDeleteI am MORTIFIED by my blog!! When someone tells me they read it I have no idea what to say. Thank you? Nope, that's weird. I usually just change the subject.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind if my friends/family read my blog but I get really uncomfortable if they talk to me about something I posted. I don't know why but it feels like worlds colliding. I also hate it when my inlaws are like, that was so cute in that one post...and I usually don't know what they're talking about and I just say...thanks...
ReplyDeleteOh I'm totally embarrassed by my blog. But more so when someone finds out I have a blog and then asks, "What do YOU write about?" Like I would have nothing to contribute. Which is true most of the time, but still... it was a weird question. Especially since I was at a networking lunch for professional women. But whatever.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with what others have said... if you ever stop blogging, I'll cry and probably defect to Canada.
Um yes. I've even written about how I'm all embarrassed of my blog. This girl at church totally found it and keeps bring it up and I'm like, AAAGHHHHHH and she cannot figure out why I hide it.
ReplyDeleteI've said often that I need to come up with a better response than "Oh, gosh..." When people say they enjoy my blog. I never bring it up unless they do. What do you say? "Yes, my online presence IS rather charming." I'm not ashamed of my blog or what I write, but having someone comment to me in person is never not awkward.
ReplyDeletei recently redisovered your blog (i think i lost it when i switched from reader to blog lovin'), but i must say that i'm SO glad i found you again. awkwardness and all. i like how real you are & that you don't take yourself too seriously. and as someone who would eventually like to add a third child to our brood, i enjoy reading about your day to days. so embrace it. & for real, keep soldiering on!
ReplyDeleteYESx1000! i feel like the biggest weirdo when people i know in real life know about my blog. yet i have the link in my instagram. so far no one at work has mentioned it. i would die of embarassment!!
ReplyDeleteI honestly keep my cards pretty close because I don't want to feel embarrassed. Some say this makes for a boring blog. Meh. I'm not making any money anyway.
ReplyDeleteBut, I will say that I'm JAZZED when a gentleman friend says that he reads (one of) my blog(s). It just tickles me to imagine them going anywhere near Blogger.
I recently shared a blog post that I wrote about being a working outside of the home, breastfeeding/pumping mom and some tips I shared with the blogosphere and I prefaced it with a "please don't look at the pictures" and I only provided a link to a blog carnival that republished my link, not my blog.
ReplyDeleteHells yes lady. Like everyone else, I couldn't agree more. Bloggers admit to being embarrassed about blogging...you'd think there'd be something we can do about it.
ReplyDeleteI had a Twitter account forevs which was worked up to 600+ followers, but when I started a blog I created a brand new Twitter account because I couldn't bare to Tweet my blog links to all my friends and family... oy. Blogger fail.
Thanks for the confession! So nice to see all the solidarity.
Sarah
There are people I worry about reading my blog. That they will read it and hate it me. I'm insecure.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me that once I met a very popular blogger (I think you know the author too) in real life. Anyway, I was at a party and she was there too. Then I started to link things up and asked friendly/excited, "do you have the blog X?" She got so weird! Acted like I was nuts and a stalker or something. Really bothered me and still does to this day.
Grace, I really think this comes back to being an introvert. You are, right? Being with people (and sharing anything personal) is SO exhausting that blogging is just easier. We do it from the privacy of our own homes without having to have any in-person overstimulation.
ReplyDeleteSimply? Yes. Rare that I tell anyone I know about my co-blog.
ReplyDeleteI've only just discovered yours. And I beg, please don't stop blogging! Yours is just delightful!
By the way, I told my parents and siblings that I blog (huge for me), and my dad comments from time to time. I love my dad, and he's being really supportive, but it does make me kind of uncomfortable to know he reads outfit posts, etc. BA, MAEd, CALT, and I do outfit posts.
ReplyDeleteI get a little nauseous when my real life friends talk about my blog in front of me, although the only reason they read it is b/c of my incessant fb posting, so I do not know what else I expect. This is so funny.
ReplyDeleteI was part of a group of friends for awhile who didn't talk to each other anymore because they all blogged so much. Almost every sentence started with, "Oh, did you read my latest post about ______?" I quickly realized that I liked being able to talk to people I saw in real life in person a lot more. I don't blog all that often, but I do feel pretty embarrassed when someone comments in real life about an outfit post I did during some challenge or another. In my head it's like I'm saying, "Shoot! They know I'm trying!" That's probably why I'm mostly just a blog stalker. :)
ReplyDeleteHeck yes. I feel about my blog like I feel about Facebook. Why am I writing this? Is there any other person on the face of the planet who cares about any of this? It is nauseating and self-indulgent and narcissistic? So I cut back, but then I realize that I like reading about other people's lives, be it in snippet FB form or long and windy blog form, so there must be others like me out there who want to read my dreams, demons, thoughts, words, and deeds as well. Plus my fingers get to itching and I want to pour it out.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on your new pope.
http://www.incaseyoueverwonder.blogspot.com
It´s not that I am embarassed, well, maybe. So far, my husband is the only one in real life who knows I am blogging and I don´t even think he knows the name of my blog, but still I´m okay with him reading it and maybe someday my kids too, when they´re older. Grace, don´t be embarassed of your blog cause it´s awesome and we love it!!
ReplyDeleteI am TOTALLY embarrassed of my blog, and while I wish I had thousands of readers who were strangers, I mostly don't want people I know in real life to know about it.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's not completely accurate. I mean, when I stop to think about the content of my blog, it does make me blush and contemplate the DELETE button. But what I am *really* embarrassed is TALKING about my blog. I don't want to tell them I have a blog, probably for similar reasons as you. I assume they are going to think I am a nerd, or a narcissist, or weird, or lame, or bragging, or I don't even know but something pathetic and undesirable. That's why I don't mind talking about it on Twitter, but will never ever post a link to it on Facebook. Even though it would probably double or triple my readership if I did. (Easily done with a tiny readership like mine.)
No one that I know in real life reads my blog. And the only people that I do know if real life DON'T read it, and I get all irritated with them when I have to re-tell stories that I already eloquently wrote about online (with pictures! and links!)
ReplyDeleteOh! I take that all back because I just remembered that the director of religious education at our parish reads it and stopped by our pew one Sunday to make a reference to some post I'd put up a few hours before. The result was that Ken died of embarrassment right there and Mass had to stop to call the ambulance and when they managed to revive him, his first words were, "Don't tell people about your blog ever again".
I don't care when someone new that I meet reads my blog, but I feel weird when existing friends read it.
ReplyDeleteI am totally embarrassed by my blog! No one I know in real life is armed with the knowledge of my blogs existence. For the first two months of blogging, I even called myself by a different name (oh yeahhhhh) because I was so terrified people I know would somehow find my little blog. Maybe eventually I'll tell people about it. Not sure who I would tell though. My roommates? That'll be a nice passive aggressive kinda way for them to find out via my blog posts that I've been feeling left out all these months. Haha. My blog is my secret outlet and I love that I can spill all my woes and fears without physically feeling the judgment in real life. The support is also amazing!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog though Grace!
OMG that's my thoughts exactly. At least you have funny pictures and stories of your kids in addition to your neighbor-driveway pics and I feel like it's more of a "lifestyle/mommy" blog which a lot of people can understand. But straight up fashion blogs is still a weird concept to a lot of people (what? taking pictures of your outfits everyday? How narcissistic and vain) so I hide my blog from all those FB acquaintances and would get super embarrassed if anyone I knew found it, though I love when random strangers do.
ReplyDeleteI love your honesty and realness Grace...sometimes I feel similar to you...but don't you stop any time soon though! ;-)
ReplyDeleteTotally embarrassed. Like you said, I love it when strangers read my blog, but people I know, especially FAMILY, reading is just super awkward.
ReplyDeleteyou are not alone. most of my family is like "who cares what you are doing all the time?!" often times i want to write about things that I know will upset people, but don't because i don't want to make my mom mad. but, i'm also thinking of blogging even less, because for me, i do think it's an occasion of sin (like how it takes me sooo long to write something because I'm slow like that, and then I'm neglecting the kids, or how I find myself rewriting posts in my head in a funnier, more entertaining way because I want popular bloggers to like me)
ReplyDeleteYEP! I have just started blogging. Only one person knows,and they are sworn to secrecy. Love to hear I'm not the only one, and can tell by the rest of the comments we are not alone.
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda weird to read blogs too. My boyfriend has seen me scrolling through a few before and he has questioned why I like reading about & looking at pictures of strangers children... to which I had no logical response...
yep. I'm right there with you. a few people at my work recently found out I had a blog and I am so nervous that more people will find out. and think i am ridiculous as well as a little self absorbed that I would take pictures of myself and put them on the internet. thankfully there are SO many people who love and read your blog it would well outbalance the few that may think it's wierd. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Grace, I don't know you!!! However, I read your blog everyday and hope every Mom could love and laugh with their children as much as you do. Keep on writing - you will cherish these memories in 20 years.
ReplyDeleteWell I guess I am just a freak of nature. I don't mind when people come up to me at church talking about what I wore the week before, or a new recipe, or some story I have shared. I am a very outgoing person who over shares ALL the time. I am as loud as the clothes I wear. It's just how I am made I guess. What I love the most though is wen someone we don't know comes up to MIss Courtney to compliment her on her orange Chucks. They speak directly to her, truly "seeing" her and honoring the dignity of her personhood. THAT makes all the possible awkwardness worth it. Then I know the Holy Spirit is at work.
ReplyDeleteSo blog on Miss Grace. Share your humor and fabulousness with the world. We need more of you out here. Awkward poop moments and all.
I can't answer because I don't (currently) have a blog, but I did blog once. As in one post. That eventually turned into a letter to a group of friends at the time. I think I enjoyed writing so much because I could be myself... I always kept a diary/journal/whatever pretty much my whole life, and I felt like blogging was very similar.. it was an outlet for so many personal, sometimes boring, sometimes entertaining, but always real feelings and events... Had my parents/sisters/husband/friends ever found my diary, I would've died, but if a stranger did, it wouldn't matter because they don't KNOW me, no matter how many personal details I give.
ReplyDeleteSince I've started reading the Camp, I've thought about blogging again.. I have so many stories and feelings and thoughts I'd love to express and just can't seem to get into journaling again, but I feel like no one would read it and there would be no point. Then, on the other hand, I feel like people I know would read it and I'd be embarrassed. Writing our thoughts/feelings/lives is therapeutic, and often, even if for an audience, we're writing for ourselves. We fear the potential judgment from people close to us. this is the psychologist part of my brain, but I feel like most bloggers tend to be introverted, and because of their introverted nature, they struggle with feeling "heard" by others. blogging is a way of satisfying our need to be listened to and validated, yet we're embarrassed of the seemingly narcissistic nature of the whole blogging concept. but all that? RUBBISH! keep blogging. whenever someone in real life tells you they read your blog, just picture them in their underwear... or, maybe not... but keep blogging anyway :)
When people say, "Oh, I read your blog," I usually point my finger and whisper menacingly, "How'd you find me?"
ReplyDeleteOther popular answers:
What's a blog?
No, that's not me. I'm illiterate,
I'll admit it's my blog, if you admit you like it, first. If not, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Grace, first off, I had totally forgotten about Sebastian eating Julia's poop. That post had me rolling in the metaphorical aisles long ago.
ReplyDeleteSecond, totally agree - it's weird to know that your friends are reading stuff that you kind of wanted some barriers around... except that somehow it comes out in the barrier-less Internet. It's hard when our name is attached to what you write - makes us feel vulnerable where we have those in-real-life friendships.
There's both a freedom in blogging anonymously, but, then again, if I were to blog anonymously, does that somehow take away from my credibility or believability? (The stuff I should really, really blog about, the stuff that would have me a million-and-one readers and rolling in the Big Bucks, is exactly the stuff I don't tell anyone except my priest, my husband, and my head doctor.) That's a real question: what are the pros and cons of anonymity?
Third (I like counting), it's a funny thing, but I have real-life friends who liked my mom blog, and now that I took it down (for a variety of reasons), I get a lot of, "But I liked your blog!" Which is hard to hear, not because I don't like the vanity boost (I do), but because it makes me want to go back on my decision to end it. I mean, MY READERS NEED ME! See? THEY'RE MY FRIENDS! (Told you I enjoyed the vanity boost.) Never mind that, while I enjoyed blogging and don't regret doing it, I have several other big writing projects that need my attention, and that I can always call or email my real-life friends.
Random thoughts to show that you made me think.
I love reading your blog Grace and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You have always been so good such a good your words. I probably made that comment:) or at least use to think it. I seem to always be one step behind the trend and can't wait til I could maybe do it one day.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness...yes, yes, and yes! I can put on an outgoing act, but really I'm a huge introvert and (other than two of my closest friends who both had blogs before I did) I don't want anyone I know to read it! I especially get weirded out if I think of my husband reading it (even though I tell him about what I blog about) because it makes me feel so self-conscious. Glad I'm not alone!!!
ReplyDeleteNope. You're not the only one. Maybe we should have some sort of warning on our blogs that say: The owner of this blog blogs for a reason: we are socially awkward and introverted. Please adhere to the first rule of my blog: do not talk about my blog.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletesorry, I was in the wrong account and then I hit the wrong button..yadda yadda yadda I'm a computer illiterate :P
DeleteI and several camp readers (unbeknownst to you) would shed many a tear if the camp ceased to exist!!
ReplyDeleteIf you feel muy weird about blogging, I'll confess that I feel a little weird being so addicted to it! A friend and I set time aside multiple times a week to discuss what Julia is up to! It's like we're The View, and the camp is the only reality worth discussing!!
I love this post! Because, YES, it does feel weird! There is an intangible safety-net when you're just typing away on the computer. For me it feels more of a fun (narcistic?) journal..but one to be kept at arm's length (a really really long arm) from My Real Life..even though, like you, I want the comments and the "approval" that what I'm doing maybe matters to someone (but if it's just me, that's fine too because it is fun)
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sorry you got a nasty comment :( I don't know you and barely just "met" your blog, but I can't imagine someone would have anything mean to say. I'm glad you put it aside (after some ice cream, I hope) and carried on.
As someone who is just starting out on this journey myself, I truly admire what you do! Keep it up, you keep us smiling!
(sorry, I'm had a space-cadet moment and hit the wrong key)
I and several camp readers (unbeknownst to you) would shed many a tear if the camp ceased to exist!!
ReplyDeleteIf you feel muy weird about blogging, I'll confess that I feel a little weird being so addicted to it! A friend and I set time aside multiple times a week to discuss what Julia is up to! It's like we're The View, and the camp is the only reality worth discussing!!
ha YES Exactly this! I've never told anyone in 'real life' about my blog, and when a friend stumbled upon it I was slightly mortified for some reason! And the ONE time someone came up to me at the Denver zoo saying she read my blog I almost died on the spot. And then she 'oh and there's Jasper!" as he came out of the bathroom stall and I about peed my pants.
ReplyDeleteYES. I never link to it on my facebook page. I mean, it's in my profile, but who looks at profiles anymore? I don't update with new posts and such. But, I'm keenly aware sometimes that when I run into people, they know things about me from reading that I don't know about them, and I think...... okay this is weird.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am embarassed when my family and friends talk to me about my blog. I do not share my blog on FB at all. The thought of that scares the crap out of me!And honestly, my fear of having people talk to me about what I share on my blog in real life, to my face, possibly in front of others (gasp!) has kept my notebook full of deep thoughts and my blog posts full of knitting and books. Lame, I know. I keep thinking that one day I will get over myself!
ReplyDeleteI completely get it! My sister posted my blog link on facebook after I wrote about her wedding and I was MORTIFIED! I'm hoping I'll get over it some day. Until then, I'll keep pouring out my life for my mother. ;)
ReplyDeleteJust going to go ahead and iterate pretty much every single commenter ahead of me (youuu're welcome). Yes, people I know reading my blog makes me way more uncomfortable than strangers reading it. I did, however, force myself to inform some of my close friends of my blog's existence. Because I'm vain and enjoy seeing that little pageviews number tick up. Pretty sure I have about ten readers total, though, including approximately seven or eight scam robots, so, there's that.
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you, for some reason when someone comes up to you and says I read your blog and love it you inevitably feel incredibly awkward and lame, just saying I'm a blogger feels so nerdy.
ReplyDeleteI do also love the blogging community and how some of my blog friends are the first people I think of when things come up too. I have to tell you that one of my friends here in Phoenix (sure you know who now) recently had a baby and saw that you commented on her facebook status post too!!! I called 5 of my other friends who read your blog too and said "OMG I got a comment notification from Grace Patton commenting on the same status update as I did!? Yeah, the one with that blog! She knows people I hang out with weekly!!" Like you are a famous celebrity... actually, sorry, this is probably not making you feel better even though it should because at least 5 people I personally know really like your blog enough to get excited when I told them you know people I know in real life! Wow, I am sounding lamer and lamer by the word... But it turns out we have 2 "real life" facebook friends in common :) Small world.
ReplyDeleteYes!! Totally embarrassed! Another teacher at work one day came up to me and told me she was looking on Pinterest and clicked on a pin and she found my blog...pretty much wanted to curl up and die and then swore her to secrecy so I wouldn't have to face any more co-workers with that conversation! On the other hand, strangers are more than welcome to read!
ReplyDeleteMidget wrestler! I always want to put that as my occupation. Maybe one day I will, who knows?
ReplyDeleteAs for the blog, I don't have one and don't follow many, and have often contemplated starting one. Then the pressure sets in, who will want to read about how adorable I think my life is and how crazy fast it can look like a train wreck? If you want solidarity in life, there's others out there blogging about that same stuff I would, they've been on the block longer and work it better than I ever could. So, you are one of the lucky few! And all the better because I know you!
Last week, I saw that you had commented on a Clover Lane post and your comment was followed by another fav blogger of mine, and I immediately got all excited and thought it was so cool that you and Erin from Sunny Side Up had both commented on Sarah's Clover Lane post and how all three of my favorite bloggers were in the same place and...yeah, my mind was totally blown (as I told my friend who I immediately emailed to share all this with lol). Blogging is a funny thing and a much more public version of the Dear Diary we grew up with. For what it's worth, I love your blog and even if I was the last person reading it, I can honestly say I would miss you if you ever went away. (Really hope that didn't sound creepy.)
ReplyDeleteFrom the number of comments, I'm guessing that a lot of others are embarrassed too! I'm super embarrassed. Most people I know "in real life" don't know I have a blog (including my parents who we live with). It's not so much that I'm hiding it, I just don't tell them, because "bloggers are weird". And I also feel like saying I have a blog sounds really self centered - oooo, I have a blog because the whole world wants to know what me and my toddler are doing, and if that's not enough, I also have a facebook and twitter, so you can know what we are doing 24/7. My friends wouldn't get it for one reason, and my parents for another (because they barely understand email).
ReplyDeleteSo glad you blog though! My browser was open to your blog today and my husband read your recent "Conversations with Julia" post - and then two previous posts, because one post is just not enough of Julia's quirkiness!
I only get weird about it when someone talks to me about it and I'm caught off guard. I wrote a post about it several months ago, http://bit.ly/YRfiGM that sums up my thoughts pretty well. It's not embarrassment per se, because I enjoy that space, but more awkwardness? I don't think it ever gets any easier, I ran into someone tonight when at the salon and my sister mentioned that I was going to Blissdom which turned into a whole, "you blog?" conversation that I was not prepared to have mid-pedicure.
ReplyDeleteI think I get most embarrassed about the word blog. Like if I wrote a book, and someone said they read my book, I would be honored. But when they find out I have a blog, it's like a dirty little secret.
ReplyDeleteI think it's amazing that you blog, and I think you have so much courage to share the struggles and funnies of a stay at home mom!!
ReplyDeleteI don't blog...but I could see where it might be embarrasing, but I think the reason I don't blog is because I can't open myself up enough to tell others about the little things - so actually, I feel closer to people that blog, and that's probably what creeps people out, because they've shared themselves and my response is to want to share myself.
Regardless of the weirdness - please please please don't stop blogging, my life would have less laughter and you wouldn't want that now would you?
Um, yes. I wonder what my MIL thinks when she looks for grand kid pics and finds my lame outfit posts instead. I love love love when people read/comment ( like most bloggers, I imagine), so why is it that I get awkward and embarrassed when it's someone I actually know?
ReplyDeleteRe: Theo- I've been meaning to ask you how nursing is going, then read about you switching. I hate how people get so judgmental about nursing vs. formula. Obviously a mom is going to do what's best for her family, and isn't the most important thing that the baby is getting fed, anyway?
Ummm when one of my co-workers (who is kind of "too cool for school" < I am so not cool for just typing that) said they found my blog and thought it was "cute" I almost died. (From both embarrassment and over-analyzing.) Were they being condescending? Passive aggressive? Do they think I'm full of myself? Should I stop blogging? I thought only my mom, my sisters and like 4 of my friends read my blog. Oy. If it's any consolation, the odds of me ever meeting you IRL are suuuper slim and I love reading your blog and think you and your kiddos/fam are adorbs/hilar/fun to follow!
ReplyDeletedo posts like this make you even more nervous of someone coming up and being all, "i read your blog? are you embarrassed??" because i always wanted to write one similar to it but stopped myself due to that. they call me ms. confidence for short.
ReplyDeleteHAHA my sentiments exactly. when Jaunita LKGJeiugalkjeg from some place I've never heard of follows me, I'm STOAKED. when my aunt who lives in town comments on how she liked a recent post, i think i turn beat red.
ReplyDeletethen i moan and groan about not having enough followers. oh the woes.
LOL, I feel the same way! Some random person, who lives 1000 miles away becomes my newest follower I all smiles, an old classmate finds me - I freak out! Happens to all of us I think!
ReplyDeleteI'll see your one blog and raise you an online article on parenting. I told my mom and my sister (no kids yet) and NO ONE ELSE. But, yes, I find I don't write like myself when I think about people I know reading my blog.
ReplyDeleteHa! I love this post and all the comments! I started a blog in October after like 4 years of pondering and over-analyzing. I read a lot of blogs, but I hated the thought of people I know reading MY blog- yet I also wanted (ok, want) to have a million followers! I finally just jumped in because it seems like bloggers become instant friends when they meet each other IRL, whereas a non-blogger meeting a blogger and being like "let's be friends!!!" seems unlikely. So now I suppose my blog acts as a background check in case I ever meet bloggers. Or something.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind complete strangers reading my blog and most of the things I blog about I would (or have) discuss(ed) with friends. But when old friends from high school, people I barely know, or family beyond my mom and mother-in-law read the blog then I feel awkward. It seems unfair that they know all these things about me and I know so little about them. Here's what I think about sex, God, food, birth; the types of movies, music, shows, clothes I like; what my kids, fears, worries, and victories are like. And I know nothing beyond the basics.
ReplyDeleteIt's also embarrassing when people want to meet me because they read my blog or because of James/Sheen. I feel like I'm teetering on being a huge disappointment.
I'm not embarrassed by my blog, but I don't get along with most of my family so there isn't any reason for me to tell them about it. The ones that I'm close to aren't interested in blogging in any form so it never goes any further than me mentioning that I have one (my brother has already teased me for being on tumblr, haha). I don't post very often either so I don't think it would interest most people that I casually come across. Maybe one day I'll actually tell people about it.
ReplyDeleteSo, I know a lot of my friends read my blog and I feel like that's SUPER awkward because then I don't want to bore them by retelling them things I've already talked about on my blog, but I don't want to be like, "oh, yes, of COURSE I assume you are reading my blog on a minute-by-minute basis."
ReplyDeleteI totally know what you mean. Initially that kept me away from blogging even because I was like what will everyone think! But sigh, you do what you got to do. I've realized, maybe there are that make fun of us behind our backs but most people are cool with it and motivate you quite a bit. or atleast I like to believe that. BUT when I write, I freeze if sometimes I think of a particular person that might read it too. So I try not to think of my audience when I write.
ReplyDeleteI've had plenty of awkward moments from people I know in person reading my blog (like, say, my parents' bosses!) but by far the worst occasions have been when I mistakenly assumed that someone read my site and they actually didn't. They would end up apologizing and making excuses, promising me they'll start reading it in the future, thinking that I was hinting that I *want* them to read my blog. Horrifically awkward.
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ReplyDeleteHa, I totally agree with this post. I've so enjoyed having a blog and the community aspect but at the same time I feel ridiculously embarrassed about it. The best was when my mom told me that she ran into my high school English teacher and told him that he should really look up my blog (yes, I'm sure he'll enjoy my random outfit posts and reading about J. Crew and my med school rants).
ReplyDeleteyes! because for introverts who were bit(me not you)by the narcissus bug, the internet is a perfect place for our subconscious politically and socially incorrect babble. and when the worlds merge and we're forced to defend or deflect, we have a case of the, as our therapist lovingly says, "oh shits." ahh sweet anonymity evades us again...
ReplyDeleteIt is such a strange world in blogging. I am also perfectly okay with strangers reading my blog. But people that know me? Yikes! There are a couple of friends and family that are very welcome to read, but I shudder at the idea of others finding it.
ReplyDeleteI was so embarrassed of mine I deleted everything!
ReplyDeleteWhen I had a personal style blog, I talked about it a lot with my coworkers, but I always felt embarrassed deep down. Eventually I realized that, in my case, it's because I wasn't being true to myself or furthering myself in any way by doing my lame, run of the mill posts, so I started a new blog and things have been good ever since. I still occasionally post outfit photos on my fair trade blog, but I do it with a goal in mind (showing that one can wear ethically produced products head to toe), so it gives me the drive and the pride to do it without a hint of shame. That's not to say that your situation is anything like mine, but it's nice not to feel that discomfort in my gut anymore. - Leah, leahwise.com, wisestyle.wordpress.com
ReplyDeleteI thought I was the only one who felt like this!
ReplyDeleteI don't tell anyone I know in real life that I have a blog, although many people do know (because when I first started, for some reason, I posted the link on my personal FB page - not embarrassed then, hah!), but they are probably lurkers. No one has said anything bad about my blog or blogging in general, but I just feel weird talking about it.
ReplyDeleteYou have nothing to be embarrassed about!! Your blog is so fantastic! Mine, on the other hand...
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post, I was inspired to write one answering the question you posed in the title (http://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2013/03/am-i-embarrassed-of-my-blog-hmmmgood.html).
Reading over the other comments here was amusing to me, because most bloggers seem to want to keep their blogs secret from the people they know--but I would have very few followers if only strangers read mine. My readers are mostly family!
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I stumbled upon this post today and definitely agree with you! I am mortified if anyone in real life mentions my blog. I don't even have it listed in my Instagram because of the shame. I suppose I should also be embarassed for stalking an old post in your blog but just had to share your pain here!
ReplyDeleteThis might seem SO weird that I'm commenting on this almost 2 year old post...and it probably is SO weird. But, I was actually looking for something you wrote on blogging tips and stumbled on this. I've been wanting to write a blog for a long time now and this is exactly what stops me every time. The fear of anyone I know reading it and judging me. But my husband is so sick of me talking about "wanting to start a blog" he basically went out and bought me a new computer so I could just do it already.
ReplyDeleteAnyways point is, I wanted to tell you that I love your blog so much and you are part of the reason I think I can do this now. A few months ago I stumbled on your instagram, and then found your blog and I was hooked. I literally binge read your blog for days. Super embarrassing to admit that, but its a compliment to you I swear. You don't portray your life as perfect like some of the other blogs I read and you just are so candid and funny about how real life is. Life is messy and I used to think no one would want to know about my struggles and hiccups through life and the "boring" days I have. But you reminded me that life is all an adventure and that everyday matters. That sounded deep. I'm just trying to say that you are awesome and inspired me to finally just go for it.
If I don't chicken out, my first blog post will be up by the end of the week. I'll send you the link because I would be honored to have you follow. Thanks :)