My mom reads my blog. And she likes it. She’s not the only family member who occasionally checks in. My tío Chuy reads, my sister does and so do a few cousins.
A long time ago, I would not have been comfortable with this. But then again, that’s when my blog was more of a diary and I wrote like no one was reading (which was probably true). Now I think it’s cool that people who know me in “real life” (whatever that means) read what I post here.
My mom tells me it allows her to get to know me a little better and in some way communicate with a daughter who she doesn’t see for week or two at a time. She even prints out posts from my blog (which I did not realize was so printer un-friendly) and shows them to other family members. She did this for my tía Nellie, my dad’s sister who moved to Dallas in the summer of 2005. Tía Nellie was in town for a wedding this weekend and had dinner at my mom’s house. As she read, a post on how I don’t like my genes sometimes, she let out her loud, characteristic laugh. I’ve missed hearing that laugh.
I thought that was cool.
La pregunta: Do your family and close friends in “real life” know that you blog? Do they read? If they don’t know, why not?
Only a few “real life” friends read. And I only told them about it under strict orders to keep it confidential. Not my family. No way.
pues, no tengo blog, so no one knows anything about me unless I tell them or they hear it from some chismos@. i wont even go on myspace. i think it would get me into trouble. but i sure do enjoy reading other people’s blogs. but i like yours best b/c i know you in *real life.*
A mi me descubrieron. Some of my sister’s friends found out about it. My sister and her best friend read as does my old boss. I guess that’s kinda why I don’t update as much as I used to. I have to be more careful about the things that I say.
I’m a fan of anonymity, but even then those close to me know about all the crap I spew. Not that it’s new to them!
They know and read. I think they live in a state of nervousness about my posts, but in the end know I’ve got decent enough judgment to not (overly) embarrass them. I especially enjoy when my computer illiterate mom starts suggesting subjects for posts, “pon esto en el internet . . . ” is great!
not many, but some do. i have actually gotten in trouble with mi tia once (you know, the tia that everyone thinks is a bit crazy), but i wish my blog was as half as popular as yours, or maybe not, i say things that for many would be considered “too radical.” much love on the blog and the family.
peace.
not really, I think my brother might have just found out about it (I gotta thank wordpress for that). I don’t necessarily tell my friends and fam I have one, but wouldn’t hide the fact if I was asked. This wouldn’t have been the case some time back tho, but being that some of my online acquaintances have become friends, other lines have blurred right along with those and I figured it’s all good.
I can count on one hand the number of “real life” friends who know about and read the blog. Early on I was more forthcoming and told more people but after a while I realized I wasn’t comfortable with that and moved without letting many of the real-life friends know. My sister knows about it but rarely reads it.
I’d shut it down completely before my mother ever got eyes on it because so much of the earlier writing was about my abusive childhood that it would just be more trouble than anything else. I don’t have the energy for the drama that would ensue if she knew I was putting the dirty laundry out for all to see.
A couple family members have come across mine. None of them are all that familiar with blogs, so they check it only every once in a while. The one thing I hadn’t expected, was nephews/nieces finding it (and my photos on flickr). It worries me a bit, because they look up to me. But luckly, I tend to keep things pretty family-friendly. Some coworkers check it, including my boss. We’ve talked about “the line” and I’m very conscious of what I post that it can’t be something my mom would slap me for saying, or my boss would fire me for saying. That’s what makes face-to-face conversations that much more valuable. Those can be honest
How funny, I just posted on this same topic ‘Blog Gone Wild’ a few weeks ago. After a real life incident.
My tia texted me to ask if a friend was pregnant because she had read it in my blog- yes a friend was pregnant but not the one she thought.
Then my mom told me one of my madrinas was jealous I spent soo much time with another madrina when I came down from San Francisco…LOL.
I agree a blog is not a journal: Be comfortable and proud of your words. If people don’t like what they are reading they can tune out.
c/s
you know i’ve been reflecting on this lately. and i do find myself a little more conscious or careful of what i say. i know i have many lurkers and its a little unnerving that i don’t always know who is reading. i’ve contemplated blog suicide so i could resurface in a more anonymous form elsewhere. a friend of a friend found me and went out of her way to contact me when i was posting thoughts on our recent local elections.
my family doesn’t know about the blog. i think i’ll keep it that way for awhile. as for my friends, i bug them all the time to check in whenever possible. in fact, i picture a few in my mind when i have trouble starting a post…
i tell myself…”just image you’re writing an email to xxx,” and then the writer’s block is gone, and off i go.
i have close friends who read my blog, and *some* but not many family members who partake in reading as well. i was a little bothered at first by some of my family members reading, but now, i’m okay with it. i feel like they’re going to know one way or the other, so why not let them read it?
My parents don’t know I blog and I don’t think I’d want them reading it. I love my dad dearly, but we disagree greatly on issues of race and feminism. One of my sisters is In The Know, and I don’t mind at all. As for my friends, I maintain two blogs and some know about one and not the other, and some know of them both, but most don’t know at all, including my own roommate. Though I’ve really tried veering away from confessional, diary-type blogging, it’s hard not to because that’s how I’ve always written. I’ve tried hard to maintain some anonymity, going as far as altering most names and not specifying certain identifying details, but I’m sure I’ll be outed some day. For now, I’ll keep at it, but it’s definitely an issue I struggle with often.
Sometimes I think it’s only my parents that are reading. And one of my aunts who lives in Nevada. And they read cause they love me.
My parents actually get worried when I haven’t posted in awhile.
Last time I visited my grandma in Seattle she brought down a folder of my flickr pictures, all printed out on paper with a cheap ink-jet printer. It gave me a good laugh. I knew she read my blog but had no idea that she looked at the pictures too.
There are other family members who I know read my blog but never mention it. It seems like they feel embarrassed for some reason – like they’re snooping around my stuff.