Monday, April 11, 2005
It's still me...
When I first stuck my toe in the pool that is blogdom, I was very concerned about anonymity. As I have gradually acclimated, I've become comfortable with revealing bits of myself here and there. It seems funny to me now that when I started this blog I didn't even want to reveal my first name, so I used my initials (cai) as my "display name" in Blogger. For quite some time now I've been wishing I had just used my first name, so I finally changed it. So when you see comments and posts signed "Cathy" ... it's just me!
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11 comments:
I don't know if I have ever felt anything about anonymity, since I sent the link out to friends and family. But what I enjoy more is when I mention something about a place and someone that I've never even met will either email or comment about it. Put a smile on my face when you mentioned Poggibonsi...we kinda find ourselves in that little town too trying to navigate our way around the environs of Siena!
I meant 'found' ourselves... ;-)
I feel similarly about my own blog. I never hesitated to use my first name on it, but I was very secretive about starting it and only recently have given the address to family members. There are still probably more people who know me in real life that don't know about my blog than there are people who do know about it. Funny that I would write and share photos with all these people I don't know....yet obscure it from known people. Oh well...like you, my attitude is slowly changing with time.
Hi Rowena - oh definitely! Connecting with other people with similar interests or experiences is definitely one of the greatest rewards of having a blog! I got a kick out of seeing you mention Poggibonsi too - it's not exactly a tourist destination, but we will never forget it! Our experience with the place was frustrating and upsetting at the time, but as with most travel travails has been transformed into a fond memory.
Hi Alice - I did exactly the same thing in the beginning! I didn't breathe a word of my blog for a couple of months and then slowly started showing it to people I knew. I think a lot of it is just stage fright!
I have exactly the same experiences! I told nobody about the blog, then my bf, then my mother (who went and told a few people, which annoyed me). I was happier using a pseudonym, because I was horrified that people I knew might find my secret hobby when browing the interent. But the more I enjoyed it and starting feeling a real camaraderie with the other food bloggers, the more I felt a bit silly for not revealing who I really am. I still don't tell everyone about my blog, but more people I know in real life know about it now. I think I'll keep it that way, unless I suddenly become very rich and famous because of it ;-).
So, now I have my real name as my Blogger name, and there's even a photo of me (side-on. You can't have everything yet...and I still want to maintain a little mystery!!)
Cathy - I agree, I so agree! But it's nice to see you "out of the closet"!
Hi Cathy,
Nice of you to finally "come out" so to speak. I remember stumbling upon your blog last summer...remember the post about the blueberries and the bird? You were the first person that I had been in contact with the name "Cai", but it all makes sense now. =)
BTW...Isn't your blog's birthday coming up soon too?
My friend and I were just talking (actually talking, on the phone, in Real Time!) about this last night. We were saying how rarely we keep in touch these days, and she said something like 'well, we have our blogs'. To which I responded 'yeah, but that's only stuff you don't mind a total stranger reading. It's not the real me, or you, in that blog'. She had to agree: while we'll post about almost anything, we always hold something back. In both our cases, we know family member are reading (and seriously: no matter how good your relationship with your mother/father is, there's still some things you don't want them knowing!), or friends. We always hold something back, or we're very superficial, or 'breezy', in our posts.
So, I think that we'll always keep something of ourselves private in these blogs, no matter how much we do reveal.
Hi Niki - my hair's not long enough to do a picture like yours! ;-)
Hi Zarah - and I'm not brave enough (yet) to do a picture like yours!!! :-)
Hi Reid - I remember that post and your comment (which was very sweet). You were the first person that visited and commented on my blog regularly! Yes, mlk will be one year old in late May - when I started this I never thought it would last this long!
Hi Stephanie - we may not feel comfortable saying some things, but in some ways it is easier to say others. After all, where else could you go on and on about the minutiae of food and cooking as we do? I don't know many people outside my food blog friends who would have the slightest interest in these things. I think it's similar to face-to-face relationships - you reveal different things to different people and there are very few that see it all.
I agree with you on your last point, Cathy. We reveal different facets of ourselves to different people, but never the entirety--at least I don't. I'll go one step further and admit I find there are some things I can admit in anonymity that I could never tell someone I'm close to, face to face. And for that reason, I *still* haven't told my family--the people I'm supposedly closest to--about my blog!
Hi Rachel - I found at some point the blog was becoming a big enough part of my life that I had to start talking about it with people I knew. From that point it was only a matter of time before I started giving out the link!
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