There has been a bit of talk on the blogger chat boards and groups lately about what it is really like to “be a blogger”

With the launching of a new site that allows moms to blog anonymously, as well as being friends with a few bloggers that have gotten extra recognition in their community, and as a result been “outed”.

and it is a strange thing, sharing your thoughts with the interweb, and opening yourself up to criticism and vulnerability.

but, I for one, appreciate that I am able to keep my site a happy one, even though that may mean less clicks. I feel ok with the world I have created on my site (because to me it is a special little world, all of my own)

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean I want my community to know it exists, but if they do find out, I don’t think there is a lot I would feel needed hiding.

I have experienced what it is like to share to much, and have also gone through a dry spell (or two) of not sharing enough, and I hope I have found a sweet spot of sharing just enough of my intimate thoughts without losing the trust and respect of my family and friends.

So, my advice to bloggers, and readers alike?

Take it all with a grain of salt. Conversations come and go, opinions may change and people grow and learn. Read what you share before you post it, and if you, as a reader, fall upon something that you don’t agree with . . . sure, share your opinion back, but do so in a way that acknowledges that the writer is a human, and it was posted on a forum they built mainly for themselves.

This world have blogging has thrown people together who would never have normally sat down and had the conversations we are engaging in online. Take from it what you will, find the best, and then leave the rest.

And I hope, as a blogger, that we each are able to sleep well at night by finding our own unique and honest voice! And if we can’t, maybe that is what guest posts, and private chat boards are for, eh?