In BLOGGING on
July 3, 2013

Blogging, Privacy, and Trauma : The After Math

This is a three part post about my blogging experience so far. Read the first post:  Blogging, Privacy, and Trauma : Why I Blog and the second post: Blogging, Privacy and Trauma : Molested … [Sort of]

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Because of what happened, my old blog died slowly. I couldn’t make myself post anything for fear of sharing too much. That I may be putting myself or my family in undesirable and damaging situations. I shied away from blogging and immersed myself in other things. I kept my profiles private and only added friends I actually know … and only those who I could really be “me” without any fears. 

After almost a year, I created another blog (this blog: www.shoutingwind.com) because I felt incomplete. Somehow I miss blogging. This blog started out as a nail polish blog. Why? Because that means I would only post photos of my hand and what ever nail polish I have. (I’m sure there’s nothing damaging can be done on photos of hands, yes?)

I enjoyed my nail polish addiction. It gave me an excuse to buy new stuff and blog about it without any panic and uneasiness. I loved it till it became a chore for me (and I also had to stop since I was pregnant). Eventually I couldn’t keep up with the trend and I felt like a loser so I said I’ll just start over again.

Now, today… my fears are back. I question my own privacy rules. By making my blog and other accounts public, I fear that I am over sharing. That I may be putting myself and my family at risk. I asked my blogging friends if they have these fears and they do. I’m glad that what I’m feeling is normal. 

But how can I blog/post without over sharing? Where do I draw the line? Where do YOU draw your line?

Here are some tips I got from my friends:

  • No mentioning of real names or addresses
  • No revealing photos
  • Be creative in your photo shoots (no photos of kids/babies facing front, etc)
  • Pray that the crazies don’t pick on you 
OK, I added the last one. Because seriously, no matter how private you are, if the crazies are after you … they will find a way. 
 
Now I just need to get over this fear and start blogging again. Properly, this time. 
 
***
 

Do you have a similar experience? What are your limits? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

 

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3 Comments

  • Mitzie Mee

    When I first started blogging I was very cautious and kept everything really private, but then I thought about what blogs I like to read and the ones which appeal to me are the ones where the blogger is putting a little of him/herself out there. So I started posting pictures of myself and my friends:)

    December 26, 2014 at 9:41 PM Reply
  • Jane

    Hi Shiela! I came across your site while blog hopping. Backread and saw these series of posts. So sorry of what happened to you. I had a quite similar experience. Siguro, just be careful with what you post and like what you’ve said, don’t overshare. In my case, I don’t drop names and post photos of my family/friends. Good luck and keep on blogging 🙂

    September 9, 2014 at 2:11 AM Reply
    • A B & Me

      Hi Jane, thanks for dropping by and taking time to read my post. 🙂 It wasn’t easy getting over that episode. It contributed big time as to why I lost my blogging mojo back then. I got scared.

      Anyhoo… things are back to normal…somehow. 😀

      September 9, 2014 at 8:48 AM Reply

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