Running a Blog

   Running a blog is a very interesting thing, because the lines of what's okay to post are very blurry. You always reach a point where you want to be personal with your readers and followers, wanting to share your life with them. But then agian, what crosses the line into oversharing? What are they going to be comfortable reading about, and what will you be comfortable with sharing with the world? What about those around you, are they comfortable with being mentioned on your social media, comfortable with an audience hearing their names or seeing their faces?
   Many of these things, I learned the hard way. I learned that there are people who will take everything as an insult, or personal attack, no matter what you say or how you word it. I learned that a lot of people close to me aren't that comfortable with me sharing things about them for hundreds to see, and that some of them want to be known only by name or not even by that. I understood this after quite a few mistakes, so now when I get close to new people, I always ask before I post anything about them at all, because I still remember how crappy I felt when exposing someone to something they weren't prepared for or comfortable with.
   I've learned quite a lot about myself. There are subjects that I love writing about, no matter how personal, and a few that I stay so far away from lightyears wouldn't be a large enough unit to describe the distance accurately. I've also learned quite valuable things, for example, how to capture interest or grow and how annoying it is when people forward something you've created as if it were their own. I've learned how to plan ahead for days when I might be sick and the value of always having a notepad with me where ever I go. But most of all, I've learned how to explore myself creatively.
   I'm not the type of person who likes a lot of direct attention, but I've learned to love it when it's through a screen. I've learned that some days I'm comfortable sharing, some days I'm not, and that that's perfectly fine. I've learned that it's perfectly okay to be myself, even online where people often are more judgemental than in real life. I'm even starting to learn how to use my blog as a side income, slowly but surely, taking baby steps.
   I want to thank all of you who have been with me through this amazing learning process, and all of you who keep returning, day after day to read my ramblings and mediocre poems. I want to encourage all of you to express yourself creatively, and be yourself no matter what happens in your lives. People will accept you, just like all of you have accepted me. Thank you.
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(picture credit 1st: theblogstarter.com, picture credit 2nd: Click to Tweet))