I have to do this periodically, it seems....via the miracle of Statcounter it has come to my attention that I have a few new readers. Which is great, apart from the fact that unless I'm much mistaken, one of you actually knows me in 'real life'. Which is, for the purposes of this blog, where we must part company.
As I've maintained since I started this blog nearly five years ago, this is a bit of space for me (someone who listens to other people for a living, and who even in the pub will not be the first to get their story told.). It's my scratchpad, my draft file, my outlet, my shout-out into the ether, and what I still love about it is that the people who read my ramblings don't have any history with me beyond this blog, and in all likelihood never will. There's something very freeing about that, for me.
So on the occasions where I've let slip to friends that I keep a pseudonymous blog, and their eyes have lit up ("great, I'm going to come on it and leave lots of silly comments" was one predictable response), I've always asked them quite politely not to. From time to time, a couple have seemingly been unable to resist the lure of my incredible talent and my trusty Statcounter has outed them to me. I've made my feelings known again, and they've backed off as I asked.
So now I'm asking again, my 'chum' up the coast. You've got the whole of the rest of the Internet to choose from - give my silly little blog a swerve. Even my own husband doesn't read it, because he gets what I mean when I say I like the freedom to write for a far-away 'audience' (or just as often, for no audience at all). Even if you don't get that, and think I'm being precious and petty, just do me a favour and move on. I'm afraid I'll know if you don't.
As for the rest of you, you're all most welcome. I'm grateful to anyone who bothers to read this - and I'm always amazed at how long some of you 'lurkers' have been around. Thanks. Isn't it nice to keep it this way?
©Ishouldbeworking 2011
20 comments:
This is the dilemma of blogging which seems always to crop up every now and again. If your chum has any social graces whatsoever, he or she will make a graceful exit and leave you to chat in the way you describe, history- and relationship-free.
Recently a friend of mine (who I don't mind reading the blog - she lives in another country and there's something about the way she responds to it which makes me feel safe that I can say things with her), gave the URL to a mutual friend.
I was a bit pissed off, partly because it imposes a caution on what I can write, but more, that she lacked the social sense to know that it is not the done thing to go around inviting third parties onto the site.
Good luck with this, ISBW and I hope things are resolved satisfactorily. Statcounter is indeed a great thing to have. I wouldn't be without it now.
Sorry - fingers slipped, that was looby posting that.
Thanks, Looby, glad you get it. It's easy to feel that you shouldn't care about these things, but we all blog for different reasons and you do hope people can respect that. Most people who do know me have been very good about it.
Funnily enough I've also got a friend who lives abroad who stumbled across this, and I could live with it if he reads it, as I haven't seen him for years and he feels nicely placed as someone who knows me quite well but isn't 'in my face'. But his response was that if I felt remotely uncomfortable about it, he'd just give it a swerve. I liked him for that.
That's funny. I started mine with the opposite intention. I set out to harass my sister and a few good friends that had moved away.
They read it but they don't participate...they call me on the phone to talk about it.*
Losers.
I think you're on to something. I should just tell 'em to jog on...wonder if I could ban IPs...good luck policing it.
*The Sister does come on occasionally to call me an idiot.
I"m going to come on it and leave lots of silly comments, now...
But Matthew, you always have done!!
Refuse to take calls from anyone who wants to discuss blog matters with you, EF. Let 'em come on your blog and duke it out with you in cold hard type. The yellow-bellies.
I'm happy to take one for the team if they want to switch channels and browse my ol' guff and stuff instead..
Great Crete posts by the way. I haven't been since 84. Where we parked up in Agios Nikolaos for a fortnight and did a day out to spinalonga.
Any plans for Kefalonia? We had a fortnight there a few years back and it's like no other Greek Island
- just an incredible place with a different aspects around every corner
Two sets of friends have been there this summer, Mondo, and said exactly the same as you. It's on my list.
And come come, there's never a hint of guff over at yours!
Of course you could sneak round to all our places, tell us who it is and we'll send the boys round.
mine started out all anon and no-one knowing.... then a mate said "do you know anything about blogs"... I stupidly said yes. Next thing the blog was inundated with idiot mates saying stupid things. I realised more than anything I ought to review my circle of "friends".
So kill one blog start another, but that got blown too... in the end I sort of gave up. Luckily however my stuff is so mind numbingly boring (I believe I'm just outside the hichikers guide top 10 vying with Vogon poetry) they have all buggered off :-)
Don't be so mean to yourself, F-ron. Your blog is, and should be, yours to do what you want with. As you say, idiot mates leaving stupid comments is a major irritant, as can be surreptitious 'viewing' from people who'd never stop talking about themselves long enough to let you say a bloody word, if you were actually with them - so why do they want to read our blogs?
Maybe I WILL send the boys round. Or even the girls.
Care not Tuts*
Tell your 'friend' to swing by mine. I'm showing John Lennon at the moment; if he/she cares for John Lennon, that is.
Later
J
It's an anagram of statcounter.
Love the anagram, John! But what are you showing John Lennon?
Ah! So my 'chum' up the coast popped back, just over an hour ago. And you read this entry, and you read the comments. Great. Now, please go away.
Can't tell you Tuts. Loose lips and all that.
I've just taken a peep at your live feed. Ooo er missus. According to your stats I'm beaming up from Chesterfield. Here's the thing. I don't live anywhere near Chesterfield. And nor would I want to. I'm just sayin'.
No, the live feed's all over the place. It's Statcounter that gives you the accurate location. It's very clever.
Loose lips lose lives, though.
Sometimes I pop over here just to see where the counter thinks I am.
I've spent more time in more places in Louisiana than I care to recall but I haven't the foggiest notion where Haughton is.
When I first started my bad excuse of a blog, I used to post the URL on my Twitter page for my followers. It seemed like a good idea at the time until one follower made comments about reading something which he thought was boring or tedious. These would usually appear shortly after I had posted the URL. It really knocked my confidence at blogging, seen as I was only trying my hand at it.
It's so easy to be virtually 'brave', and knock someone else's writing when you don't have to do it to their face, isn't it? Don't take it on. They're revealing themselves to be mean-spirited and snide, which is worse than anything they can say about you. Keep posting.
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