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The personality of an online writer
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Blogging is all about writing. It's not something you can jump into and become rich and famous simply for existing. Then again, what is?If you don't want to write, then you may do well to ask yourself why you are blogging in the first place. It's not just that you need to love the topic you write about, you also need to love to write - or at least like it!
So, why do you write? Is it for yourself or is it for other people? If it's for other people, you want people to listen to what you have to say, right? To do this you need to write something they can relate to. But more than that, you need to be someone who they can relate to.
That brings me to the main point of this post. If you aren't very forthcoming with information about who you are and why you're writing, will readers be able to relate to you?
Why hide?
I know there are people who are very reluctant to reveal their name, show their face, say where they live and so on. At least that's how they are online.I do think it's wise to be a little cautious, which means not putting your full name, address, date of birth, place of work and bank account details on the web for anyone to view.
But what's wrong with having an about page with your first name and perhaps a photo, along with some info on why you started your site?
Let's say you're a parent looking for an online parenting forum where you could meet other parents. Doesn't it seem logical that you'd share some information about your family with the members of the forum? Wouldn't you expect others to do the same? After all, how can you be sure the other members actually have children unless they share some information about who they are?
If you write a blog about you and your family, will it have as much life in it if you don't include first names and photos? Some things are just crying out for a photo, especially with kids and pets.
You don't even have to reveal all that much information. The personality of an online writer comes more from how they write than what they write. But I think you're much more likely to connect with your target audience if you give them little insights into who you are. Content that is "dry" and not very interesting is harder to follow. Leaving out details can make your content seem rather generic.
There is a balance.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should give a blow-by-blow account of everything you do and everywhere you go. What I'm suggesting is that you look at what you're writing about, then look at your About page and think what your readers might like to see there.Look at my About page. I don't include vast quantities of information about who I am, instead opting for a very condensed summary:
In just two sentences you get my name, my nationality, my current place of residence, where I live, some hobbies, my profession, my marital status, the name of my wife, plus the name of our pet. Quite a lot of information but I don't think I'm revealing anything I shouldn't be.
Further down the page you'll find some information about why you should read my blog, along with my professional experience. This is really important as it shows that I write what I know.
Think before you write.
I'd like to close with a very valuable lesson that all too many people learn the hard way. Let's say you want to write about someone who's really annoyed or upset you.First, don't write when you're worked up, it'll do you no favours. Write with a clear head. Second, if you're writing about someone, imagine they will read everything you write. This has caught me out a few times where I wrote a frustrated email about someone that somehow got forwarded to them. Think of it that way and you might think twice before saying something you'll later regret.
What do you think?
Do you think your readers can relate to you?Do you reveal who you are online?
How much information do you reveal on your About page? Is it relevant to the topic you're writing about?
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Comments on The personality of an online writer
I visit many sites on a daily basis. When visiting a new site (new for me, that is) I always look for an about page first. If there isn't one I normally do not stick around too long. I am just that kind of person, I like to know who I am dealing with. On the sites that I read regularly I get to know some of the authors quite well. This additional info I normally obtain just by watching for those little glimpses of personal information that often appear within the articles themselves. If I visit a site long enough I normally have a pretty clear picture of who the real person behind the keyboard is. We can try to hide but our writing itself does say a lot about us. Nice article Ben.
Jasmine - thanks, glad you liked the post. :) I agree that the online and offline worlds are better viewed as places to be the same person rather than two different people.
Arnold - I start by reading a post and I do read some sites where I don't know the author's real name. But I much prefer knowing whose content I'm reading. Thanks for the comment. :)
I'm a bit of a mixed bag on this one. For a while, I didn't have an about me page... and it was only when I read your (and a couple of others') post on the subject, that I started thinking about it maybe posting one. I'm not exactly sure why but I'm not too bothered knowing who is behind the writing. I feel like I can tell a lot about someone just by the way they write. It's a little different with your kind of blog that offers more technical advice, but I can still tell a little about you. For one thing, I can tell you're an organised person (though it wouldn't take a genius to figure that one out), and that you love your wife (for one thing because you mention her quite a lot for someone who doesn't run a personal blog). Those are just examples... of course not everyone is the same and I think I'm staring to come off as trying to prove that I'm different. But I swear, I'm not! I'm just sharing... well, sharing things about me! haha
Hi fragileheart, thanks for the comment. :) You made me think of a couple of things.
Firstly, not everyone is able to read a post and conclude that the writer is a certain type of person. I find it interesting to hear things like "Ben, you sound very organised" - it's nice that people notice without me having to tell them. I can do this to a certain extent but I'm not as observant as others seem to be, at least not when it comes to thinking what a person is like.
Secondly, the good thing with an About page is that it collects some information into one place. This follows the same logic as my Tutorials section. I could just keep writing a new post every day and leave it at that, but by moving some posts into the Tutorials section, I can group related posts together.
A newcomer to my blog might want to know a bit about me by reading an About page, others may be happy to read my posts and find out about me that way. Some people need things to be spelled out, some don't. I'm actually someone who does need things explained clearly, and that's got a lot to do with why I write things the way I do. I can't stand it when I have to re-read a paragraph over and over again and still can't get the meaning from it! But that's probably another topic for another day. :)
I think I'm probably a little too free about what I post concerning my personal life. I post first names freely and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find my last name if you looked. I post about where I live, not the exact address but I'm sure I've posted the town before.
I supposed I should be a little more careful, but it doesn't bother me too much.
Thanks for the post Ben.
I might be a bit weird, but I never (or very rarely) read About pages. I've never read yours, Ben ;)
I guess I like to discover who the person is through their blog, and what they write in each entry means a lot more to me than someone saying 'I'm from Australia and I'm in my mid twenties.' That tells me their demographic but not what they think about the Australian Liberal Party, or the new Marc Jacobs collection, or the latest exhibition at the TATE Liverpool, and this is more important to me.
Perhaps I'm just too self absorbed to care about anyone else - I just want the information at hand and don't really care who it comes from!!
How about this for a contradiction? - I want to see an About page, but I don't necessarily want to read it! Like some of the others here, I very much enjoy learning about a blogger in little glimpses here and there through their posts - and that's what I'm looking for, more than a photograph or where you went to school.
To me, it's very much like meeting a person in real life: there has to be enough 'information' exchanged to form a basis for small talk, after the smile and eye contact; but in the end, it's what you think and how you say it that help me to feel I'm getting to know you, and decide if I want to stick around to get to know you better.
Edited: March 30, 2008 06:39
Miranda, I think a lot of people are in the same position as you. Trying to hide things seems a bit strange to me when it probably wouldn't be that difficult to find things out. Then again being too open isn't a good idea either.
Amy, good point but I'd be surprised if most bloggers actually commented on the things you mentioned. Maybe on a personal / multi-topic blog, but I think it would be dangerous if I added my political views to my blog, because it has nothing to do with politics. Similarly, I'd be very wary of listing my religious beliefs here. I'm more than happy to give people the opportunity to see what kind of person I am, but I think some subjects are best avoided on a blog of this nature.
Jen, interesting! I do read About pages but perhaps not the moment I find a blog - I'd rather decide if I like the content first.
Thanks for the comments. :)
Ben, I'm a beginning blogger and your site is exactly what I've needed to know. I will pass your site along to others as the information contained within your posts are invaluable to anyone and everyone that blogs (or uses the internet).
I look forward to reading your posts daily.
Welcome, Mamaflo - thanks for the comment. :) Do let me know if you have any suggestions for future posts - you can suggest a post here. Also, you might like my Tutorials. Thanks for stopping by!
Erm, I think they all know that my name is Deimos Tel`Arin, so I guess yeah they can relate to me?
Just my alias - Deimos Tel`Arin, given that my domain name is ahkong, I guess they know that too.
Here, you can check it out yourself:
http://ahkong.net/about/
I try to sum it down with 5 - Who, What, Where, When, Why questions.
It is my name, and I am running a personal blog so I guess it is relevant, yeah.
Deimos, thanks for the comment - however I am totally confused! You said:
"I think they all know that my name is Deimos Tel`Arin"
But then you said:
"my alias - Deimos Tel`Arin"
Is that your real name or your alias?
Your About page does give some history about you and your site, but I'm still confused about your name...
That's a question that I have been trying to answer myself through my blog too. For me, it is important to align both my real and online life, so I won't develop some split personality. :) But I guess to each its own - depending on how much they are comfortable revealing. :) Cheers for the great post.