Dear Diary ...

LOL

I dont tell it all even if it is not personal stuff. I just pick a few points of interest(well interesting to me) and write about them.

Mel Reply to this

The thing is, it's often 1) and 2) that make a story interesting ... possibly 3) as well ... but??!!

Things I have grappled with in the past include not just the end of a relationship (happens to the best of us Ralf!), but terrible traveling companions, hostel freaks, romances on the road, stupid things I've done and trouble I've got myself into ... These things are often the stuff of legend - the stories that have people on the edge of their seat back in the real world at dinner parties! If you think of all the good non fiction travel books you've ever read - often the best ones are those with humerous or heartbreaking accounts of people's experiences that fit into the above categories!

I also think that the fun you have and the enjoyment of a country or destination is highly affected by the people you're with, the experiences you have, your headset and emotions at the time. So sometimes when someone asks why a particular destination was so great, special or horrible - further explanation is necessary?

Reply to this

Mel - Interesting point.

I had this happen in Bosnia. I asked for the family I stayed with's permission to publish a blog about their war experiences, but in the end, they were so scared of being identified and possible repercussions that they asked me to pull it.

I also had to use similar restraint when writing about being interrogated on the Russian/Mongolian border a few years back. Reply to this

On one of my blogs I talked about a bad trip I had after eating some hash - I don't think you can get in trouble for this (though if I don't appear on forums for a while, maybe think again...) because I think you can 'confess' to anything, but authorities wouldn't be able to take it further, even if I was to walk into a police station and tell them, because it can't be proved - it could have just been a lie. I think this even applies to cases of murder - someone can confess to committing a crime but they could only be arrested and charged if there was evidence of them having done it. Actually, I should confess that my 'official' information on this comes from an episode of Brookside I remember, where Jimmy had killed someone, but either it had been judged to be accidental or someone else had gone down for it - he was racked with guilt and eventually fronted up at a police station and confessed but they just turned him away, because there was no evidence or proof that he'd done it.

But about your second point on that, I posted the blog, then remembered my dad was on my subscribed list - it was too late, but I just had to bank on the fact he wouldn't read it, as he finds it hard to get his head round the technology of the internet - he's never mentioned it anyway!

I think I've erred on the side of maybe being too open, generally in my blogs, but this was largely because I felt I was writing it more for friends and family, and not many more people would probably read it - and if they did, who cares if they know about my stuff, I'll probably never meet them! Times when stuff happened, I found it therapeutic to write it down and put it out there, even if it was painful. though I can understand the view that because you've divulged one thing, then if it doesn't continue the way you wanted, you have the dilemma of whether to say more about what happened, or whatever. But on the whole, I didn't have a problem with the fact that my blogs are very personal - a lot of my friends said they really enjoyed reading them, and almost felt like they were with me, and were included in my journey, because they were so personal and open.
But I guess it just depends what you feel comfortable with - everyone needs to decide for themselves what they want to reveal and what they don't. Good discussion anyway :) Reply to this

no he wasn't even that young in the 60s! I think he either didn't read it or just chose to pretend he hadn't - or maybe even that was the least of his worries about me and what might happen to me during my travels... Reply to this

Hey Alexandra - I'm in exactly the same predicament! Very far behind and trying to decide how much to spill! This is helping ... sort of! Reply to this

Well since I have been mentioned a few times, I feel I should write something about the subject too... I am pretty careful about writing personal blogs, not because of protecting myself, but in this case protecting those others that are involved. In my blog about the break up, I actually sent the draft to my ex-girlfriend first and asked her permission to write about the break up. I also didn't mention any names, there are no pictures of the person involved and the blog was more about the relationship issue as a whole when travelling, rather then being specific about this one break up. I used this break up as an example and I tried to be fair and honest about the emotions involved.

As far as other things are concerned I am lucky to have a very open family so I don't need to worry about upsetting them. They basically know everything that has happened or is happening in my life anyway.

All this aside there are quite a few very personal things I don't write about in my blog, not because I care, but because it always involves somebody else and they might not be as open as me. So how personal my blog is, is not dictated by my openess but by third parties involved. I believe in respecting other peoples rights to privacy, even if I don't respect my own.

So I would add a point 4 to Ali's list, how much does the blog touch on somebody elses private life? And how do you balance that person's right to privacy to your own wish to write about a specific topic? I think the best way is of course to just ask if they mind and send them a draft before actually publishing the blog. Reply to this

BTW Ralf, I am looking forward to the sequel to All that Glittlers is not Gold. You will be blogging about your rebound romance, wont you? :D Reply to this

I never put my real name on internet sites or Facebook. Why dont others take that precaution?

I was chatting on another site with one of those American bosses who Googled the name of a potential employee she was interviewing. Even if she does hire him, the stuff he said on Facebook could be used to blackmail. :D Reply to this

I write about everything...in fact, my blog is centered around illegal/idiotic/adventurous activity. as for the problem of people googling you, don't use real names. I refer to myself as "Yours Truly" usually and for all my friends, I have internet handles (nicknames). And if you're really paranoid...there's always private posts...

I find writing about personal experiences in the most open way possible opens up a lot for humor/comedy/interest...it certainly is interesting to be able to live vicariously through someone else. Reply to this