Are you your blog?

One of the interesting things about blogs is that there is no, or very little, personal exposure to the person.

Some people post pictures of themselves, others just an avatar and yet others nothing.

I can read a person’s profile and get some idea of them, but is it a complete picture? Unlikely.

There is no audio feedback – unless, they incorporate their voice into their blog – but, since my audio is generally turned off, I wouldn’t hear it anyway.

So, I am left interpreting the words, the content, and the images I find on a blog – forming impressions from what people surround themselves with. I suppose it is rather like archeology – finding a jumbled assortment of artifacts (I browse through people older listings to get a better idea of them). Then I begin to infer things from it.

So? Are you your blog? Would somebody who met you say, “Wow! You are just like I imagined you’d be!” Or are they going to say, “Gee, I thought you’d be taller / younger / wittier / more dynamic / etc”?

While there is no pretense in my blogging and my writing is an honest reflection of what is going on up in my brain, I suspect that people who would meet me would not find me quite like my blog. I think they would say, “Gee, I thought you would be more approachable.”

Comments

Cavalock said…
hey, i think yr blog is pretty cool. Wish i could write like you. i tend to just ramble on. Got yr link from elvina's blog. you like 50s rock n roll too? me too.
Richard said…
Thanks! Although, I really don’t see what is so special about the way I string words together. In general, it is nothing more than what I would normally say (unless I get tongue tied or start tripping over my words or say something utterly stupid – in which case I edit it out).

There has been the odd time when I carefully craft my words with the intent of writing something literary, but that is the exception rather than the rule.
Funny, I have tried commenting on this post several times, only to keep editing myself over and over and then finally giving up. I like this question. My guess is that my blog isn't all that representative of me (although I'm not sure, since I don't know how others perceive me in "real life"). I always wish that my current blog were more personal, but I tend to pretty self-censoring for a number of reasons (i.e. knowing that at least one or more of my kids read it fairly regularly, and out of respect for my spouse, who is a very private person, much more so than myself, and out of fear of being Dooced for writing about workstuff...hee).

I really like the way you "string words together". You have a talent, which I believe is more special than you give yourself credit for. :) When I try to write the way I would normally say things, my posts become overly long and wordy....you know, sort of like this comment... ;)
buzybee said…
Interesting question.

It depends on what you meant by "Are you your blog?"

I guess most bloggers choose to use their blogs to express only certain aspects of themselves, e.g. their interests, their family, their spiritual progress, their studies, their poem, their inner thoughts, their joys/sorrows, etc. Some may choose to have multiple blogs to represent various aspects, while some just have only one blog. So we only get to know a blogger based on that aspects he/she choose to represent.

For myself, I have many blogs and they have different focus. So a person who only reads from one of my blogs might only know one aspect of me, which may not fully represents me.

So anyone who really wants to know me will read all my blogs, plus communicate with me in many others forms. Only then can that person say to me "You are just like what I thought you to be." :D
Richard said…
MIO: I noticed a problem with comment leaving yesterday afternoon as well.

Thanks for your praise and encouragement - it is always nice to have my ego stroked.

My blog entries do not come trippingly out of my mind onto paper. After have thought about it for ages, I usally draft something and then start cutting stuff out to keep it from rambling.

Bee: my problem is that I find it very hard to be focussed on just one thing. I probably should be, but life seems so much more than just one narrow focus. On the other hand, it could be argued, that while I don't exclusively focus on one thing, I do narrowly focus on only a few things.
hey that's quite a cool topic. I think I am my blog....berry much so if I must say. haha...

what do you think? Am I my blog?

For you - you are berry much like your blog. Or at least that's how I feel. Logical, practical, a little dreamer in you sometimes, philosopher and not really an highly emotional person like myself. Very calm and in control of your life.
Richard said…
Of course I think you are just like your blog, Elvina, I have no other impressions by which to judge you.

I think you are a fun-loving, flirty, outgoing woman, who likes to fly high, but hates the crash landings, so you hope to find another pair of wings to help you out. I also think you are a bit hard-boiled and can be pitiless if angered. I also think you are quick to defend those you feel have been wronged. On the other hand, maybe I’m completely wrong – it takes me a long time to form a final impression of people because I am hyper-literal, so reading between the lines to figure something out is not really in the cards for me.

Your description of me is pretty much what I like to believe of myself and I hope shines through in me – though I am not always so sure. Certainly the calm and rational part seems to be true – I often receive comments that I never look stressed at work. Although, I can’t see how you get all that out of my blog – I think you are more perceptive about people than I am.
Prince Romp said…
Precicely..i agree with you fully.
What you read might not reflect the actual writer itself.

Take you for an example..i used to read ur long comments in elvina's blog which where i noticed you.

but when i read you in ur own blog, i find tht ur totally a different person...much more interesting.

But as for me...i just blog to confuse others.
Richard said…
There are lots of other question we can ask too (ok, maybe I’m the only one who asks them), like, why do I comment on some blogs and not others? why are my commenting styles different between blogs (I actually am aware that my style can differ depending on which blog I ‘m commenting)? why do some topics get comments and others don’t?

These of course are simply specialisation’s of broader questions like: why do I like to hang out with some people and not others? why am I more open / closed / silly / serious with some people than others?

Thanks for dropping by, feel free to leave me a confusing comment anytime :-)
I don't know if I am my blog... I don't think that I have a very good sense of myself.

You know both (my blog and me)... what do you think?
Richard said…
Ingrid, you are right, you and your blog are very different.

While I have gained some additional insight into you from reading your blog, the truth is that there is so much of you that does not come out: your heartwarming smile and bright eyes, your warmth and enthusiasm (all genuine as far as I could tell), your fun-loving playfulness and silliness. I think your blog reflects a very narrow aspect of you.

You are much too reserved in your blog (ha ha, look who's talking). I’m not sure, maybe your blog is an outlet for that part of you that you normally don’t express.

I think your restaurant reviews reflect you better – although I don’t really visit that often because I’m not likely to be in Holland anytime soon.
in-ter-est-ing... thanks for your comments richard... hmmm... still thinking about them.

you are sweet.
Richard said…
I am of the impression that sometimes my comments about you take you by surprise.

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