Sometimes I feel scared to write about certain issues in my blog because I’m afraid of how you might react to it.
Then I think again. Isn’t the essence of blogging personal expression? To say what you think, what you want to say without fear, even if your reader doesn’t necessarily agree with you? Isn’t that why blogging is so popular – because we have a space to talk about whatever we want to?
Then I know why. I don’t want to ruin the image you have of me. The image built up from all the nice, good posts you liked and enjoyed reading. I want you to have the same experience each time you read my latest post. Part of that experience is based on the image you have of me.
And what is my image to you? Friendly / cheery / insecure / bitchy / cheeky / ditzy / insert your adjective here?
Image… It is part of me, but it is not entirely me. That’s why I allow negative comments in my blog, and write angry or sad or embarrassing posts. I try hard to portray as many sides of me there is, to show that I’m not perfect. Yet, there is a part of me who wishes these imperfect sides are not shown because it’s quite embarrassing to display such a private side to me so publicly.
But further yet, I actually admire people who have the guts to say politically incorrect things or reveal really personal stuff about themselves. They are not ashamed and not afraid, even if there are consequences.
Kinda ironic… there are things I couldn’t say to the people in my life, so I blog. And now, there are things I can’t say to the people in my blog, so I… keep them to myself.
Oh well, I suppose I can’t possibly reveal everything about me! Gotta retain some mystery? 😀
bloggerdygook 
Comments on: "Image" (14)
Miss Mysterious.
I am glad that you do take some liberty on your blog; I believe that keeping too much to yourself can also be harmful in nature 🙂
Slow and steady, I guess you will be able to talk about more and more to your blog.
sulz: haha, i really am not! i wear my heart on my sleeve and am an open book to a fault.
yeah, which is why i write really personal stuff here… this is the only place i can go. maybe as i grow older i will be less reticent about the things i’m afraid to talk about now!
I do not think you should worry about image.
Write your heart out on your blog. Ignore the trolls and criticizers, you have rught to ban them too. It’s your personal life, you have right to live the way you want and also blog about it.
Wish you a very happy new year! Have a great 2009! 🙂
sulz: i agree, but i still do. 😦 thankfully, i don’t have trolls or critics, or perhaps that’s wishful thinking – they probably aren’t very vocal about it, that’s all. 😆 you’re right about that, but i guess i’m afraid of the consequences i might have to face.
happy new year to you too, poonam! hope i can win an avant garde bloggie award this year. 😛
Well, don’t know much about image nor really care about it. I hardly every attribute adjectives to people as many have amazed me every now and then. Everyone is capable of anything 🙂 That is my take on “image”
What I portray on my blog…well, I suppose I come across as a person who is totally depressed and what not… Don’t know what adjectives are tagged with me. Weird but I do sometimes get worked up about what the other person thinks of me!
Btw, I forgot to wish you for ur bloggerdygookerversary! 😀 Sorry!
sulz: you seem alright to me, just frustrated by your circumstances. yes, i’m always worrying about what people think of me, hence all my whinings and rants in my blog of people who don’t realise i have one!
thanks, no worries lah! 🙂
Image is what you choose to show to us, and impression is what we conceive of you. And self-censoring our own image is evident for everyone in everyday life (don’t belief the Hollywood tosh of the unpretentious girl – it’s fundamentally not possible). So don’t let the nagging feeling of wanting to write about something but not sure if it’ll harm your image get to you. Ultimately, no one will really talk about how they found an ultra big piece of booger digging nose in a staff meeting. So there, heh.
sulz: omg, have you found an ultra big piece of booger in a staff meeting?? i can definitely say i don’t do such things! now farts are a different matter…
(you did say not to let the nagging feeling get to me, hehe!)
I was just thinking about this over the holidays! Now that I have people who read my blog, people who I have come to like and respect (like you!) I don’t always write the things I want to write in case I upset someone I like who reads my blog. Crazy isn’t it? I started a secret blog so I could write whatever the hell I wanted with no-one I knew able to judge me and now I am scared of offending my readers – even though they don’t know me at all!
My conclusion was that I need to try to get back to writing as though no-one is reading. Then I can be true to myself. It’s either that or start another, even more secret blog… Nope, can’t be bothered – I’ll just be more honest. Hope you will be too!
sulz: exactly what i’m trying to say, you hit the nail right on the head with far less words than i’ve used! 😆
i will try… please don’t hate me when you see my scales!
I’ve struggled with the same thing, Sulz. But there are some unpopular things I am passionate about and write about them because I have to. Regardless what people think of it.
I don’t base my friendships on having the same beliefs as each other. To each his own. If someone can’t handle it and walks away from my blog, oh well..I’ll get over it. Life goes on and we can’t be worried about how other people think of us.
I know who I am and what I am all about. That is good enough for me.
Take care!
sulz: that happened to me, people walked away from my blog. i’m not too heartbroken over it, but it’s a shame because they are good people… i suppose the lesson of not worrying what people think of me will only ever be truly learnt as i age. i mean, i used to be so self-conscious about my flabby arms as a kid and now i wear tank tops all the time. 😀
you too, you must have a lot of christmas decorations to take down and put away. 😉
This isn’t just a blog thing. We project an image wherever we go, online and offline. It’s just people who read our blogs likely have a very different perception of us to how those offline might see us.
I think the most important thing is to be yourself, wherever you go.
sulz: that’s true, i’m just thinking from the blogging context. i’m also afraid that i’m much too different from my online persona and in person. lovelyloey and dave might have something to say about that! 🙂
I feel jealous now. 😥 I always wanted to find an ultra big booger to fling at a boss during staff meetings. hah that would have been better than some of the words I have been known to toss towars some of my bosses. Still I was exposed to booger flinging at an early age. My 6th-8th grade math teacher was a booger flicker hobbyist during class study time.
sulz: rotfl… can’t you get one from your nose?
in malaysia, if we “toss words” to our bosses we’d probably lose our jobs! and eww, your gross math teacher!
Never had an ultra sized boogers to fling. It makes me feel like a girlyman. 😥
Well I will not say that a couple of those bosses did not try and fire. At least three looked for a reason to fire me. But they never got the job done. I think the one that came closest was when I told a district manager he was a liar. (Not quite that nicely mind you but it all come down to my telling him my evaluation of his character.) 😉
sulz: you need to stop picking your nose so much at home then and save it for the office.
wow, you must have got a lot of guts and good at the office too…
Interesting post 🙂 Relates to what I feel some times, especially while drafting a new post. But then, I would shrug off the feeling as I believe I need to be true to myself first before my readers. I blog to voice my opinions and thoughts, and I am curious to read what other opinions are out there. After all, we are entitled to our opinions right? 😉 I guess, what I am trying to say is, don’t loose your spark and the originality of your blog purpose at first. You don’t have to worry about image, be true to yourself first, that is more important. Everything else would just fall through in place, naturally 😀 Happy 2009!
sulz: thanks! 🙂 yeah, we are, but at the same time i feel afraid if i might be unintentionally offensive. that actually happened once and i lost a couple of friends because of that. that said, i think blogging has helped me to be less fearful about disagreeing and people not agreeing with me, though i still have a long way more to go, it seems. 🙂
happy new year to you too!
Sure, you can blog about how you farted five times in a row all you want (your freedom) but if we all start giving awkward laughters (eh heh heh), you know it’s time to stop. Which means to say, unless we start feedbacking, you can write about anything you wish to write. 🙂
sulz: rotfl! actually, it’s those posts that nobody comments that seem like nobody agrees with it, which is why they don’t comment! so will that be your code word – eh heh heh? 😆
There is only so much one can tell on a blog. I m sure everyone has something which he or she doesnt share or rant about on a public portal!!! I would say u write more forthright posts about your life than most of other bloggers I know! I can never do that.
sulz: true, just as there’s only so much you can show in person too. 🙂 do you mean my sex life post?
Take it easy!! If your readers won’t like your image, they will start to leave and then you will know that its time to change the topics!! Simple. 😛
sulz: so you do think that image is more important than writing about things close to your heart but could be controversial? that’s quite valid…
As someone who is almost endlessly shameless about what he blogs about, I say you should always say what’s on your mind 🙂
I did it today, and I feel a million times better…
xx
sulz: but i’m thinking of the consequences, and not knowing exactly what they might be always stops me. 😦 though yeah, i do admit the times when i give arse to consequences i feel better after ranting.