Blogged and Burned

by **Brian** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:37 am

Every issue in "Writer's Digest"'s InkWell section, we pose a thought-provoking question related to the writing life. In the February issue of "WD," Sarah Weinman contends that writing about your professional life on your blog could lead to trouble. Do you think people are overreacting to the content on blogs?

To be part of our monthly Conversation, e-mail your brief response (up to 50 words) to writersdig@fwpubs.com with "Blogged and Burned" as the subject line or post it here.

by **rraven** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:34 am

Yipperdoodle, people are sure touchy about blog content. It seems to be a reflection of the general paranoia about Western Civilization. For safty's sake--if you don't want everyone to read it--DON'T PRINT IT. Hopefully, once the newness of blogs wear off, then we can go blog our brains out.

by **johlt** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:21 am

Personally, I appreciate the information on the inner workings of the publishing industry shared on writers' blogs. One of my favorites is that of J. A. Konrath (http://jakonrath.blogspot.com). I don't see where it hurts him, but then, he's pretty careful what he says.

by **thewriterslife** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:04 am

Oh gosh, if people took the info I have up on my blog and ran with it, I don't know what I'd think. I tend to not worry about it. I think an author's life, no matter how crazy it is, is interesting, and the more people expose themselves, the better. It gives it a personal touch. I get kind of bored reading authors' blogs that have nothing but "buy my book" kind of posts. The ones I frequent daily are the ones where I can glimpse into what makes them tick, no matter how revealing.

by **lastwrites** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:39 pm

Web logs are real time, interactive arteries to and from the masses. Sometimes they grow disproportionate to their purpose and become twisted into feeding the ambitions of corporations, terrorists, religious cults and the run of the mill sick mind! I guess they eventually get treated like every other form of communication thats been ravaged by a malignancy.

So smile, all you benign bloggers who just want to vent and inform the world of your thoughts. Ive got your back! Whos got mine?

Read all about it on

WWW. WritersDigest.com.

Bob

by **Anthony** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:39 pm

If you're going to create and maintain a blog then you should keep in mind that anything you post can and will be used against you at the most inopportune time. You are posting your life in a fishbowl and the big fish are always hungry.

It's as simple as that.

by **thewriterslife** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:31 pm

Gotta add to what I wrote, Anthony's so right about that. And, don't forget...this stuff stays in the search engines for eternity. ;o)

by **chelly** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 5:04 pm

I do believe they are touchy, but I do not think I could ever do a blog. I would rather write it in my paper journal and hide it under a rock. That way it can not come back to haunt me in the future.

by **Amazonian** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:58 am

The irony is that it's so darn hard to GET people to read your website!

A friend who until recently had the top listing for feng shui in Google cannot be found, now, in the top 100 listings.

Those of us who market our own works are constantly laying out creativity for attracting readers. I didn't read what the blogger of subject said, but if she were a Hollywood type, being talked about would be good news, no matter what the reason.

Besides, we all know the most interesting blogs are edgy, even controversial.

Lin