blogging in the nude

How much of ones Self does one reveal in a blog that is to all intents and purposes... a world wide publication potentially read and digested by "millions"?

I'm not actually sitting here in the nude blogging so to speak. What I mean is self-exposure in blogging.

I do a lot of self-exposure of the inner realms of my thought processing here but that's not exactly what I mean by self-exposure either.

There is a fine line between letting the world know what you're REALLY thinking and feeling and couching it in ways in a blog that on the one hand, debriefs where YOU are at and on the other clouds the details with just enough subterfuge as to not give anyone total insight into ones actual life.

A very fine line indeedy.

Prior to my marriage breaking down, many of my closest friends and family who know me very well could "read between the lines" of my blog posts and discern a great deal more of what I had intended to convey. I was a little bit aghast at exactly how much of myself I had actually presented in this public forum to be honest! Sometimes, I naively imagine that only a very very small handful of people can be bothered reading what I write so I tend to use blogging as a means of getting thoughts out in a creative medium, much like journalling when I was a young woman many years ago.

I have to my conscious knowledge never attempted to use my blog here as a means of hinting or manipulating people to get my wants and desires met! I certainly hope I've not done that subconsciously either!

Blogging is a mutable art form. It serves the purposes of creative expression, personal reflection and in some instances, idea swapping and in many cases info sharing. Some use their blogs as a mask to hide their real Self so they can explore their more hidden aspects of their temperament and interests. I confess to doing the same thing. Yes! I DO have a couple of "Secret Squirrel" blogs that will remain firmly anonymous for the time being. These blogs are for my own exploration of themes which do not sit comfortably within this blog. It's not dishonest that I do not publish them, its just I like to keep those ideas more private and secluded from all and sundry.

It is however, ironic that I still choose to explore those ideas on the open space of the Internet which is...well... Public! It's just a bonus that many blogging applications now have recognised that for some people, blogging in this open space needs to have a way of being private at the same time! A bit like having sex with your beloved in the outdoors I guess... the thrill of the open vista and the intense intimacy of private contact. Human beings so love that kind of dichotomy!

So how much do I reveal of the details of my thinking, my emotional state and my physical realm?

Only as much as I care to give at any given moment!

It's not strange or ironic anymore that blogging is actually BETTER when you cover certain parts of its anatomy through the leaving out of details that could incriminate, isolate, point out, hurt or expose. Much of the stuff I leave out of my blogs is designed to protect those I care about more than protecting my identity via my own stupid ramblings arising from my ego-centric angst!

Ben Elton wrote a sinister and rather insightful novel recently called "Blind Faith". In a future not too far from this one, the world is indeed a crazy mixed up and unbelievably stupid place! You think the worlds' gone mad now, well pray it doesn't end up like the world in this novel! People expose such lurid details about their daily lives over the net to the point of gross indecency and yet its accepted and even demanded that everyone TELL everything to everyone. It makes for compelling and slightly uncomfortable reading as much of the My Space'esque nature of this novel is already showing its stripes in the here and now. Scary stuff indeed!

I have no wish to contribute to a world where privacy issues are screwed down to the level of gutter journalism and everyone is a "Star" who "deserves" to be worshipped!

I'll probably be a blogger for a long time to come. The medium of expression suits me in many ways. I get to be a bit public without having to be über committed to a vast subscription base. I get to share whats on my mind without too many people picking fights over my thinking (I so hate being labelled "wrong" but that's another blog for another day). I get to debrief my inner demons so that I release the energy from within into a place without.

Blogging nude is all about self exposure of the soul. I don't particularly care if people blog about being or actually being physically nude - more power to them I say! But when it comes to baring the soul, that's a whole different ball game and those who do it well without incriminating or hurting anyone - least of all themselves - then they deserve to be commended and applauded for being willing to put themselves out there so gently and wisely.

I pray I can do that too.