A slice of a life
October 29, 2009emily 2 Comments »I consider myself an open book. But over the years it has been made clear to me that I’m not so much an open book as a coded book, the key to which has long been lost, now locked up in Fort Knox and guarded by a three-headed dog. And when it comes to my blog, at least, that’s how I like it to be. It’s a funny thing, having a blog. On one hand, I like the public-ness of a blog: sharing my life with anyone who’s willing to show up. It’s like a keg party, only without the keg. Instead of a keg, there’s… words. (“We’ve replaced this keg with a bunch of words. Let’s see if they notice.”) And rather than abandon that strangled metaphor, I think I’ll carry on. Like a keg party (uh, not that I’d know), some doors are left locked. I keep certain aspects of my life very, very private, sequestered away from my online existence. My research comes to mind immediately. I’m working on this enormous project, a project years in the making, and I’m loathed to share too much of what I’ve done online. It’s a preemptive copyright, if you will. And, because I’m on the job market, I’m also fairly anonymous. You used to be able to find my blog just by Googling my name; no longer. I do blog about my students every now and again, simply because the things they say are just too good not to share. (“The slave system in America did not begin with slavery” comes immediately to mind.) I suppose I also tend to not blog about my family. I give snippets of my life with John; slices and glimpses, sure, but never more than that. And I don’t talk about my family that exists beyond this house because, well, they deserve their privacy. So yeah, it’s a funny thing having a life online. I like to share, yes, but I also exercise some control over how much of that life is visible. Think of it as controlled voyeurism, if you will.
Posted on October 29th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Fascinating! I love this discussion and so interesting how everyone has to find their own balance.
Posted on October 30th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
It is such a tricky balance! There is a strange draw to living somewhat publicly but the privacy line can be tricky. And can change. I’m sort of dreading heading into private blog land.