Parent bloggers have years of endless topics to blog, but where do you draw the line? How much is too much information? Which topics are ok and which topics are off limits? Ultimately, each of us needs to make that decision for ourselves, but there are a few guidelines I use.
Would I tell my neighbors this story? Our kids (and spouses) do a lot of things that would make awesome blog posts, but do you really want everyone to know everything that happens in your house? Would you tell your neighbors the story? If I answer no, then I don’t blog about it.
Would you want your child’s friends to hear this story? When our kids are young and do a lot of really cute things and have friends who can’t read, I had no problem sharing stories about their potty training, bathing, etc. But now I have a 14 and 12 year old and I’m sure they would not be happy if I discussed some of their personal (yet maybe humorous) habits. If I’m unsure, I will ask my kids if they are ok with me posting the story or picture.
Would you want your boss or your spouse’s boss to hear this story? The same goes for your husband/wife. I have a lot of great stories about my husband, but does he want his boss or peers at work to hear these stories? Probably not. So those topics are off limits.
Will someone get hurt if I write about this topic? The intent of my blog is never to hurt someone. I realize that sometimes I will write about a topic that may touch a chord with some people and others may not agree. But if telling this story means a friend will be hurt, then I will think twice about telling it.
Do you want this story out there for eternity? Once you hit publish, it is on the internet indefinitely. You can pull the story, but someone somewhere has already cached it. This is also a good question to ask yourself when posting pictures when you are in college. Would you want your future (or potential) employer to read this story or see these pictures?
Everyone’s limit will be different. Some people will have no problem blogging about every aspect of their life and that is ok too. I have one ultimate test that I use,
When in doubt, leave it out.
Where do you draw the line for how much information is too much when blogging?
Recent Comments