What to Share and What not to Share on your Blog

Blogging is something I’ve been doing now for over 7 years. I’ve seen the evolution of blogging throughout this time… I remember when nobody was even calling it a “blog.” I’ve seen tons of bloggers emerge and just create incredible content. Blogging really has become mainstream and I can’t believe I’m FINALLY saying that out loud.

If you’re an avid Mom Generations reader (which I hope you are!), you know that I do share quite a but about myself. I really don’t hold back, but that doesn’t always have to be the same case for everyone. There are definitely things I do and you don’t want to share publicly… and it really does come down to a personal decision for different people.

So what about your blog? What should and shouldn’t you share?

What to Share and What not to Share on your Blog

Truth be told, I’m naturally the kind of person that shares way too much about myself, but my husband is the polar opposite. I’ll never forget when I blogged about wanting a 5th baby and it was complete news to my husband! Believe me, when I started out, he wasn’t comfortable with me even using the boys’ names on my blog!

So what to share? And what not to?

My advice for bloggers starting out (or for those who still wonder) about what you should and shouldn’t share on your blog is this:

1. When you hit publish, it’s live
Realize that once a blog is published, anyone can read it. Anybody. The people you like. The people you don’t like. The people you know. The people you don’t know. If you’re going to be sharing details or information about friends or colleagues or your family, make sure you ask their permission before you put it all out there. You don’t want to hurt or surprise anyone with things they don’t want shared. My brothers aren’t in the social media world, so whenever I post photos or stories about them or my nieces and nephews, I always ask them first if it’s OK.

2. Intimate details
Ahhh… yes, the juicy details of your life. I’ve never gone there. My “ahem” personal life is my own business. Let’s face it, the juicier you write, the potential more traffic you’re going to get, but keep in mind that it may not be the readership that you want. Not to mention, if you’re positioning your blog as a “mom blog,” you may not be that attractive to brands and companies if you’re blogging certain intimate details. And believe me, that might go for swearing on your blog, too. Keep it clean and keep it family-friendly if you’re a parent blogger.

3. Watch the photos you share!
We all want to post cute photos of our children. It’s just that you need to be careful what you post. This is a true story. One of my good blogging friends posted an innocent photo of her kids during tub time. She was horrified to find out that someone had come to her blog searching the words “kids taking tub.” It was a tough and difficult lesson for her to learn, and she took the photo down immediately. Sharing information online is completely different than just sharing something between friends, so please make sure you’re careful. Again, you never know who is reading… and that can be a scary thing.

4. Personal details
Stay away from sharing information about your child’s school, your street address, the sporting team your child plays on, etc. It’s not necessary to share all information like that on your blog. You can still be compelling and be a well-known mom blogger by not sharing such personal information. Be guarded with those details.

5. Comment time
The part we all love and the part we all sometimes hate. I know this seems silly, but it’s true. Not everyone will share your views and opinions and agree with what you’re putting on your blog. There may be a time when you get a really rude comment. Just keep chanting this in your head, “Haters are going to hate.” As much as you might try to come back with a comment or talk it out, there’s just some people who just don’t want to hear it. But I promise, the good comments always out weigh the bad ones!