Blogging Responsibly - It's Personal

Sometimes I forget that when I blog it's visible to more than just my fellow bloggers. And then something happens, like a friend or family member bringing up something I blogged about. For me, the wake up call to really pay attention to what I was posting if it had to do with a real life topic, such as a historical incident, were blog comments from people that weren't bloggers, but someone who had a personal connection to something I'd posted about.

Natalie Wood
By unknown photographer (ebay)
[Public domain],
 via Wikimedia Commons

You see, my topics for the 2012 A-to-Z Challenge and the 2013 A-to-Z were The Wild West and History's Mysteries, respectively. Several of my posts during those challenges caught the eyes of people who knew more about the topics than I did. One was a post about the mystery behind Natalie Wood's death. I heard from someone who had written a book about her death, and had worked with the captain of the ship they'd been on when she died. The post that drew the most attention, though, had to do with the outlaw Clay Allison. Oddly, he's someone I find few people have heard of, yet the tales of his outlaw days cause Billy the Kid to pale in comparison. I find him fascinating, and I had a lot of fun writing the post about him. 

Bearing in mind, of course, that this was during the A-to-Z, so research time wasn't what it might have been for a regular once per week post, I spent a few hours reading up on Clay Allison. There were some fantastic tales about his escapades, but what got skirted over in the information I found was the reasons behind what he'd done and how he'd become an outlaw. And a good percentage of the information out there was likely false, stuff made up in the publications of the day. 

Photo of Clay Allison courtesy of Find a Grave member John "J-Cat" Griffith

I was in it for fun, though, and posted the various tales and information. I hope that there were folks who did research on their own after reading about him, those whose interest was piqued by hearing his tales. But at the same time, I perpetuated the myths that were out there, too. And a few of his descendants contacted me in the blog comments. They were nice guys, no flaming or accusations, and they thanked me for bringing him back into people's awareness. But their comments reminded me that I was posting about real people, people who had family or acquaintances who were still around. Yes, I'm sure they're accustomed to reading the stuff that's out there, and I even got a book recommendation out of it so I can get more information on a subject that interests me. And I'm not going to lie. I'm enough of a wild west buff that I geeked out internally about being contacted by his descendants. But a subject I enjoyed reading and writing about was personal history to them, not just a story.

So my reminder to you is the same as the reminder to me: When you're posting away, thinking this is just a blog, not a newspaper or novel, remember that there's always someone out there for whom the subject could be personal.

Have you been contacted by someone with personal ties to a subject you've blogged about? How did it go? Are you aware of Clay Allison? Who do you think was responsible for Natalie Wood's death? 

May you find your Muse.

Multiple Blogs: Worth It?

Having a blog is fun, but it's also work. You have to try to keep up with your own schedule, find the time to write your posts, think of content, search for images and do research when necessary. You also must find the time to do your own blog surfing, visiting the blogs you enjoy reading, including those who have been nice enough to visit you.

I've been considering starting a second blog for awhile. It would have nothing to do with writing. Instead, it would talk about Colorado, both history and tourism, so to speak.

I like exploring and discovering the state I live in, and I've gained a new appreciation for Colorado since opening myself up to learning more about the area. This new love of my home really began when I was constantly faced with possibly having to move either out of state or out of country for my husband's job. While we've managed to stay here for this long, the message has been received that some day it might not be the best thing for us, and we'll have to consider moving. If that day comes, I want to be able to leave without the regret of knowing that I missed out on so many opportunities that I had constant access to. Unfortunately, I know that feeling well, as that's how I feel when I consider the year I lived in Oregon as an adult without exploring anywhere, because I was always working.

As it is, you get little tastes of my fascination with Colorado on [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday and occasionally other days, such as when I go on a "field trip." So why not make it permanent in another forum?

I look at those of you who have multiple blogs, though, and I wonder how exactly you do it while keeping up with the rest of your life. Are you able to keep up with writing, housekeeping, parenting, jobs and anything else you have to do? Is it stressful? Is it worth the stress? Do you regret making the decision to start a new blog?

I suspect I need to look at how often those of you with multiple blogs post on each. Whether you criss cross days or have specific days you post to each blog. Whether you ever share content between the two.

Those questions I can look at on my own, but I'd love to hear feedback and advice from those of you that have already ventured into this multi-blog world. Do each of your blogs address the same audience or different ones? What other advice might you offer someone pondering a second blog?

May you find your Muse.