Those who favor a personal approach to doing business are often inclined to overshare certain things about themselves in the name of transparency and good intentions. But the question is, where should you draw the line and where to go all out?
Transparency is a welcome sight in this world
Let’s get one thing straight – this world needs more transparency, authenticity, and good intentions. We’re all in favor of that. And where else to be yourself than on your personal blog? Your readers can feel it; when talking about a personal experience, for example, outlining every detail about how it made you feel makes it easier for your readers to connect with you on an emotional level.
If you’re capable of writing with this in mind, building a community of like-minded people won’t take long. When you’re working on establishing a personal brand, that’s exactly what you need. At the end of the day, most people prefer taking their business to a warm-hearted human being that actually cares rather than a faceless corporate entity.
When can oversharing become dangerous?
As you’re laying it all out on the table, it’s easy to get carried away and expose yourself in ways that could end up coming back to bite you. Examples include talking about a health condition, sharing financial statements, exposing trade secrets and breaching an NDA you’ve signed, incriminating yourself, and similar.
Even if it’s just talking about a personal matter, it wouldn’t be the first time that someone has gotten bullied because of it. These cyber bullies could potentially stalk you for years, showering your Facebook (News - Alert) wall with inappropriate comments and poking fun at you every chance they get.
If you’re talking about how a boss or a coworker mistreated you, they could potentially sue you for defamation, even if you’re not making things up. In other cases, you could face some form of physical retaliation if you’re dealing with someone who has absolutely zero restraints.
The middle ground
With all that being said, where is that middle ground between a commitment to personal values and navigating the potentially dangerous seas of the digital world? The answers are far from simple and you’re going to need to exercise a fair amount of judgment on your end.
To simplify it for the sake of giving you a takeaway, let’s just say that being open about how you feel is all fine as well as long as you keep the above-mentioned pitfalls in mind. Whenever there’s something that could potentially be weaponized and used against you, please refrain from talking about it – it makes life easier.
In case you’ve slipped up and later on decided to retract something you’ve said, there are certain options at your disposal. As soon as you edit or perhaps even unpublish the blog post, note that Google (News - Alert) can remove your name from its search results and even a piece of content that you’ve authored and no longer wish for it to appear in the search engines.
You can review this comprehensive guide to get a greater understanding of the process of removing your name and other sensitive information from Google Search.
Conclusion
At the same time, despite all the bumps on the road, know that your authenticity is appreciated and valued! If we lived in a world with a bit less toxicity in it, you probably wouldn’t even have to exercise that much caution in regard to what you post on your personal blog. Alas, sometimes we have to get by with the jungle that’s out there, and those who are willing to adapt are often those who survive.
