I wrote this a while ago as part of a suggestion to a friend who wanted to start a personal blog but was having mixed feelings about format. If the blog was meant to be personal should he include a lot of extra detail to give context as to what was happening in his day-to-day life? My opinion was that you could never fill people in entirely even if you wrote a autobiography so not become too concerned with the length or amount of detail in your “about me” page, or even in your posts, unless it’s pertinent to your point.
Why try and bring everyone up to date as you begin your blog? Let the details come out as you go and they will establish the setting entirely. Involve the reader in small interesting things that are of you and your life, that are enough in themselves to create interest in your site. Otherwise you risk getting to heavy-handed and pretentious over presentation. Trust that you and your take on things are interesting enough to carry your writing and your site.
This applies to the abstract thread that runs through blog posts as well as the “real life” elements that you include also.
As to style: should your imagined or intended audience to find your approach and your tone? You count too many different approaches and sensibilities in your friends and acquaintances to really write “for” anyone but yourself. You haven’t the slightest idea who will run across your blog anyway. To proceed in the most honest way possible, knowing that you will defy the interest of some people, is your only option.
What do I write when I’m not answering an e-mail? What do I think when I’m alone thinking? I suppose that’s what goes in a blog. Responses to no one. Other people and small incidents will draw you out as you share them, but in my opinion the best personal blogs and the best writing is that in which those things are secondary to your own small, honest, original musings.
