Putting one's writing 'out there' for anyone to see is something that's a bit scary.  It leaves one open to criticism and judgement.  But, it's something anyone who creates anything, in any form, just has to come to terms with.  If we all sat around wondering if we were good enough to express our thoughts publicly, how would anything ever get done?  If we never take any risks, how do we grow and learn?  

Still, it's a scary thing to do.  But in any media, whether it's the internet, print media, TV or radio, there's such a lot of low quality content out there, that it's easy to think "I can do better than that".  And of course, that's the beauty of blogging - there is often no publisher to please, so the quality of the content gets better (well, it can potentially do so).

I was watching a re-run of Parkinson the other night, and was interested in Ben Elton's comments about personal privacy.  He'd written a new novel based on a TV show called the X-factor (I haven't seen it, but I gather is was a talent contest).  He was concerned about the desire for fame at any cost, particularly among young people.  Reference was made of course to Jerry Springer, and to a British politician who apparently damaged his career by expressing his opinions too freely.

Being about to embark on a blog, and feeling a bit nervous about it, this got me thinking about what and how much it is appropriate or wise to reveal about oneself in public.  We're always hearing about people being misquoted or quoted out of context in the media, and seeing people 'stick their foot in it' on TV and so forth, and being careful to avoid any potential future embarrassment would seem like a good idea.

On the other hand, the things people say and write that I find most interesting to hear or read myself, have a strong personal element to them.  Same with biographies - the more personal and revealing they are, the more interesting. 

Read more: Personal Privacy