One thing is for sure, having a blog has meant sharing more online. It isn’t a consequence that I forsaw when I started this here blog. But as I’ve gone through, and written 114 posts in 7 months, I find that I’m sharing more than I ever have before.

I’ve been on social media since before Facebook, and that was 2004. I was the sort of social media user who posted pictures of their lunch and alerted all of their 4 followers that they had arrived home from work. Fascinating stuff.

Still, I don’t think have ever been an oversharer. I tell people about my life, sure, but I’m not here all the time. You guys have no need to know what I had for lunch or when I stop working for the day. I have no interest in sharing many details about my family or love life. But there are some things I do share, and I find that those are often about experiences that I feel might help others. I guess help isn’t really the right word. I try to talk about things that others might relate to. Things like losing weight or making friends online.

I don’t think this is oversharing, though again, it’s more open about things than I have ever been before. When it comes to sharing info online, I feel we each need to know where the line is. How much is too much? For me, that line has moved since I started this blog, but it is still there.

What I don’t want, is to become one of those fools who does have to share everything with everybody. I think they might do this for some kind of community thrill, like the people they’re sharing with are their online “fam”, and that sharing is only reasonable. But lack of privacy is a big deal. We all need it in some form or fashion, and giving it all away isn’t healthy.

It’s all about balance, and ensuring you always feel comfortable with what you’re sharing. And it’s also about realizing that you really don’t have to share everything. Nobody is entitled to your entire life, even your online audience. It’s okay to keep some stuff private. Even if someone asks you, you can still say no. I have struggled with this on YouTube. People sometimes feel like they’re entitled to have opinions about my life, simply because I make videos for free. I have to realize that my time and my life is mine, and mine alone.

That’s the way it should be.

This was day 25 of Blaugust 2025