I've watched some of the recent JU drama from the sidelines. I don't want to jump in the middle of it as I can see something of each side's perspective, but I DO want to offer a little bit of advice that I hope EVERYONE can take from the table.

Blogs are a fairly new phenomenon for many of us. If you're in your mid thirties, as I am, chances are you haven't been involved with the internet for more than 1/3 of your lifespan, and for many of us possibly significantly less. During that time, even the internet has evolved, and, frankly, so have blogs (I feel that JU is an example of a "next generation" blog due to its interconnectedness, but that's an entirely tangentiaal discussion). Because of the newness and the novelty, there's a tendency to not consider boundaries when blogging our experiences online.

Most of the lasting hurts on the various JU blogsites have come about directly or indirectly because a person shared more information than they should have and gave an "edge" to those who viewed the person or their information in a less than favorable light. When the article was attacked or questioned, the person felt it to be a personal attack against them, even though it may or may not have been intended as such.

For writers, there's an old adage "Leave 'em wanting more". The idea is that if you intrigue the reader and draw them into your characters, they will begin to empathize with the characters and want to become more entwined with their lives. While you may be tempted to give them all of that superfluous information, it's wiser to give them what's essential to the plot, along with a "little bit" of color so that, rather than boring them with mundane details, you leave them with an appetite for what you've written.

What's good advice there is good advice here. While you may be tempted to include certain details of your life, you must keep in mind that your potential readership stretches into the hundreds of millions of people. While maybe only a few hundred will actually see what you've written, and then only if your blog is well marketed, the fact is, many, many times that number potentially COULD see it.

And, sad as this may be, not all of them are scrupulous.

Dealing with new technology, new concepts and such, always takes some adjustment time. While you may think of your blog as your diary, you must understand it is a diary with FAR more potential for misuse than any other. And your articles should reflect that.

But then, that's just my two cents.