JUNE 2014
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online discussion can be a precarious business. Privacy is a constant concern for mummy bloggers - most don’t share names or any specific details about their children. Julie Miller, a Sydney mum who wrote articles for big name bloggers as a speech therapist, made
her blog private once she found the content becoming “more personal”. “I wanted to protect my family and not second guess myself all the time, thinking is someone going to figure out where I live? Is this going to be embarrassing for my kids in the future?” she says. Balancing online time with other responsibilities is another issue. While people vary on whether they see blogging as ministry (Newman feels it’s an area of ministry God has given to her; Kemp views it more as a hobby), most implement restrictions such as blogging only when kids are asleep, limiting time spent responding to Facebook comments and only writing posts on certain nights of the week. Far more difficult, says Berriman, is dealing with negative comments, even
though readers are fairly respectful. “My insecurity is the hardest part. I invest a lot into my blog and for someone to hate it, pull it apart or not even read it…you’re really putting yourself out there and I guess I get scared I might say the wrong thing,” she says. Starling battles similar thoughts. “When I first started blogging, I noticed that I’d get really down if no
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one commented on a post, and I’d get a real high when I wrote a post that got lots of attention. This is all pride.” Their words are honest and raw, which is precisely what makes blogging so powerful. Amongst the online chatter, we see glimpses of a real Christian life, with all its frailties and triumphs. Now that’s a conversation worth joining.