Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin StartTop Ten Things You Should Never Blog About…
By Anna Doll
I posted a request on my Facebook page asking for suggestions on this month’s blog post. Several people made suggestions, which I am going to use for posts later in the year (so be looking for that authentic, family tamale recipe, Tami!)
But this particular request struck my fancy. It took a while, but I think I’ve come up with a good top ten list of things you should NEVER blog about:
10. Your politics. Unless you plan to alienate a minimum of 50% of your readership, including your in-laws, you really need to stay away from this topic.
9. Your in-laws. Because even if you plan to tell a “cute” story that happened, in-laws will never take what you write on face value.
8. Your in-laws who are outlaws. No need in airing the dirty laundry, unless you’re using the opportunity to remove yourself from the Christmas card list—permanently.
7. Your dirty laundry. Literally as well as figuratively. Trust me, it’ll come back to haunt you. Blog posts have a half-life equivalent to that of radioactive isotopes.
6. Isotopes. Unless your readership is 90% GA Tech graduates, most of us don’t know diddley about isotopes.
5. Bo Diddley. The celebrated rhythm and blues performer from the 50s whose big hit was, strangely enough, Bo Diddley.
4. The 50s. Especially if your readership’s idea of an oldie is Madonna singing “Like a Virgin.”
3. Madonna. I mean, what’s the point? Pretty much everything you’d want to know, and a lot that you didn’t, has already been written.
2. Topics you’ve already written about. I know, I know, that’s a stretch, but I’m desperate here.
And the number one thing you shouldn’t blog about? Drum roll…please….
1. Top ten lists!
Do you have anything you’d add to the list? Any examples of simply horrid blog posts you wish someone hadn’t written?
Tags: Anna Doll, Bo Diddley, In-laws, Isotopes, Madonna, Politics, top 10 lists, top ten lists
About the author
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Anna Doll | Anna Doll is busy at work on her third novel--a romantic suspense set in New Mexico and Washington, D.C. The story has been percolating ever since she spent four years as a Senate staffer on Capitol Hill during the Watergate era. At the age of 12.
And you thought Monica Lewinsky was an anomaly? Hah! Not even close.
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July 13th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Whew…I’m safe. I’ll have to think of something you didn’t already mention, but politics is my number one pet peeve. Maybe co-workers, but in line with the in-laws. Make sure all names have been changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.
Great post! x♥x
July 13th, 2010 at 5:59 am
Well, that cuts out my posts for the rest of the year. Just kidding! Funny list, Anna. My relatives would make good post fodder, but just in case…. I’ll leave them out, LOL. Thanks for the morning chuckle.
July 13th, 2010 at 6:31 am
Anna – I love how you linked the blog points not to do. Very clever.
I would say my number one pet peeve and something that will turn me away from a blog permanently is anything negative about another person that is unwarranted. If it’s someone in the news who has done something awful (not just suspected but confirmed) and the topic has a point other than to run someone into the ground that’s free game, but negative attacks just turn me off. I don’t care how successful or well-known a blog is I will not go to blogs that have a reputation for being mean/nasty/attacking. We seem to live in an age where “my opinion counts and should be shared” regardless of the injury it causes. I just don’t buy into that.
And i agree with Noelle that you can share an incident as a discussion topic without exposing identities.
July 13th, 2010 at 7:38 am
I agree with the politics and you could also throw in religion. I do use my relatives in posts but I read it to them before I’d ever include it. Changing the names to protect the innocent or the guilty is also a good guideline.
I enjoyed your post.
Marilyn
July 13th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Okay, I’m guilty and Sandy better step up to the plate too! We’ve both blogged about family – our husbands. My husband calls it being blog-beaten
Seriously though, they knew and were okay with the serious making fun of them blog we produced.
But in-laws. No way. Even dead. Not happening.
Oh, and I’m with Dianna. No picking on people. Well, except our husbands, LOL!
July 13th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Great post–I have blogged about Darling Hubby, but only in the best of lights. I try to stay clear of controversial topics. I hope I’ve succeeded. We kind of need to extend your ideas to the Facebook and Twitter worlds as well.
July 13th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Too funny! I’m a sucker for continuity, and I give you an A+ on a perfectly crafted blog post about blog posts that shouldn’t be–how perfectly existential. (Existentialism being something else no one should ever blog about.)
July 13th, 2010 at 9:17 am
My mother reads my personal blog and told me to stop whinning. People don’t want to hear about how bad things are. I stopped, after all, my mother told me to. I try to stay up beat when I can.
July 13th, 2010 at 9:45 am
This is fun, Anna! I, too, love the way you segued into the next point by using the previous one.
It’s hard to come up with ideas NOT to blog about. I read a TON of blogs and they all range from one end of the spectrum to the other. There are a few that I skip whenever they get too deep for me. Some of those have to do with politics, while the majority deal with similar situations to what Dianna commented on, bashing. Oh, the other thing I skip over is bad book reviews. I know how much work went into it and have a hard time reading something that might trash it.
Great post idea, girl! Can’t wait to see that recipe. My husband and I tried our hands at making tamales and it was a LOT harder than I thought it would be.
See ya!
Tami
July 13th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Loved it Anna! I don’t blog about family. They do not read blogs but their kids do. No need to give the kids fodder to start a family war. I really enjoyed your list! Can’t wait for the tamale recipe
July 13th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Hi, Noelle,
Definitely need to change the names to protect the innocent! Co-workers…I agree. Just like family, you gotta live with them!
Thanks for stopping by!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Linsey,
Glad you enjoyed the post. It took a little longer trying to get the continuity, but it was fun.
See ya!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Diana,
I’m with you on negative blog posts. I’m of the opinion that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. The problem is that today all you have to have is a computer with internet access and you, too, can be famous in your own mind. You don’t even have to write well!
Hope all is well in your busy, busy life!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Marilyn,
I agree with religion…and relatives that know you’re writing about them should be okay. But I remember reading a post someone thought was funny about the in-laws that certain members of the in-laws did NOT like! I decided then not to go there!
Glad you enjoyed it! See you Saturday?
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Hey, Debbie!
You must be exhausted from yesterday’s blog post! Am waiting with baited breath to see if I won!
Now blog posts about husbands? Fair game, I say, especially if they are cool with it. You don’t want to say anything he could use against you in divorce court!
Have a great day!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Hi, Christine,
Agree about extending this to Facebook and Twitter accounts. My modus operandi? Think twice before clicking on “Post”. Once in writing, you can never get back!
Have a great day!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Sally,
Thank you so much for the A+! Coming from you, that means a lot! And thanks for the idea, BTW!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Susan,
I agree with your mom! Definitely no whining allowed. And staying upbeat, even if it’s not an upbeat subject. People like to be entertained, not browbeaten!
Have a great day!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Great blog, Anna! I don’t think I can add anything to the current list of blog topics not to do, but I agree that bashing turns me off, too. I have blogged about family, but I keep it upbeat and use humor.
July 13th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Excellent linkage!! I like how you strung each topic together like a well crafted chain.
I suppose another thing a blogger should never blog about is a bad breakup and why it transpired.
I read a post that an old high school friend had written recently (I found the blog by accident and thought, hmm, wonder what this is all about).
Well, I should have passed it up because it was about this particular person’s signifigant other’s desire to wear red, lace bikini panties during, ummm…nightly relations.
Only the wearer was a man (nothing wrong with that, he’s allowed to wear ladies underwear in the privacy of the bedroom of course)
But I don’t imagine he wanted the world to know about it. I remembered him from high school too. He was our star quarter back.
Wonder how he felt about his ex’s desire to get back at him for a nasty breakup?
Pretty bad huh?
Moral of the story, never, ever name names.
Great post Anna!!
Have a wonderful morning!!!
Tamara
July 13th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Tami,
Yes! Bad book reviews! I hate them. Better no book review than a bad one! And bashing. Do not like bashing!
I’m thinking we need a holiday tamale-making get-together. Because the best tamales are made with lots of hands and plenty of margaritas!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Maxine,
Glad you liked the post! Looks like that tamale-making workshop needs to be put in the works for this fall. They’re definitely an art form!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Hi, Maureen,
Thanks for stopping by. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you! I agree that humor can help “soften” a post…making it appropriate.
Thanks!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 11:29 am
Oh, my gosh, Tamara! I can’t believe that someone would be so crass, unless she really wanted to get back at the guy.
Yeah. That would do it. I don’t suppose she thinks there’s any chance of reconciliation?
Nah.
Thanks for stopping by!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Love it, love it! Your post was well-crafted, your guidelines excellent. Now, WHEN is that tamale-making workshop??
July 13th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Hey, Pam!
Definitely going to do one in the fall. I’ve been threatening to do one since we moved her 13 years ago! It’s a lot more fun making tamales with a group. Each person is a specialist in her area, so it makes for a much quicker process.
I’ll post an invite!
Thanks for stopping by.
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Fun post today, Anna,
I totally agree with you…and yes, Debbie, I’ll step up to the plate and admit I blogged about hubby, but got his okay first. (g)
As to family…well, my next blog date Aug 6th is a family post, just NO BASHING!
Although friends and family make good fodder, I agree that we have to not tell the embarrassing stuff, just the complimentary, uplifting things like weddings (loved your post a while back, Anna) and baby…sigh…always love the cute baby stuff, but that’s the grandma in me.
Thanks for a fun read.
Sandy
July 13th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Hey, what’s this about a tamale-making workshop?
I want in!!
Oh, and Anna, can I use you for a minute?
I wanted to translate, Nightmare island or City of Nightmares from English into Spanish. I ran those both through an online translator, but I’m trying to get it right. I’m not sure if what they gave me is too formal or not.
Do you mind giving it a whirl?
You helped me once with my demon island book a long time ago and you gave me a great Spanish name for the battered Old California island they live on…but I can’t recall what it was.
Hope I’m not being a ninny asking you like this on the blog.
If you can help, thanks so much!!
Tamara
July 13th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Hey, Sandy,
I love to talk about family, too, especially those lovely grandchildren…I’m expecting another one in August and you can bet your sweet patooty I’ll be blogging about that!
Can’t wait for your August 6th post…!
Anna
July 13th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Tamara,
I can’t remember, either! I’m checking with a couple of friends… What Carol suggested is what I would use as a translation, but I don’t think it’s a direct translation that you need…will get back with you offblog…(did I just coin a new word?) lol…
July 13th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Thanks!!
T