Monday, October 10, 2011

Tall Tales


The first blog I ever came across was one of those with like 3million followers and sponsored ads in the side bars. This was last winter when I was first contemplating starting my own. Pretty intimidating! Her posts are always about her family life, and they are always pretty humorous. That's what drew me in initially. As I followed along with the half of the planet though, I liked it less and less. I couldn't put a finger on why.
Then it hit me. I don't believe her! I feel as if her posts are BASED ON her family, but spun to be funnier that what really happened. Maybe "this" did happen, but "this next thing" is completely fabricated to get a response.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, really. And maybe her kids really are that crazy, who knows. I just feel that they aren't completely genuine, and it rubs me the wrong way. Have you ever read a blog that felt that way to you?

12 comments:

  1. Yes, definitely. Its weird because you can't really prove it, but it certainly does keep you entertained!

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  2. oh yea i have come across a few and they seemed really fake, then had the nerve to say i WAS OUT OF CONTROL FOR HER w/e unfollow me lol

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  3. LOL SoCal I don't even bother commenting. I don't know why I even visit anymore but I can't help myself.

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  4. You know, I started blogging a year ago, and a lot of blogs came up on forums for blog promotion where people would try to discredit blogs as being ingenuine- like, how they would repost pictures instead of take new ones or that they she was changing the photos to be more intensely colored or that since she had changed her mind about something specific that she had disagreed with months ago because she had learned some new information, she was a hypocrite. Generally, i saw those people as petty, jealous and insecure. And it turned me off to groups like that for a good while. If I got successful, I didn't want people to think up ways that I was no good. Especially if they weren't there.

    I will admit that I exaggerate. You know, stuff like "THIS SPIDER WAS FREAKING HUGE!!!" when really it was "this spider was kind of big, and I called my husband to kill it." And when we blog, we are granted SOME creative liberties. The difference between a good story teller and a not-so-good one is the detail they supply and how well it's put across. 100% truth is rarely interesting, funny, or colorful. If you feel that a blogger you read is not quite honest, you have 2 choices- you can be offended and not read, or you can decide that that is her writing style. True or not, it's funny, you enjoy it, read it.

    As always, I love the blog!

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  5. Idk...really don't pay attention too much to whether the story rings true or not. I guess because a. I don't know the person on a personal level, b. Their stories don't effect me one way or the other ( I'll still be able to pay my bills), and c. A blog is similar to a diary, free to write what you want as long as its not slander.

    If the blog is interesting I'm hooked. As long as the person isn't vicious,vindictive or foul in their blog posts write whatever floats your boat. Just saying...

    Sonya M. Jones
    Tee-iabo Designs

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  6. I completely agree with you. Sometimes there are ones who aren't genuiune about what they write and there are ones who are, but its hard to tell.

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  7. I guess a lot of people get into blogging for the wrong reasons or they got lost along the way.

    Its a fine line. I find that i stick to things i like and appreciate, things that matter. This seems to work. most of all like you said you have to keep it real.

    Excellent posts!!!

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  8. I definitely appreciate what you are saying. I read one recently and as funny as it was I kind of thought, hmm, how much of that was made up.

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  9. Ah, I can see what you are saying, but we all do it - whether in life or in blogging. Even if it's just a little. In one of my last classes the teacher used this quote from Sylvia Plath, "And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” It quickly became one of my favorites. Sometimes, you have to improvise to make things worth reading. I don't think I would ever make it a constant thing though - and I think mothers of young kids probably have a lot of funny and crazy things to write about without having to spice it up too much. :o)

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  10. I swear I know which big blog you're talking about and I know what you mean. I am a sucker for a funny story though so if it makes me laugh, I guess I don't really care but I would prefer reading a blog with a genuine author. Anyhoo, new follower via the October Bloggy Moms hop. Love your blog!

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  11. Thanks for stopping by my blog, i really appreciate. I'm just loving your blog post. But do you know i have seen worst than this and it makes me wonder. I'm glad you figured out the real thing happening over there. Newest GFC follower.

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  12. I totally know what you mean! I follow some of the more well known bloggers that have lots of followers, but I don't actually visit them as often as I used to. Yes, they're entertaining and have gorgeous photos, but I blog for the connection with other bloggers and my readers. So, I'd rather spend my time reading and commenting on bloggers that reciprocate, you know what I mean?

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