I’m writing this post at 4.30 in the morning. I couldn’t sleep and decided to check my Blackberry only to find one of my more personal and emotionally driven posts (I swore I wouldn’t post while upset or in a bad mood, but it happened) smack dab on the front of brazencareerist.com with a totally rude comment. Great.
First off, of ALL the blog posts I’ve written, this post about my “divorce” is the last one I want to appear on the front of Brazen Careerist. I even considered taking it down 20 minutes after I posted it because I figured a. no one cares, and b. it is probably unprofessional to get so personal on a career blog.
Lucky for me, this is the SECOND post in the past week which has appeared on the front page of Brazen with a rude comment that sort of irked me upon first glance. A few days ago, my post about helping women through Entrepreneurship faced some heat from an angry non-profit person. Oh boy.
I often go back and forth about the level of personal “sparkle” I add to my posts. Sometimes I write bland posts that are completely factual like “How is Your Credit Score Determined.” These are very important posts, but honestly- anyone can write them.
I admire the Penelope Trunks and Jen Lancasters of the world who can openly talk about their dating experiences, funny quirks and true opinions without a shred of guilt or holding back. It is their honesty and willingness to get personal that makes them two amazing bloggers who have gone on to become very successful by being authentic.
So although I understand that my bosses, clients and future employers can all read about my asshole x-boyfriend, and other personal opinions, I think I’m going to keep it real and be myself. Even if it means getting rude comments on the front page of Brazen. Being me is what’s going to set me apart from other bloggers and keep people entertained. It is also our bad experiences that teach us important lessons and those lessons should be shared.
If you aren’t willing to fall on your ass and laugh at yourself in front of everyone, what’s the point of living (or blogging for that matter), right?
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If anyone can relate to where you're at in your career, it's Nicole Crimaldi: Nicole spent 5 years in corporate America, switched career paths, worked at a start-up, survived a layoff and is now self-employed. Nicole believes that career satisfaction is a huge part of overall happiness. Therefore, she started Ms. Career Girl to help other women get off the treadmill and onto a more fulfilling path.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Nicole you are soo right! Don’t let anyone tell you that putting personal issues in your blog is somewhat “unprofessional” or wrong. Those are the same type of people who can’t deal with their own personal issues. You relate to women everywhere with those type of stories….and anyways we want to read YOUR stories on your blog, because we love YOU and how YOU write.
Agreed. As bloggers and promoters of social media, we all walk a fine line. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be interesting. That is part of the risk in being so visable. Hopefully, someone will learn from our life experiences or be touched in some personal way.
Jessica
@blogging4jobs
http://Www.bloggingforjobs.blogspot.com
Absolutely be yourself on your blog. There’s no other way to do it without diluting everything you stand for. People are going to criticize and be rude, especially on a fairly “anonymous” platform such as blogging. I know Penelope has been openly insulted on her blog and she always responds with that feisty grace that she’s known for.
You’re doing great, just keep at it and try not to let it get to you too much (I know that’s so much easier said than done, but every little thing you do to get past it is a major accomplishment). Remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Let the opposition make you think, then use those thoughts and conclusions to push forward.
~Teresa
@TransitionalTee
God forbid a woman post about taking care of herself and making smart decisions, or make a post about learning from her mistakes. Those guys had nothing constructive to say about your post, but instead decided to sling insults at you. “Oh, if I read your blog, I’d run in the other direction!” *claps* YAY, because who wants a man who is threatened by a woman who is smart and refuses to be someone’s doormat?
I thought your post was very informative and timely. Keep up the good work.
Hey Nicole,
I wanted to let you know I follow your blog pretty closely… I dont think the post was unprofessional at all. I dont think you were “guy bashing” or anything of the sort. You were giving your account of your situation and advice to other women out there. I was in the same situation as you not so long ago… and probably could have used the advice back then.
So I just wanted to say – Kepp it up! I think you’re doing a great job
Lindsay
I definitely think you’re blog post is something that women should hear, and be cautioned of. Its your personal life, so you can do with it what you choose, and that includes blogging.
LYLAS (we’re really sisters)
Ps. I love the pic of Rob. What a cute BF I have.
I am going to echo what everyone else has said on here. Even if you’ve helped 1000 people, that 1 person that has something negative to say is going to rain on your parade. I really think as hard as it is sometime, silence is the ultimate response. People that post nasty things just want to evoke a response from you, and acting like you could care less ensures they won’t post again. If everyone that you did help commented, I think you’d see that the “haters” are a tiny fraction of people who read your blog.
Keep up the good work Nicole
I thought you handled the negative comments admirably; it’s why I clicked through to your blog.
If you keep responding with such class to your detractors, you will do well. Best of luck.
I enjoy this site, it is worth me coming back
stunning blog
competitive intelligence
As a young woman, I found both posts to be educational and enlightening. There will always be hateful commenters who took an extra dose of keyboard courage. Don’t let it stop you!