Being an Honest Blogger

Yesterday, I was reading some posts around the internet about bloggers not being “real”, completely “open”, or “honest”.  I put these in quotations because I think sometimes I just unintentionally leave things out.  If you know me in real life, you know that I am incapable of lying, but if I wrote every little detail of my life (especially eating habits and workouts), then my posts would get really long. 

Anyway, I read these articles after I had posted a picture of my lunch at Chipotle with a comment about carb loading for the half marathon this weekend:

IMG_20130422_111217

When I posted this, I thought nothing of it, but I didn’t mention that this was going to be multiple meals.  After reading those other articles about other bloggers, I though “Wow someone could think – ‘No wonder why she can’t lose weight!  Look at all that food she’s eating!  Doesn’t she know how many calories are in that?!’”  And I want to say yes, I do know.

ChipotleMeal_2013-04-22Click image to enlarge

So it was approximately 1350 calories.  Also, it lasted me the rest of the day.  I bought it at 11 AM and ate it for lunch 1, lunch 2, and dinner (I eat 4 meals a day typically).  With breakfast, my day wasn’t going so bad until I discovered some ice cream in the freezer.  Whoops.  (Full discloser here today!)

I guess what I am saying is that as bloggers, we can’t always include every little detail in our tweets, instagrams, Facebook updates, and posts.  It would be annoying and no one would read it.

On the other hand, I don’t think bloggers should be deceptive either.  Was I being deceptive not mentioning that my Chipotle was going to be 2-3 meals throughout the day and not one single lunch?  No, it didn’t even cross my mind, most of all because no one else knows what my daily caloric intake is – that is different for everyone.  The tricky part though is that healthy living bloggers can be looked at as role models, and there are some people out there who would might try to emulate them (I doubt there are any emulating me – I’m more talking about big, popular bloggers with large followings). 

So perhaps someone could think that I ate all of that food for one meal and come to a number of conclusions:

  1. Who cares what else she ate that day.  That looks good! (This was the reaction I was going for.)
  2. Did she eat all that in one sitting and THEN eat a normal dinner and lunch and snacks leading to like 3000000 calories for the day?! 
  3. Wow, if she’s trying to lose weight, she must not have eaten again that day.  Eating once a day is a terrible, unhealthy habit!

So you can see how it can be very tricky to please every reader and clarify every detail. 

I know that this one meal isn’t really a big concern, I’m just using it as an example of how something as simple as an Instagram of my lunch can turn into a circus.  Of course, I doubt there is anyone nitpicking my blog this much but I saw some of this in the posts I read yesterday.  Bloggers were trying to defend themselves, only to get attacked for being dishonest or sneaky.  I’m not saying they are all innocent, but I wonder where the cut off is between enough information to be accurate and entertaining verses too much information where you become annoying and boring.  What’s a blogger to do?

As far as my blog goes, I’m always honest, and I try my best to never be deceptive.  I might leave something out because I think it is boring but not because I’m trying to trick you.  Also, this blog is merely a snapshot into my life – it is not a full blown documentary.  You do not need to know every little bite I eat, every step I take, or every calorie I burn.  I might even change my mind about something occasionally but that is because I’m humane.  If you ever have a concern or question, just write in the comments!  That is what they are there for!  I just want you all to know that I’m doing my best!

Have you read a blog where you believe the author is hiding things on purpose or being blatantly contradictory?

If you write a blog, how do you handle mistakes or omissions that come to light later?  Did you think they were important details at the time?

9 thoughts on “Being an Honest Blogger

  1. I, like you, don’t typically include everything, because it’s boring. But I get frustrated when people thing I intentionally didn’t share something. I write the blog for myself. It’s not a brand or a business (those blogs are a different story/level). I started it for me, and yes, while I have worked with a few companies and products, it’s still for me. I share what I think needs shared.

    I think the issue I have w/ some bloggers not being totally honest or open are some of the bloggers who are trying really hard to brand themselves. They dive into review after review, loving everything (sure you CAN love everything, but I feel like that’s a blatent lie) and they do it to keep the reviews coming and brands happy.

    I don’t think something like you not mentioning how many calories you were eating for the day, or that in fact that was the rest of your day, is being deceptive, I think something like that happens all the time, and no one would think (or should think) anything about it!

  2. I definitely don’t hide anything except personal issues. But I have read SEVERAL blogs where they have been attacked for eating too much/not enough, *****ing too much/being too positive, …..it just goes on and on. luckily I haven’t had that,

    1. I think sometimes I can come off a bit super positive on my blog; I’m more likely to spout off a “this sucks” on twitter, but by the time I’m blogging I generally have processed it and am able to see the good, even in an unpleasant situation. I hate reading about people whining and being negative so I try not to do that on my blog. Bottom line it’s my blog and if people don’t like it they can move along. 🙂

      1. I made it a rule when I first started blogging to always try to be positive and I’ve done pretty well. Maybe I’m not always peppy but I never post a negative-Nelly blog! I agree, no one really wants to read whiney posts 🙂
        ~Ang

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