Many years ago, if we wanted an outlet for our innermost thoughts and feelings, we bought a diary.  We kept it in a safe place where no one could find it.  When we were happy, angry, upset, or just bored, we got it out and put pen to paper.  We got what we were feeling off our chests in a safe and harmless way.

Today, when most of us have something to say, we blog.  To most personal bloggers it’s pretty much the same concept as the antiquated diary, but there is a very important difference:  Other people can easily read your blog.

It’s easy to forget that there are people out there reading your blog, especially if you don’t get a lot of comments.  But in most cases, there are.  Even if you don’t tell those close to you that you have a blog, they could stumble upon it or hear about it from someone else.  So keep in mind that anything you write on your blog could come back to haunt you one day.  Here are some tips to help you minimize the risk:

• If you have something to say to someone, say it to him before you tell the rest of the world.  For example, let’s say you had a huge fight with your husband.  Running to the computer and blogging about it right away may not be the best course of action.  Give yourself (and him) time to cool off, then try to discuss the matter rationally.  Then if you still want to blog about it, at least there is a better chance that you will do so tactfully.

• Drafts are your friends.  If you have to let off some steam and blogging seems the best way to do it, go right ahead.  Just save your post as a draft instead of publishing it right away.  Go back to it when you’re calmer and then decide whether it should be published.

• Remember that although you can delete posts, there is always the possibility that someone will see them before you delete them.  What if the guy who you got promoted ahead of at a job you had a couple of years ago sees the post, and he decides that he needs some revenge?  He could take a screenshot and send it to someone whose eyes it was not intended for, and that could cause problems for you.

• If you’re blogging mainly for the purpose of venting about your personal life, consider keeping your blog private.  Some blogging platforms allow you to prevent everyone except registered users from accessing your blog, and you can make sure that you’re the only registered user.  If you really want the world to know about your frustrations, keep your blog public and write anonymously or under a pen or screen name.

As a blogger, it can be tempting to tell the world about all our problems.  But doing so can cause more problems if those close to us read our words, especially when they know that others have read them as well.  When in doubt about whether or not you should write something, consider whether you would go on TV or the radio and say it.  That should put things into perspective. For more information about protecting your family while blogging, check out this article.