I was surprised to find I had two comments on my previous post when I logged in tonight. Surprised because I hadn't told a single soul that I was blogging again. And yet two friends found me.
Apparently I was found through something called a site meter. Right now, I have no idea what that means. Amanda Ashby was checking her site meter, saw my site listed and followed the link. Sara Hantz says it's like big brother.
Big brother is one of the reasons I'm blogging under an assumed name. Previously, all anyone who knew me had to do was type my name into goggle and my blog and website was right at the top of the results. I'm told that's because I blogged so often that google liked me. While this was good when I was blogged about writing things, it wasn't so good when I was moaning about work things.
Blogging about work - even anonymously - is dangerous. Just this week I read about a London woman living in Paris who was fired when her employer found out she had a blog. She never used her name on her blog.
I suspect her site stats have gone through the roof in recent weeks as the world has been reading about her plight in newspapers, online news sites and now on blogs. I've been there - her site is http://www.petiteanglaise.com - and I'll be going back when I have time to read more about her life because what I've read so far was dammed funny!
This is how she describes herself: "After living 'in sin' for 8 years, I left my partner for a man I met on my blog. I now live alone with my daughter Tadpole; her daddy, Mr Frog, lives nearby."
One post I read - prior to her leaving Mr Frog - talks about the funny moments they shared as they stumbled through the language barrier. One thing I recall in particular was her description of a telephone conversation Mr Frog had with her mother. Her mother had called to ask what Mr Frog would like for his birthday. Handcuffs, he replied. He meant cuff links! Imagine trying to explain that one to your mother!
Another site I've visited in the last week outside of my usual writing loop is http://belledejour-uk.blogspot.com - diary of a London call girl. I went there after a conversation with my husband about something he calls "bliction". I think he described it as a blog that tells a fictional story in real time. Belle de Jour came into the conversation because nobody is really sure if the blog is real or not. Belle de Jour published a book last September which was basically her blog with more information added, so I'm told, and prior to publication, everyone thought Belle's identify would be revealed. There is another book out this September which details her life since the first book was published. Belle de Jour is still anonymous.
Even the BBC are blogging now. The Editors can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors. I particularly like the posts by Daniel Pearl, deputy editor of Newsnight. He recently wrote a big brother type "we're watching you" post which you can read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/07/were_watching_you.html. Hilarious! I can't comprehend that people who blog don't expect others to read it. I don't expect hundreds of people to be popping by here on a daily basis but I was constantly surprised by the searches that people did that brought them to my original blog. Then again, I did talk about so many different things!
I'd love to stay and chat more but the list of blogs I have to check each night is growing daily - and I still have to find time to study and write!
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