As I traverse the blogosphere, I have noticed that a number of my sister and brother posters have what might be called, without any criticism intended, a "schtick."
Some primarily write about relationships. Others hone in on what it is like to seek love, sex and marriage from the perspective of a suburban dad or a rural single mother. Some blog as a sidebar while working on a book or as an athlete or a professor... and others use blogging as a way to highlight a cause that they believe in.
It's hard to tell who they really are when they aren't posting, of course.
Actually, it's harder in some cases -- the closer one is to being a professional writer, the easier it sometimes is to hide behind the words.
But rarely do they seem to shift personas and lenses with the predictable unpredictability you will find on this page.
If you were being charitable, you could see that I am writer who has a fondness for viewing personal and political issues from many perspectives.
If you didn't want to cut me a lot of slack, you could also say that I'm undisciplined, and perhaps a little unfocused, a flighty flitter.
I have a serious side -- the punditista, the world events commentator, the progeny of eggheads aye unto the tenth or so generation. The fact that I'm ordained gives me a bit more gravitas (anyone want to barf yet?)
And then there is the aspiring pop culture vixen. Slightly cheeky, she's provocative, clued in, and interested in helping you become, well, more authentically you.
I've seen lots of blog writers who pan with a pretty wide lens -- but not a lot who so publicly play out this conflict in front of their reader.
Questions for my fellow bloggers and readers in general:
* If you are a blogger: do you have a particular virtual persona (and if you decide to answer this, please try to be as candid as possible)?
* How close is it who you are when you are offstage?
*Do you ever wonder what bloggers are like in "realtime?"
Or are you as changeable as a storm, a dust cloud, shadows and sunlight?
