we blog therefore we are
WE BLOG
The importance of thinking before you post
REMEMBER THAT SHABBY DIARY you used to stash in your underwear drawer years ago? You know the one - filled with confessions of lust for Marcus in your English class, then Scotty from Biology and Leonardo Di Caprio, naturally! Now imagine the contents published online for all to see. Makes you cringe more than spotting a grown man wearing socks and sandals doesn't it? Funnily enough though, these days it seems to be the norm. Rather than bury their most intimate thoughts in an underwear drawer, many moody teenagers choose to blog publicly about them instead. And they might just be on to something. "Blogging is a great way for people to
show off and hone their skills, express themselves, and share information," says Dr Alice Boyes, a clinical psychologist and former psychology lecturer at the University of Sussex, who now runs a private practice in Christchurch. A blogger herself, Dr Boyes believes there is therapeutic value in opening up online. As the saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved, and blogging is doing just that for many people the world over. A Kiwi woman who can vouch for this is Jane Yee. Currently the Promotions Manager for
Universal Music, Jane is also a blogger, and an award-winning one at that. Her blog, The Girls' Guide, hosted by Stuff.co.nz, won the Best Blog title at the 2011 Canon Media Awards after four years of writing for the news site. "I was going through a bit of a rough
time," Jane says of the period when Stuff approached her. "I was looking for a
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