What Concerns Me About Blogs

I really do love blogs. I blogged religiously in high school; it was one of three hobbies I had and I took it super seriously. While I didn’t really pay much attention to blogs while I was in college (because I was a workaholic- literally! The only way I could fall asleep at night was from passing out while studying), I got back into the habit of following blogs after graduation. I have always loved learning information from real stories told by real people. It’s a pretty cool thing to be a blogger because you can feel like a knowledgeable best friend to so many people…

Which is where my concern lies. People who blog don’t have to be experts, or have even worked in the field they’re commenting on, and yet they can reach a lot of people and disperse information (or perhaps opinion) to people who trust them. Of course, that’s why bloggers have disclaimers on their posts, but those few little sentences don’t change how most people consume the opinion they read.

Here’s an example: The last house I lived in had a serious mold problem. I’m still working on detoxification from the mold exposure I experienced in that house. Not knowing that mold can wreck your health in so many ways, I simply googled “how to get rid of mold” and followed the advice of the first blog post I read. And the mold did go away… for a few weeks. You see, the advice I needed was really, “Call a professional to evaluate the situation, figure out why the mold is growing, and check your health.” Unfortunately, that sort of advice doesn’t exactly make a great blog post, and even more unfortunate is that there were several posts just like this with DIY mold removing concoctions and advice about using bleach. No, no, no, no, and NO! Mold is no joke; it’s not something to spray with vinegar and wipe up in half an hour. It releases spores in removal that can head right into your body and attack your immune system. I’ve consulted with and read articles written by mold remediation experts, and the message is the same: Don’t. Touch. The. Mold. But that information isn’t getting circulated.

I propose that you take an active role in what you consume from blogs. Instead of being a “follower”, be a deliberate enjoyer of blogs and dig a little deeper than surface level before you let the information from a blogger make a shift in how you move through the world.

That said, here’s my commitment to you: Anything I share will be as well-researched and factual as I understand it to be, and I will spend time updating my work as I learn more. My focus is getting you information and ideas that make you pause and think, and re-envision yourself and your relationships. My goal is to help you show up as you really want to deep down because a whole community of people showing up with intentionality will undoubtedly change the world.

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