I would have to say one of the greatest tools to help me
live with HIV has been the ability to write and share my experience of how it is
to live with this disease. I never considered myself a blogger but as someone who
made public his insight. I think I wanted to feel less isolated with this
disease, but by blogging I found a way to express my feelings and create a
community of people who could either identify what I was going through or find
knowledge of how it was to live with HIV. When it comes to HIV I am now a believer
that finding a way to talk about your status whether it’s blogging, singing,
dancing or speaking; it will greatly aid the life you live. The term is called emotional expression and it simply
means releasing pent up emotions. Expressing ourselves has many healthy benefits
and leads you to a greater place of wellness and acceptance of you r HIV
status.
Blogging is a great way to communicate and it can combat the
feelings of isolation that often leads to depression. writing an online journal is defiantly different
than blogging as one is private and the other allows others to see your posting
and in some cases comment on them. There are several free sites on the net that
gives you to ability to blog. A good online search will reveal the choices but
as far as ease I would say the two best for beginners are Blogger.com and
WordPress. Whatever route one chooses they defiantly are beneficially.
So what and how do you start blogging? In answering that
question there are seven great ways to go about blogging and the following are
hopefully some useful tips that will get you started.
- Write what you know
When you’re writing the easiest way to
go about it is to write what you know about the disease. Telling your own
experience and how it has affected your life both good and bad will be more compelling.
Not to say you shouldn’t write about an unknown topic, but when your blog
starts to sound more like a research paper of something you don’t have a
personal connection with, people may not follow you for long. By focusing on what
you know your writing will be more real and probably make the reader feel that
they can relate. Also you’re in control of what you share. Some folks like me
reveal aspects of life that would be considered private. Others may give you a
glimpse but not be to revealing. It has to work for you and what you feel
comfortable in sharing. There are no rules and you control the content of your
writing.
- Try not to preach
It’s great to share your perspective on
HIV but in your sharing the best way to connect is not by preaching and judging
others on how they live with the virus. Although we have HIV we don’t approach
it the same way. We all have opinions but sometimes we don’t want to seem like
we’re on a higher horse when talking about our status. What works for me may
not work for others For instance someone may be into barebacking, having sex
without a condom, and although you may not agree with it, you can still state
your feelings without it feeling like a condemnation. There is a way to teach
without preaching. In the example I used you may want to first give your own
personal relationship to the subject and then provide factual information that
lets others decide if the information is useful. I think Madonna said it best, “Papa
don’t preach’
- With great power comes great responsibility
Okay I’ll admit that I stole this from
Spiderman but feels that it also applies to blogging. As a blogger you’re
providing a reader an insight into something that is unique. They may start to refer
to you as you write about HIV with authority. In that aspect you have to
realize that online blogging has a certain level of power where your words can
instantly become viral and reach many. The thing about hitting the send button after
writing a blog entry is that once it’s out there you can’t take it back. So
when writing and especially if it’s about information you obtained elsewhere,
you have to make sure it’s factual. I’ll run across news articles about HIV and
want to instantly share it, but you should do some researching and simple fact
check to see if what you’re about to put out there is factual. Earlier this
year I made the mistake of not fact checking and wrote a story on what I later
found out to be false information. Googling it I discovered that it was making
it way onto blogs but not on major news source. False information along with
misinforming the community can also contribute to a continued feeling of
stigma.
- Write for you
I think one of the biggest mistakes one
can make in their writing is trying to write something that everyone will like.
The truth is that some will gravitate to you based on your style while for
others it will have a null effect. Write something that you would like to read
or you’re passionate about. Your excitement will come out and people who can
relate to it will respond to it. You’ll also approach your writing with enthusiasm
as you discover your writing voice. The more you write the more you’ll discover
that your voice is unique and gives your blogging personality.
- Don’t write for comments
It’s always nice when people start to
respond to your post with comments telling you how they either liked or didn’t
like what you wrote. It feels good knowing that you’ve written something that
creates a conversation but realize that it’s not always the case. I learned in
my blogging that just because people don’t leave a comment doesn’t mean they
didn’t like what you had to say. I know for myself on certain HIV blog postings
people have approached me and told me how much they enjoyed it, even my family
has told me in person rather than leave a comment online. There are so many
reasons people don’t leave a comment so it shouldn’t discourage you from your
sharing. It also shouldn’t be your motivation.
- Edit, spell check and edit
Don’t let this one discourage you as not
all bloggers are English Majors. But having some grasp on vocabulary will not
only help you but the readers understand what you’re trying to say. You don’t
want your posts to be lost in translation because of incomplete sentences or
paragraphs that don’t make sense. Most will take forgive several misspelled
words but not a complete post filled. The best thing to do after you write and
before you send is to walk away from it for a few minutes. Come back to it and
read it aloud to see if it makes sense to you and if not make the necessary
changes. And yes I have been guilty of this so don’t come for me!
- You’re making a difference
By sharing your journey of living with
HIV you’re helping others who are living the same life you are. You’re making someone
feel less alone and giving others a different perspective on how to live with
HIV. I never set out to do that but it’s a humbling occurrence to hear from others
of how they thought they were the only one going through an experience and want
to thank you for sharing. And most importantly you’re making a difference in
your own life as blogging your HIV will enrich your life in ways you can’t
imagine.
See you online!
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