Transparent blogging is one of the most powerful tools a blogger has at their disposal to create a connection with their readers. I like to call it the “welcome mat” or the “welcome committee” of your blog.  When used correctly, it creates an atmosphere that invites readers to pull up a chair, have a cup of tea and sit-back and journey with you as you lead the way.

Why Transparent Blogging is Important

For blogger newbies like myself, the online community can seem like a vast abyss of nameless faces and voices. Think back to your first day of school. Remember how big and overwhelming everything seemed? But as soon as you found a friend (a person to connect with, a person you could relate too) school wasn’t such a scary place to be. Transparent blogging functions much the same way.

It gives your audience the opportunity to connect with you in a way that has meaning. In essence, it allows readers to find value in your blog’s voice.

How is Transparent Blogging Defined?

When non-bloggers discover I’m a blogger, it’s almost always followed up with utter disbelief.  Right away, it’s presumed that I “shamelessly tell all my business for the whole world to read.”  To help my non-blogger friends have a better understanding of blogging, I sought out a simple definition:

Transparent: free from pretense or deceit; readily understood

Blogging: a website that contains an online journal with reflections, comments, and hyperlinks

In short, transparent blogging consist of writings or reflections on a website that can be readily understood and is free from pretense or deceit.

Transparent Blogging vs. Too Much Information

There is a difference between transparent blogging and what my father calls “diarrhea of the mouth.”

The same way most of us find it annoying, and difficult, to listen to others who drone on, and on, and on about things we have no interest in, is the same readers tend to feel about bloggers who provide too much information. Contrary to popular belief, more isn’t always better.

Transparent blogging  allows us–bloggers–to share relevant topics and information with our readers without pretense or deceit.  It does not constitute a lack of discretion or an “all access pass” to the private details of our lives. It does however, allows others to connect with us in an intimate way that brings value and meaning to the blogger and the reader.