Introverts who Blog - Epidemic Proportions?

Did you hear the one about the extrovert who became really shy and introverted when she blogged? Actually her posts were really short and she blushed while she typed.

I heard a podcast of a panel discussion from the 2008 BlogHer convention about introverts who blog, and when they blog their more extroverted side comes out in their writing. Cousins, identical cousins.... I'm coming out of the IWB (Introverts Who Blog) cyber-closet now. It cracks me up that this is by far the longest blog post I've ever written. :-)

I'm starting a new business and hear a lot about how you have to get out there, swallow hard and talk up your jewelry. It's something I'm passionate about at least. So how about personally? Do we become someone else when we blog? Do we talk about our personal lives as well? Does another part of ourselves come out? What was she doing in there all these years before we were blogging? Garrison Keillor wrote a nice piece on Shy Rights which appears in his book, Happy to Be Here.

Think of a party where you know no one or few people. If you're wearing a name-tag of some kind and told to m-m-mingle, that can be super-strenuous. Hand me a paper plate with some food in a group and expect me to walk around.... I hope you have a hungry dog in the room and I hope no one there has a video camera! [Make the most of it! You'll be remembered! I can hear them saying.]

I looked for information on the dreaded word, Mingle. To be all mixed up or jumbled together. But I hardly know these people! It is compared to the word, Mangle. Of course. I knew that word had dastardly undertones.

I'm married to an extrovert. If he walked into a room where there were 100 people he'd make friends with 99 of them. He's genuinely, enthusiastically interested in people from the get-go. The thing about introverts is that isn't really different with most of us. I'm fascinated by people, their stories, their hobbies. Everyone's experiences are so unique. I'd be interested to hear from other introverts about how you survive and manage these events. Are there other IWBs out there? Power to the Shies.