How radical are you? Or how flamboyant do you think you are? Would you rather maintain a low profile or are you prone to controversies? Are you flattered by praises or would you shy away from brickbats?

Stuff such as these do matter when you enter the blogging arena. There are folks who carry some of these and related characteristics to the extremes while there are others who tread a very careful line in expressing their thoughts. Which line would you subscribe to? And which one is the best approach?

It is normal for many bloggers, especially those in their beginning stages, to be unsure about the sort of approach that they would have to take in their unchartered path. While any blogger would acknowledge the importance of getting traffic to their website, many bloggers would be hesitant about the flip side of the concept – more traffic and more publicity could mean more controversy!

Typically, blogs do not have the constraints of other media who would have to show restraint on account of stake holder influences. A blog is an independent log of events and views that has its own rules. However, when Freedom of Expression crosses a socially accepted threshold and strays into the grey, there is a distinct possibility that things take their own course. The mildest form of repercussion could be comments that may not be fully appreciative of the content in question. Awkward questions may be asked, the blog may be bad-mouthed or deficiencies pointed out from any corner equipped with connectivity.

Despite the odds, it is quintessential that a blogger speak his heart out while maintaining a level head over his shoulders. Opinion needs to be unambiguous and unequivocal; a spade is a spade. Blog is a medium that expresses the multiple facets of life without having to sacrifice its essence of freedom. A blog does not have the typical constraints of a corporate medium subject to pulls and strings from different quarters. The concept of blog is very much equated with freedom of expression.

However, it is also the responsibility of the blogger to know what he says and be willing to face the consequences of his words. Having a blog does not confer one with the rights to blurt out anything under the sun without heeding to the sensitivities of the issue in question or to the sentiments of the audience. To express without constraints but within the limits of individual freedom is what would mark a blog apart.

Playing to the gallery is all fine; but it is also important to be candid and forthright in one’s opinion. Individualism and freedom come with their costs and restraints. Walking a fine line can be a rewarding act in the long run.