PB124: Using “We” When You Mean “I” – Does it Matter?

Using We and I in Blogging Today we are talking about using the words we and I. This comes from a question from Sally. If you would like to join us on the Gold Coast in Australia for the ProBlogger Event, you have just under two weeks left to save $100 on your ticket. You can get all of the details on ProBloggerEvents.com. Note: this episode is also available on iTunes here. This question is from Sally (not her real name). Sally is just starting out blogging and doesn’t have a team. She has noticed some bloggers say “we” even though they don’t have a team. Is it better to use “we” or “I” when blogging. In Today’s Episode Using We and I When Blogging and Does It Matter I’m sure a lot of bloggers can relate to this question. I know I’ve slipped into the “we” in the early days of my blogs because they kind of slid into being a collaborative thing I wasn’t trying to project I was bigger than I was, it was more of the collaborative nature In time, I had regular guest writers and a forum moderator, so I guess the “we” became more justified After I started hiring more people it definitely became a “we” I struggle with the flip side of this sometimes, I use “I” on my blog when I have a collaborative team working on the site and helping out I think it is a good idea to be as transparent as possible Using “I” can make you more relatable to your audience and show that you are just like them There will come a time when the “I” becomes a “we”, this isn’t a clear cut process and the transition may be muddled Stay transparent, and share your journey. Don’t worry too much if the lines become muddled. Full Transcript Expand to view full transcript Compress to smaller transcript view Darren: Hi there, it's Darren from ProBlogger. I'd like to welcome you to Episode 124 of the ProBlogger Podcast.  Today, we're going to talk about "We's" and "I's." Not "we's" and "I's" but we're going to talk about using the word "we" and "I." It's a question from Sally, one of our readers. I'll play it for you in a moment.  Before I do, a couple of housekeeping things that I want to mention. Firstly, I am on a beach in Thailand, just thought I’d slip that one in. I've recorded this one earlier. Today's show notes are at problogger.com/podcast/124. I'm still on a beach in Thailand. You can check out my Instagram @darrenrowse. I'm sure I'll be sharing some photos of that beach over there. Thirdly, if you'd like to join us at our ProBlogger event on the Gold Coast here in Australia, on the 9th and 10th of September, you have just under two weeks left to save $100 on your ticket for that. You can check out all the details of that amazing event and the peak of what we do at ProBlogger every year. You can check out all the details of that over probloggerevents.com. Don't wait too long because on the first day of July, to get prices, we'll go up to $100. If you're waiting for information on the virtual event tickets, hold on because after the first of July, we will release details on where you can pick up a virtual ticket.  Now, I want to play you a little question from Sally. It's not her real name. She asked me to keep her real name private. I understand why. She asked this really interesting little question. This is going to be a short episode today, I promise. I do have some stuff to say about whether we should use the word "we" or "I" when blogging. Sally: Hi, Darren. Thanks for the great work you do. I'm learning so much from listening to your blog and your podcast. I have a question. I'm starting out as a blogger. It's just me. I don't have an assistant, I don't have a team. I don't really have a need to convey that I'm any bigger than I am. I'm comfortable saying, "I." I noticed all over the internet, people use, "We." Like, "Contact us. Here's what we do." Often after poking around the site,