I don't think there is any way to tell. So it's kind of read at your own risk. People can write about anything they want but no one has to read it. It would be different if the subjects are identified by name though then I guess things like slander might apply but otherwise it is just unknown if it is true or not. If it makes you uncomfortable just stop reading it.
Joann

I have never known a blogger personally. And I really don't follow anyone in particular.
But what your cousin is doing just seems so wrong. Especially when she knows relatives are reading it and know the actual truth.
Since they are getting an income from this, I don't think she is going to listen to you. You made your feeling known. I agree with ghog, stop reading it.
This reminds me about what goes on in Facebook. One time a cousin of mine contacted me about something she saw on my DD's page. I know my daughter and so I knew it was a joke and an "inside joke" that only those close to her would understand and find funny.
Safe to say, we can only believe half of what we read on theses things!

There are all types of bloggers out there... fiction, non-fiction, political, technical, sheer nonsense....

I always thought a blog was like a public diary. It would need to be true.

I think you can pretty much take anything posted on the internet with a grain of salt - there's no way to know what's true and what's not - who can prove the truth, except the person posting. Unless I can do a search and feel satisfied it's the truth, I just read, shrug and move on.

I take all blogs with a grain of salt. but here on Gardenweb Kitchen Table I think people are very open and honest. If someone has a death in the family or some other setback, I will give my honest sympathy. It doesn't hurt to be nice!

I have stopped reading her blog until I was told about the post of my MIL's dying. Perhaps I'm too honest and feel others should be as well. To me it's like me coming on here and telling a bunch of lies just for the sake of a reaction. I won't have to deal with her until the actual funeral and I hope I can hold my tongue when I see her or I'll prob be her next piece, how some people just don't understand how difficult life is for HER...........................yada yada yada!

There are all kinds of blogs. I think fiction should be stated as fiction, but anyone with email should be used to "true stories" that are made up. Look at all the heart-tugging stories, some of them religious, that go around in email and through social media. Many of them are completely fabricated.

I'm a blogger. I write (sporadically) here, and I used to write here.

The first one, Sweet Rocket, is mostly nonfiction, with the occasional poem thrown in. A couple of times I posted a short work of fiction, but announced it as fiction.

In Forty Thieves I wrote 40 words a day (no more, no less) for 365 days about people who had crossed my path in a significant way. I loved doing that blog. Every word was true, except that I changed some of the people's names.

It would be tough on the family and friends of a blogger if everything in a blog was the absolute truth. I tend to think that names have been changed, details like age and occupation have been altered slightly. And that some things are exaggerated and some things left out, in order to tell a good story.

And if you want a truthful blog, then family events like cancer and death are going to be mentioned when they happen.

Also, I think that bloggers run out of things to blog about on occasion, but if they have sponsors, they need to produce a certain number of blog entries, and that might be when they invent something that might have happened to them, or write about something they are only thinking of doing as if they had done it.

Just this week I read a blog entry (not that I can find it now) from a mom who admitted that what she posts on Facebook is censored. She posts only the stuff that makes her look like a good mom with wonderful kids, and leaves out the temper tantrums and the times she makes Kraft mac & cheese for dinner, instead of a lovely prepared from-scratch meal.

The internet allows us to shape our reality when we present it to other people. So, like a poster above, I tend to take blog entries with a grain of salt.

The blogs my DD's read and I peek at once in awhile are about fashion, sports or weight loss~~my younger DD did one on how she was cleaning the clutter out of her house and posted pics as she went along fixing up rooms~~~older DD is a running fanatic and will go to blogs and blog herself on the lastest blah blah of their programs, or equipment they have bought. OH they do food blogs also posting pics of what and where they eat.

I have never seen one so personal, open to the public as you are describing~~I do not think I would read it myself and you should not either~~~at the funeral, do not say anything to her~~it will end up in her blog~~you will be feeding the beast in her~~~

Our Dr. was on a missionary trip for 2 years, and did a wonderful blog with pictues of his adventures. Really enjoyed it. He show some of the medical places he had to deal with and boy, what a comparsion. Other than that I really don't pay much attention.

I thought they were more like a diary. If someone wants to make up a fantasy story, then that's their business, b/c the fact of the matter is, it's your choice what you read or don't read. I know of several that I feel are true b/c there's nothing spectacular or shocking about them. That's what gets your attention--so you can SOB or choose to read fiction, if that's what you think it is. Read for fun or information, and if it's true, it's true, if not, then you were just entertained. No big deal. People read fiction all the time for entertainment--got a library full. So, whatever floats your boat. It's your time. Use it however you choose.

Did she identify the people?

I think that such would be a bit iffy, especially if the subject were unaware.

Emotions are high at the time of a funeral and sometimes even small issues there turn out to be long-lasting, more extreme and less easily resolved later than they might have been in a less stressful situation. I wouldn't tug her beard in the lion's den - you'd live to regret it, I think.

ole joyful

Not all blogs generate revenue. Those that do, actively solicit for new followers, to get more money. I was approached to do that with my little crafting/personal blog but am not interested in doing that.

I also don't blog much about my personal life as it pertains to my real life, out of respect to my friends and family. Nothing too personal or negative gets written. It's not really anyone's business and I wouldn't broadcast all the family issues in any detail there, that would be rude IMO. I could tell everyone on a daily basis about how ill my mother is, but she would hate everyone knowing, so I just keep it to myself as much as possible or share very little at a forum like this one. Sharing the info wouldn't help her at all.

So no, not all blogs are fiction. They may not be all true, either. Some are very real but maybe too open and others are real but limited as they only post the positive and not the negative. I'm sure there's a happy medium there, I try to blog like that.

The problem with the internet is too many people automatically believe anything received in an email, or a text and won't do any research to see if something is true. No wonder people lose their life savings, cars, homes and more. And now I'm seeing people going around spreading hoaxes for medical treatment! It's disgusting that people are so stupid and gullible and more disgusting that they will spread this manure and potentially risk lives and livelihoods of other people.

The web is a great place to express opinions, solicit opinions, gain knowledge, research, etc. But you also need to beware of people who post misinformation, lies and try to deceive people to further their causes.

I also see a lot of writings where people have an interest in promoting something. Even here on the forum I see people who have demonstrated a relationship with for instance a store and defend it to the death and promote it to the hilt. Others are dead-set on promoting certain software or otherwise rather than giving unbiased opinions. Everyone has their favorites, but mixing in a bias is problematic to credibility.

As far as I'm concerned if I read something much goes to the credibility of the author. I know people who do some blogs and some of them are things about cooking, or their travels or whatever. I certainly don't use them as reference unless I do some checking on it. Assume they're primarily fiction and until proven true, don't bet the retirement fund on it and you'll be much safer.

If there was a comment section, I'd be forced to say something...like laughing at how she was able to spin such a yarn.....

I've run across unbelievable lies in researching the backgrounds of well-known so-called health gurus, those who make good money from the public in their products and/or books, so their fantasy stories in their blogs or websites doesn't surprise me.

Someone (we think my BIL though he never admitted it) wrote a blog with a very similar title to hers ( he changed the word Wife to Strife on his blog). He would post his the day after she posted and basically call her out on issues. One of my favorite posts he did was about her being so busy with 3 kids, housework, her writing etc etc and he wrote about her having a live in Nanny who did all the cooking, cleaning and care for the kids so she could write. She did comment on his blog that he 'caught her out'. He has since passed and so has the Strife blog.
I also enjoy sewing and cooking blogs. My main problem with her was the degrading things she said about her parents and husband on her blog, I just felt there was no need for it.
Thanks for all the opinions