Self-conscious bloggers?

A meeting yesterday to discuss communication in the diocese of Argyll & The Isles gave me pause for thought. I see blogging as a fantastic resource for people who may be physically isolated from centres of higher learning and from other people like themselves - all wanting to participate in a learning experience but unwilling/unable to travel miles to do so. I see papers being published on a blog and commented on by peers - and by experts - leading to learning and pre-empting the re-invention of the wheel at every turn. (No pun)
But the apparent resistance to this made me wonder: how self-conscious are we when we blog? Do we each feel we have an image to maintain? In the knowledge that X might read this, do I make sure I don't write anything of which X might disapprove - or, worse, ridicule? So do I stick to being lighthearted? cynical? amusing? omniscient? (hard to keep that up) Or am I forgetting what it was like to write an essay, say, when I was in statu pupillari? When I was bound to be affected by what would go down well with the teacher/examiner?
Perhaps some edublogger with more experience (in blogging - you'd have to be dead old, or simply dead, to have more teaching experience than I) would like to comment on this, and could tell me if a closed blog, with limited access/posting, makes life easier for the inhibited. I've seen some of Ewan's contacts have password-protected areas on their blogs and would welcome feedback.
Meanwhile .. I have a pupil arriving for some face-to-face tuition: no more time for all this virtual stuff !