Judging by the search terms being used to find my blog, it appears as if people are VERY interested in Sam’s personal life. I haven’t written about it in the past, but I think it is time to address the topic.
As I’ve said in past blogs, I understand his appeal. Believe me, I really do! He’s an interesting person. I’ve written about him in this blog, and I’ve tagged him in posts. I enjoy reading your search terms on my blog, it gives me ideas for other things to write about in my posts. I don’t know who is doing the searching, some appear as unknown search terms. The search terms make me laugh and smile. One of my favorites was “Sam Heughan climbing”. Usually, this is the way it works, Sam Heughan and …
Sam Heughan and My Peak Challenge
Sam Heughan and Bear Strength Clothing Co.
Sam Heughan and F1ght Camp
Sam Heughan and Outlander
However, lately, I am becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with the search terms used to hit my blog. I have a Twitter account, and I have tweeted trying to be funny, but to be very honest, I don’t think his personal life is any of my business.
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired Apr 11
Given search terms just used to hit my blog, I think too much attention is being paid to #SamHeughan‘s personal life. #ya‘llknowilove2readthem
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired Jun 8
Memo
Re: Blog
To Whom It May Concern:
I do not write about or know anything about @SamHeughan‘s personal life.
Sincerely,
Jenny Mc
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired Jun 9
Based on blog search terms, thinking reality dating show in Scotland would be successful. Picturing a cross between Amazing Race+Bachelor.
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired Jun 9
With stops in Glasgow at #FightCamp. Climbing challenges a must. Haven’t worked out yet if #SamHeughan and #JohnV would be in same season.
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired Jun 9
Not suggesting either would need to participate in such a show, but can you imagine the number of applicants?
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired 19 hours ago
Reading people’s blog search terms lately feels like I’m playing some sort of weird game of 6 degrees of separation w Sam Heughan.
Here’s a sample of what I’ve been seeing in past weeks:
Sam Heughan and … I can’t even bring myself to type the name. I see this multiple times every day.
Did Sam Heughan and ??? recently get married?
I don’t know. If so, I would happily send wedding gift.
… Instagram account
Sam Heughan and just the first name of person. Pretty familiar if you ask me.
Finally, just the name of the person without Sam Heughan.
I haven’t met Sam. I’ve never talked to him. He hasn’t responded, favorited, retweeted any of my tweets, which is fine by the way. I don’t search for information about his personal life, but it is being provided to me in the form of these search terms. It makes me feel, well, creepy. I now know more about him than our current dynamic of Actor/Fan warrants in my opinion. What do I do with the information? Nothing. I am not looking at people’s Instagram accounts. I am not following people on Twitter that I have no reason to be following.
I believe he is entitled to a personal life. My impression is that he values his privacy, and is a shy person. I consider myself a shy person, but my husband says I could talk to a tree. Speaking for myself, I worked to overcome shyness.
Sam has asked very politely to respect his private life. In his own Twitter post on April 26, 2015, he says, “and because someone is on social media, does not mean their life should be “mined” or dug up.”
I actually replied to this tweet with,
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired Apr 26
@SamHeughan 1 thing 2 be in public eye, quite another to be under a microscope I would imagine. Sam, thanks for all you do!
Having experienced this feeling of being under a microscope, I can tell you it’s not a pleasant feeling. Granted, being a teacher is not the same as being an actor, but I have been the subject of conversation while parents burned up the phone lines or sat on the sidelines watching their children play soccer. I cannot fathom what it would feel like to have thousands of people tweeting and posting about me on a daily basis. Don’t even get me started on searching for information about people’s friends and family. I will now step off of my soap box.
I love talking about Sam Heughan. Many people are talking about Sam Heughan. Check out this article by Keely Flaherty, http://www.buzzfeed.com/keelyflaherty/we-need-to-talk-about-sam-heughan#.ygrRmLPRp. We can talk about the items mentioned in this article, but can we also talk about his acting ability? Can we talk about his brave performances in episodes 115 and 116? Can we talk about the fact that he should win an Emmy for his work? Can we talk about how inspiring he has been to so many people? Can we talk about My Peak Challenge?
I must admit that I now stop and think every time I enter something into a Google search. Can we talk about the other interests that have shown up as search terms on my blog…
Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired Apr 26
Sunday, a day to rest, read, relax. Apparently blog readers w inquiring minds want 2 know did #tobiasmenzies pull out his_____on #Outlander
Not to leave F1ght Camp out,
Is John Valbonesi married?
I don’t know.
Thank you again for reading! I really look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Jenny Mc
inspiredbyoutlander@gmail.com
@jennymcinspired – Twitter
Inspired by Outlander 
I was a part of one or two of those tweets. I have a headache and it’s hard to write but this needs addressed.
First, I have never checked the search terms on my blog, hmmm might be a good idea.
Second, I don’t care who actors I like are dating, and I don’t know why it’s the talk of the Outlander world. Surely, there are much better things to talk about. I look at it like this, would that person that I don’t know care who am I dating? No,and I realize it’s because I’m not an actor or musician but they are the same as you and I. It’s really no different and it’s none of anyone’s business.
I blame the tabloids and the tabloid like people who just have to show it on TV, post it on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other SM. An actor can’t go anywhere with someone without the whole of social media talking about it, and speculating about it.
Why talk about it? Why speculate about it? Why even post it at all? It’s none of anyone’s business and no one deserves to know a thing about their very private lives.
I loathe the paparazzi and the tabloid like people who think it’s their duty to talk about it. I don’t watch TMZ, pick up Star magazine or however many mags are out there now.
Emmy voting is going to decide who will be nominated and that’s a conversation that’s worth having!
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Thank you so much Diane! I agree, the Emmy conversation is the conversation that we should be having!
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Diane, I couldn’t agree more. I am friends with people who are constantly being scrutinized for having too much and are being “hit up” for one thing or another. They are rarely taken at face value for the human beings they are. Someone seems to always want something from them, and they’ve few friends who haven’t begged one large favor or another, usually monetary or to give a job to a relative or friend. It’s hard being that friend who doesn’t do that, not hard because I want something, but hard because the trust has been broken so many times for these people. Their hearts are bruised.
True, as an Outlander and Sam (I dislike this term) “fan”, I’ve enjoyed the fact that Sam H. has been so open with his life, but I’ve been saddened by many of the responses of the public in general. It seems sometimes that some people can’t seem to accept him as just another human being. People dig for information about everything as you’ve said, and every post and picture has to have a hidden agenda. I like the way Sam H. acts, both on screen in his career, and the way he comports himself generally. He, as my Nana Laura would’ve said, “has been raised a polite boy”. (Sorry, that’s no knock to Sam. My Nana called everyone under 60, boy or girl.)
I’m also a member of My Peak Challenge and am waiting to do MPC#2. But that is because of personal reasons, which mesh well with Sam’s agenda, so much the better for Leukemia & Lymphoma Research. Sam and John V’s video introduced me to my second greatest addiction… Boxing. I now box 5 times a week with a personal trainer. It will become my MPC Challenge along will losing the last of the weight I have to lose. I didn’t need Sam and John to do it, but it dovetailed nicely into my life at the right time. And I’m grateful for their dedication to ridding a condition that killed my mother and to making a video that gave me the idea of a sport that offered me the strength to finish a long term goal.
I wish that Sam H. had the freedom to be the person he wants to be without “fan-actics” passing judgment or guessing the contents of his smoothie. Or if he’s had a whiskey by the look of his eyes. Nobody can survive under that close scrutiny. It’s unhealthy. Let’s be kind to the people we admire, and RESPECT their wishes, if privacy is what they wish for. Otherwise, Sam won’t be the person we first met, he’s already changed since I first saw posts. And that is a sad thing. I don’t blame Paparazzi. I blame overzealous people who think that just because a person decides to be friendly on Social Media, it means they have opened their lives up to conjecture and innuendo. I hope Sam can stay as happy and free spirited as he was when I first started seeing him on screen. There was a joie de vivre about him that made me smile along with him. I miss seeing that. #LetSamLive his life. I hope this all makes sense, I’m not a very good writer… generally, I keep to under 140 characters. 😉
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Thank you Lisa for your comment! I too dislike the term “fan” or “fan girl”. I have been trying to think of a term that describes an intelligent person that respects the actor and their acting ability. A term that describes a person that has been inspired by the books, show, actors, but doesn’t attach a negative connotation. I also participated in the first My Peak Challenge and look forward to the second. I can also relate to the timing aspect of MPC, if I hadn’t been ready to commit, I wouldn’t have even with the motivation from Sam and John. Thank you again for your thoughts! Jenny
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