Today Shimelle has drawn our attention to how public our blogs are. When I started my blog, I was really of the opinion that it was just something for me to do, I mean, come on, who was going to be interested in reading my ramblings? It was just something I set up because I had to have a blog in order to take part in an online class. But then I noticed people were commenting on my blog, just as I commented on theirs and as the time has passed I have met so many fabulous people that I really do consider to be friends. This weekend's webcam chat proved how far blog friendships can develop!
I work in a secondary school and our girls are taught right from Year 7 that you need to be very careful on the Internet. There are people out there pretending to be someone they aren't and there are people out there waiting to discover enough about you to use it to their advantage. Staff are warned of the dangers of putting too much out there into the ether and we are certainly warned about the dangers of befriending students on Facebook or posting anything personal on there that a student may discover. So I am well aware of not divulging too much whilst still sharing little bits of my life. My children are all grown up now so if I post a photo of them on here, it is certainly no worse than they post themselves on Facebook! But I think if they were younger I would be a little more cautious about what I published.
I like the idea of hidden journalling on pages so you can show the photo but keep the story behind it safe for your eyes only, by way of a tag slipped behind a photo or leaving the photo 'hinged' so you can lift it like a flap and have the story behind. There are some photos that I have that I would like to make into a layout but they hold bittersweet memories and are best kept private. I do have a photo in mind to illustrate this, and am going to use this prompt as a gentle 'nudge' in the right direction to put photo to cardstock and record the memory for posterity. Watch this space ....
When I began my blog, DH made it very clear that he didn't want to be identifable and we both agreed that DS shouldn't be, either. It's my choice to blog, not theirs. I've a LO half finished using today's prompt as a reference ~ hope to post it tomorrow, if I can find the time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started my blog I referred to Doug as "Hubby" and Carrie was "Daughter." It was at Carrie's insistence that I started using her first name in my writings. Plus, she has her own blog and identifies herself too. I'm always careful never to use our last name though.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the layout you come up with!
This is always a tricky issue isn't it? I find the balance is hard to negotiate, I think there needs to be disclosure and honesty to make the whole thing worthwhile, but I am cautious of revealing too much and try very hard to avoid revealing names.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm not very cautious myself. I think because so much of my personal information is already out there as a result of my profession that I don't worry about it too much. Rinda
ReplyDeleteI'm watching..
ReplyDeleteBecause my kids are a bit bigger too they are part of the Facebook culture and are quite happy for their photos to appear altho I do always ask before I post any. I have kept their names out of it because I think that gives me a little more wriggle room in the funny stories I tell about them. Everyone is now pointing out, of course, that TSO really needs a new name because she isn't so small any more!
I have to admit I don't think much about privacy when it comes to my blog - common sense says that you don't post stuff that is very personal. It appears most of my family (close and extended) are on Facebook and I find it a fabulous way of keeping in touch.
ReplyDeleteI'm more concerned with sharing too many photos/stories publicly than sharing my name. My name is out there professionally already. I think it kind of boils down to what is the purpose of your blog. I think I go through phases, too. Sometimes more information, sometimes less information.
ReplyDelete