Friday, May 09, 2008
Scared to Blog
Okay, awhile back we had a guest speaker come and talk to the Young Women of our church about the dangers of the internet and I left that meeting slightly distubed. Our guest speaker is also a member of our church and he is a member of the Dallas Swat team and he specializes in internet criminals and predators. He basically told the girls about how dangerous it can be on the internet with Myspace and Facebook and blogs with random people being able to view your pages. In the end he told us, if you feel comfortable putting your information and pictures up in a busy truck stop bathroom then it's probably safe to post. He said it really didn't matter if you password protect stuff or "go private" if it's on the web, it's on the web and anyone can gain access to it in some way or another and you have no control over what people do with the information. I love how blogs can keep people connected and I can stay in contact with friends and family all over the place. I also love that my family members can keep up with what's going on with us. I love how I can do my sweet blog books of our lives and how my blog is basically our family journal. Now everytime I post I'm always thinking about our family's pictures being in the middle of a truck stop bathroom and random freaks looking at them! So, I'm contemplating a lot of options right now. Do I totally take down my blog and stop blogging? Do I just post stories and no pictures? Do I go private (even though it's kind of pointless)?, Do I just keep going and not worry about it? I don't know what to do. What do you guys think?
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13 comments:
i have a pit in my stomach. i'm disturbed. i don't know. blogging is great. thats sad that things have to be this way.
It is disturbring. But my thoughts are that you just can not be scared to live and enjoy life! If it makes you happy, then blog away girl! Just don't be too detailed or too personal.
It is kinda freaky, isn't it. That's why I went private- while I know that it doesn't take care of everything, it still makes it so that just any nut can't look at it... (it has to be a smart hacking type of nut- should that make me feel any better?) I've had the same thoughts. Why is it that so many good things can be found and twisted around by bad?!
that's why I went private, invitation-only style. Readers have to take an extra step to view your blog, but if they really want to read it, they'll make the time.
My opinion? If you don't have your address, phone and social security number posted, what can really happen? I'd hate to think that people would "go private" to secure their families safety especially if it isn't actually that helpful in maintaining anonymity. Think about how often you find another great mom blogging and get advice or a random laugh from her site. Can you imagine people not finding out about the great pjs you ordered or learning about the great pizza game you bought for E. I feel so passionate that yes, the internet is dangerous but that doesn't mean that everyone should just stop using their blogs because of it. If you are diligent in not including too personal of information on your blog and editing where you feel most comfortable, you shouldn't have a problem. Obviously, do what feels right for you...but if you do go private can I have an invite? :) I know you'll make the best choice for your fam...I just hope that everyone doesn't go private otherwise I'll have to find a new hobby!
I feel the same way, Brittany. I was so paranoid when I first started the blog - I wouldn't even put our last name on it. And I didn't tell anyone, but I didn't want to be linked from other people's blogs. Anyway, I am more relaxed now and have just decided that I won't put any personal information and am careful about the pics I put on (like no naked baby pics.) It is a scary thing having pics of your kids on the internet for all the world to see, but I don't want my family and friends to miss out on Ben's (and Maggie's!) growing personality.
I have been thinking about your post ALL weekend. I talked with my husband about it and he responded very nonchalantly. "As long as you don't post phone numbers or your address."
I am A LOT more worry-prone than my husband and I am always having the debate you are.
Being private DOES create another level of security (and I think most of the people in a truck-stop bathroom would not know how to hack into a password protected blog.)
But I have so many cousins, aunts & uncles & distant friends that check the blog from time-to-time. There is no way for me to have all there current email addresses. True my immediate families members and closest friends would still be able to keep in touch. But I love that other friends can drop in from time-to-time.
For now, I totally agree with Elizabeth. Your blog and others have brightened my day. I am so grateful you are not private so I have been able to read your posts.
You can not live your life in fear. Just be cautious of the information that you put up. If your picture is put up in a truck stop at least it is cute and will promote family life.
One of my friends uses a service online (that you pay for) that tells you everyone that comes into your site. I'm not sure what the service is, but I'm sure there are several out there. I'll find out for you. I had the same scare recently. I'd do some more research about how dangerous it actually is.
This is something I've wrestled with and thought about ever since I started my blog in January 2007. I've decided to go ahead and post photos and words...with caution and a whole lot of prayer. I don't want the "bad guys" to steal my joy.
That said, I'm hoping to attend a "public parenting and privacy" session at BlogHer this July (BTW, are you going?) and I'll let you know if I learn anything new.
okay - here are 2 sites that offer stats and who's veiwing.
sitemeter.com
statcounter.com
maybe that will help a little.
Uggggh!
I hate to even think about it.
After I started my blog I definately got a sick feeling when I googled my name and my blog came up. I use Site meter and check it occasionally... not that it makes me feel any better when I see the strange places listed that I can't think of anyone I know. But, generally, I think I have a positive (naive) outlook where I think most people are good.
Also, I can't think of any enemies I have that would do a search specifically for me! :)
But, the whole child predator thing is the scary part. I think I will go back and make sure I don't post certain specifics for our location.
So, what did the SWAT guy suggest?
As much as I love surfing to come across helpful hints and stories from fellow homemakers, I'm a BIG fan of going private - not at all offended when people do, although I worry that someday I'll have more than 100 friends/family to allow ;-). It's not foolproof, but every little bit helps. At least it makes me feel better. ;-)
Also, I try really hard to only refer to people as they refer to themselves (and generally more anonymously).
The "can-do" (in my opinion):
I think you can DEFINITELY blog as an "everyman" sort without worrying much. It's a slightly different style, but people who know you will still be able to stay in touch if you call your kiddos "Thing One" and "Thing Two," for example, LOL. If you visit something like SpouseBuzz, you'll find a lot of examples of this style. And here's a link to a relevant article at CNN.com (although pics - minus identifying info - are fine, IMHO).
Blogger also lets you edit your blog settings for privacy so that it isn't even listed in their search results (check out the "Basic" tab in settings). You can also edit which blogs show in your profile.
You might even consider a private family/friends-only blog with (anonymized) family info, and a public one for more generic stuff (product recommendations, etc.) - that way people still benefit from your experience, but random people don't learn details about your fam.
Just my (looooong) $.02, but that's how I keep in touch and don't stress over creepies :-).
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