Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Private Blogs?
So normally I post about what has been happening in our family but today I decided to write about my thoughts instead. I have notice lately that a lot of people have turned their blogs "private". I really don't understand why. People say it is for safety reasons and maybe it is true and I am the naive one but I just don't understand it. There are so many other ways to keep "blog predators" away. For example don't use your last name on your blog or personal dates, such as birthdays, anniveraries etc. Also you don't need to put any specifics about where you live. Keeping that information off your blog should keep you from having the "need" to go private. So you all don't think that I am just going on about nothing I will try to express why I feel the way I do about having a private blog. When I first entered the blogging world I didn't have a blog but a few of my friends did. I would occassionally check their blogs and from there I would find other old friends and aquaintances. I thought it was the coolest thing to be able to see what was happening in their lives. This is when I decided to start my own blog. I thought that if I liked being able to know about other peoples fun lives they might want to know about mine. Finding many of you would not and could not have happened if everyone's blogs were private. The other thing that I hate about private blogs is once someone decides to go private you have no way of contacting them to ask them to view their blog unless you miraculously have their email. So I guess my question to all my fellow bloggers is I am really just that naive to think that by keeping personal information out of my blog that my family will be kept "safe" or am I right in thinking that having a private blog is a status symbol or paranoia by a lot of people? I will get off my soap box now but I really just wanted to get this off my chest. I am sorry if I have offended anyone who has a private blog that was not my intention.
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15 comments:
I feel the same way. If anything, I am even more extreme because I am not at all cautious about posting our last name, important dates, or other personal information. I stop at addresses and social security numbers, although I write enough about local things that it isn't hard to figure out our general vicinity. I guess my logic is that if someone really wanted to find out information about me, locking my blog wouldn't stop them.
Sounds pretty logical to me. I didn't think about that apparently when I started the blog it is titled after our last name and all that. Not sure what I should do about it though. Anyway, I see you are expecting, Congratulations!
so, you have no idea who i am and i have NONE of you. but if i was going through all my friends' links lists and found you and then kept watchig you and then i turned out to be some freak, wouldnt you rather feel safe about your kids and home rather then let 2 or 3 friends you havent talked to in 10 years(which might mean they have no relevance in your life anyway)see you? yes, i too love to check up on my friends that i too haven t spoken with, BUT if i tell the friend whose blog i CAN see to tell that person, it works out too...i've left messages on their posts before and the one i want to get in contact with figures it out.no offense to you, but while "blog stalking" is TOTALLY fun and even a great way to find more friends...we who do have them private have reasons. and good ones too. so tell me how you fell about me, a total stranger, looking at your family today?
ps, jeff and carly...locking your blog would make it harder now wouldnt it. and why would you want to make it easy for creepo's that could figure out where you live and then swipe one of your sweet kids when you load them in the car and then run inside for something really qwick? you guys need to be a bit more careful.
I just noticed your baby counter- Congratulations!
Hey I just made my blog private. If you want to be able to read it email me at srhanthony@yahoo.com.
Congratulations!! How are you feeling? That is so exciting. Babies are so fun, I love my little Haley so much. Good luck with everything.
Hey meet the dunlops, how about trying to get a life!
Hey Happy Birthday today!!
I completely understand what you're saying and used to feel the very same way up until year ago. I know this is one of those very rare cases, but we went private with our blog because our sitemeter account let us know that someone from our birthfather's city was visiting our site quite often. After consulting with our case worker, he advised us to go private as a precaution since the adoption was being contested and dragged into appeals court. Our caseworker said that there have been a few cases where completely innocent comments and pictures on a few blogs had been miscontrued, printed up, and used against a foster adopt family... such as a post about a broken arm, or a fat lip, etc... We never put our last name, our city, and yet somehow they still found us. Once the adoption is final, we'll probably go public again BUT start over with a fresh blog address just to play it safe. ~Lu
My husband found out that he has a brother that was adopted. Guess how he found us?? OUr blog! I feel the same way about private blogs, that's why I have waited to go private. I'm hoping that blogger will find a way to that you can ask to be invited to a private blog.
Can you let Amy know I'd like an invite to view her blog please...I was so excited to find some of you from college but then she went private...vmorgan8@hotmail.com
Okay Bor, all I can say is update your blog already Geez!
And a comment to the weirdo of "meet the dunlops!!" You're strange! Why would you comment on someones blog just randomly to plead your case of having your blog site private? Sounds like you have got some issues to me if you have to write a comment on someones blog you don't even know to validate decisions that you've made.
I completely agree with you Deborah. It's SO annoying to have to ask permission to see someone's blog, especially when it's someone you see all the time anyway. By the way, I didn't get to talk to you when you were in the neighborhood the other day- how are you doing? I think you and Julie VanCott are due about the same time- that is so cool! When do you find out what you're having? Talk to you soon!
Karyn
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