Okay, I need your help. It seems that more and more people are going private with their blogs. I was against it before because I really enjoy blog surfing and I hate it when you think you have found on old friend, and click on their link only to discover you can't "spy" on them because their blog is private. Some people have mentioned that they are going private because they were getting lots of random people looking at their blog, and some would look several times a day. I must admit that I am probably one of those "scary blog lookers" who shows up a ton on the blog trackers because when I get bored, I like to go to a blog and check out all the links they have on their blog. Which, requires visiting the same blog several times a day. I love to check blogs a lot that have fun craft ideas, recipes, or links to other cool sites and stuff. I would assume that others are doing the same. So, for me, the blog tracker statistics are not enough to scare me into going private. If people really find my life that interesting, I really don't care how many times a day they check my blog. :) I don't know, maybe I am too trusting or something because I really just don't care who looks or how often. So the question is, should I care? Do we all need to be more careful in the blogging world? What things do I need to take into consideration as far as going private or not? Has anyone out there had a problem with identity theft or other problems because of the information on their blog? What is your opinion? Of course everyone needs to do what is best for them and their family. For me, i have not felt the need to go private, but seeing so many others doing it has made me think twice about it. Please share your thoughts!!
9 comments:
I feel exactly the same way as you, so I'm going to have to check back later to see what everyone else says. My feeling is, if someone wants to stalk/hurt my family, they'll be able to find info on me through other ways than my blog as well.
I have been wondering about this too. I feel the exact same way you do about it. I don't see the harm in it, but maybe I am oblivious. I will be interested to see what everyone else says.
My brother-in-law and his family had a random guy that they don't know comment on his blog about how cute and fun their kids look. To me, that is scary and i might have gone private then. They were gonna go private, but decided to just cancel since they don't post that much anyway. We haven't had problems. That is the only incidence i have heard of.
I have only heard of one incidence of something scary like that happening. I heard that most people actually go private because people can put links on your blog that download viruses...which I have seen happen a lot. I could see how you would be a little worried having your cute kids on there, but I just wouldn't post anything too personal.
I'm really new at this so of course I know nothing. I do fear having information out there for anyone though. How do you track who looks at your blog and how often they do it?
I guess I am one of those too trusting people but I also think some people are paranoid or think they are more important than they really are. I figure if someone really wants to find me they could. Its not like I'm posting pictures I wouldn't let any stranger see. If someone was that concerned about being private they shouldn't have a blog in the first place, right?
The virus thing is more of a worry than a stalker coming to get my kid. I mean someone could much more easily follow me home from the park than stalk my blog and then find me. Just my opinion.
As a blog lurker, it's only appropriate that I comment here. :) I am pretty sure you don't remember me, but I lived next door to you for a time at the Enclave in Provo. I found your blog... through some blog link connection from Maren McEuen, I think. So every now and then I have fun seeing pictures of you and your kids... it's just fun to see where random people you knew at one time are now. And it wouldn't be possible if everyone made their blogs private. (Maybe me posting this comment will freak you out, that some random person can find your blog so easily. Hehe.) We haven't done that with ours, but at the same time I don't have kids yet, and I could easily understand feeling differently when it comes to an issue of protecting your children. So I don't know if that weighs in much for your decision. I just think some of the fun of blogging is in being able to find random blogs, but I totally get being careful. A lot of the craft blogs I read seem just really careful about not posting faces, but then again that sort of defeats the purpose if you're trying to share pictures of your kids with far away family and such.
Maybe I have too much to say about this. As you know I did go private. This is a crazy world we live in and I don't think that you can ever really be too safe. Having something as close to a journal entry open the whole world is kinda strange. I too have checked random blogs and read all about people's lives. I actually saw a girl at the grocery store one time that I had read all about on her blog. I felt a little strange that I knew all about her, her house, her pets, her kids, etc. but I actually didn't really know her.
You wouldn't let strangers read your mail or look in your windows...why would you let strangers read all about your life, your location, your children, your personal thoughts, etc.???
Above all- for me it comes down to one thing. As a mommy I sometimes feel this special power that only I have to protect my babies. No one else will. So for me it is merely to protect my family. I don't want to even give any creep a chance to get any kind of thrill off of my babies. You never know who is out there and/or what they are thinking.
Ok. I'll stop.
I do feel strongly about the privacy thing. The internet is where a lot of predators find their victims. But I am also probably paranoid because I had a bad experience when I was in high school. There was an article in the local newspaper about me and a picture from one of my pageants, and in the article it said where I go to school, work, etc. and the names of my family members. We started getting freaky phone calls from a weirdo who was saying sexual things to my sisters. So then for a while I had to be really careful of where I went, like not taking the same route to work every day, etc. to make sure that no one was following me. It really freaked me out! So, I think that you can never be too careful and you do have the responsibility to take every possible measure to protect your kids! Don't be too trusting- it's a big bad world out there. I think you should definitely go private!
(From Aunt Brookie)
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