I'm trying to decide whether or not I should tell my family about this blog. It's the best place to get updates on me, JP, and the baby. Right now I send emails every month or so with a quick update on things- sometimes I wonder if that's too often or if people really want to know. A blog is passive and they could check when and if they wanted news and pictures. I'm very close to my family- I grew up 45 min. away from my aunts and uncles and 3 hours from my grandparents. We're all used to knowing what everyone else is doing (and looks like!), so being 1000 miles away during this huge event in my life is very strange. The downside to letting them know is I won't be able to complain about them ;) I'm not too worried about that b/c I rarely have anything to complain about.
I'm also trying to decide my policy on pictures- so far the ones I've posted either don't have people in them or I'm too far away and covered up by my coat to really see me. I think I'm okay with posting them- my real concern is being "searchable", I would never want my first name, last name, firm name, etc. to be anywhere on the blog. Anyone who would recognize the picture already knows who I am- there are plenty of identifying remarks, not the least of which is my status as the only pregnant UC law student this year.
Anyway- have any of you let your families know about your blog? What is your policy on pictures?
My family knows--they're why I started the silly thing. Both sides know about it, because I won the in-laws lottery.
ReplyDeleteBut I never ever post identifiable pics. I've put up pictures of feet and hair... never faces. For one thing, it's their privacy I'd be messing with. For another, it just does NOT seem prudent. I think baby pics are probably fine, because most newborns really do look alike. But there are other places online I can post pics for just friends/family to see.
And since I just yesterday heard an internet horror story (ongoing, unfortunately) about friends of ours, I'm not going to change that policy any time soon.
Other stories may vary.
It's a mixed blessing. I originally started my blog when my sister was in the midwest; the old blog was a subdomain of my home domain (mactyre.net) so there was no question about being eponymous. I don't get to blog about my really weird family much, unfortunately, because I will get calls about even small things ("What did you mean, 'family drama ensued?'" my father asked a couple of phone calls back). Even my really technologically ignorant mother (I had to walk her through using her Mac) has found and read it.
ReplyDeleteI don't worry about other people finding me, because I've had a named web presence for over 10 years and you can find some really goofy old usenet posts I made on alt.comics.batman, even. The blog isn't that embarrassing. :)
A nice thing about the blog being "public" is that old friends and friends of the family have found me through the posts -- a seminary classmate of my dad's, my sister's roomate at TCU, even my high school boyfriend. In law school, random people would start talking to me like they knew me and it would take a while for the wheels to turn and to realize why. (When I went back to judge a moot court, some of the contestants had read my blog because it's linked from the law library site!)
It's a hard call, with advantages and drawbacks on either side. I think if I were pursuing the big firm life I wouldn't go public, because I'd hate to have to explain it to someone who didn't get it. But for what I do, it doesn't matter (and is occasionally an asset).
Be careful when it comes to pics and stuff. There are a lot of trolls out there. I have several. These people love to hate those who are happy. At one point someone was able to figure out what firm my husband worked for by reading every single post I have ever written and piecing together information. PYSCHO!!! I went back and edited all of my posts.
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