Just call me Paranoid
My husband does. I prefer to think of it as being safe.
Making sure the path from our bed to the kids beds to the front door is clear of clutter every night; safe.
Making sure I have liquid Benadryl in our cupboard and in my diaper bag at all times; safe
Using screen names and not posting photos of the kids on this blog; safe.
I knew when I created this blog that I wanted the world to read it. People whom I had never met before. That was my hope and it has been fulfilled. I’ve made great online friends who I hope someday to meet in person.
I also knew that in having a public blog, that maybe some not so great people might be reading it. So I decided to use screen names for my kids and to avoid posting any pictures of them. Well, I ended up posting just a couple pictures anyway. Because I wanted to share their cute faces with you, but I have since removed them because that little nagging voice in my head wouldn’t leave me alone.
What if someone is stealing those pictures? Not so implausible. I was part of the babyzone.com message boards for a long time and a dispute arose on one of the boards between a mother and someone who had been stealing that mothers pictures, posting them and claiming them as his/her children. *Note to bad guys, if you want to steal someone’s pictures of their children and say they are yours, do not post them within the same online community* DUH
What if people are taking pictures of my precious children and looking at them in ways or for reasons that would make me shudder?
What if there are people with ill intent who seek out pictures and names of children living in their area? They would recognize them. They would know them by name . All they need is a last name and a city and they’ve got a phone number. And if you’ve got a phone number and you type it into the Google search bar, you’ve got an address. *double shudder*
I’ve been hesitant to even mention my state of residence on here and have since removed all mention of it.
I know the media focuses on the worst events and that horrid things aren’t as common place as they make it seem. But if the possibility is there, why increase the risk? How could I live with myself if I was the person who enabled someone with bad intentions to find my children?
And for those of you who think that if you don’t submit your site to a search engine it won’t be on there, your wrong. Spider Engines like Google crawl the web picking up whatever they find and adding it to the database. Unless your site is password protected, anybody can see it.
So call me Paranoid if you will. I call it safe.
Comments
22 Responses to “Just call me Paranoid”
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I haven’t been that protective (even less so as time as gone on) of my/our privacy. I’m probably just too trusting - I probably have not thought it all through, like you seem to have. I figure, if my husband has a website for his business, people know his name, address and that he has kids - they can get to us/them that way as well. It’s scary … I hope it never happens to any of us. Take care.
no photos for me either. i just can not even think of it. i mean there are too many crazies out there. i did put the state i live in and now i am thinking of removing that. i am so nervous for when my girls are teens and anything they do can be caught on a video from a phone and put on you tube. just plan scary.
There are some women who have posted naked pictures of their sweet babies (completely innocent) on the web and don’t even bat an eye.
I think they’re crazy.
I do post pictures of my children. But their names are changed (I was creative, too. They are: #1, #2, #3 and #4. :)) and I never post anything that could be used in a bad way.
But I do agree that a little paranoia is a good thing. You have to protect the ones you love.
I’ve really struggled with this issue. I love blogging and sharing, but I wonder if I’m not being careful enough sometimes. Great post Summer. Some good things to think about.
It is a great post Summer, and you have brought up some good things to think about. I know of one blogging friend who this had happened too, and she had to go semi anon.
The more popular your blog gets, the more attention you draw to not only your blog, but your family. I’ve been putting alot of thought to this lately, and am thinking the new year will bring some changes.
Someone once said, “It isn’t paranoia if someone is REALLY following you!”
I am so guilty of these things you mention! I always post pictures of our little guy…I guess it isn’t the safest thing…oh well!
Bradley
The Egel Nest
good post.
I am trying to find balance. I dont’ want fear to lead my life.
I am just as likely to run across a pediphile at the park. He can watch my child, take photos from afar….look at them in a bad way, and follow us home. This I feel is way more likely than someone trying to find me off the internet. However, I won’t stop going to the park.
I refuse to let the bad guys win. Photography brings me joy. Sharing it brings me joy. I try to be safe, by not saying which state I am in, and using a nickname for my child. I am trying to be smart, but have balance.
Please know that I am not arguing with you. I think that we all need to make these decisions for ourselves. I just wanted to share my thought process.
I struggled with this too… then I took the photos down. I might be paranoid. So be it. We all do what we think is right… good for you for following your gut instinct…
Personally I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I have no problem posting names or pictures and I’m not worried about it. I see that many people use pseudonyms and to each their own, it just doesn’t feel right to me to call my kids made-up names and I enjoy showing them off. But I understand others are concerned about their own privacy and I respect that.
What kind of person would I be if I didn’t think anyone should disagree with me?
I appreciate all of your input.
Eek, well that’s enough to bring the paranoid out in me too.
p.s. I read your title too quickly and I thought it said Poloroid!
It’s such a hard decision to make. On one hand, you want to do everything to protect your family. On the other hand, it really adds to the blog if you have photos posted of your family. However, I definitely think that more personal info should be kept confidential. You just never know . . .
I just read your blog. I guess we were just on the same wavelength. My kids are older and put their own stuff out there. My 16yo pretty much just communicates with people from his hs or his gaming friends. My 19yo~noT so smart.
It’s such a tricky subject, isn’t it? So much is affected by personal experience…where we live, how safe we feel in general, how often we watch the news. I think we each individually have to decide what’s best for our families. Pray and ponder, be guided by the spirit. My own experience has been to receive the comfort of the spirit, a feeling of safety and peace. But then, I leave in a small rural town in the middle of nowhere, so I guess that’s to be expected. =)
There are many things that can be encountered that we may never encounter. I believe in personal revelation to help us in our lives and that includes parenting, if it comes to your mind then you had better study it out and make a decision that protects you and the family you have been entrusted with. Way to go. Thanks for posting this. Others may feel safe and are safe but if they ever feel ’somebody’s watching me’ then they can take action like the actions you have described.
You have received the Egel Nest Award for blog eggsellence!
Come by and pick it up!
Congrats!
Bradley
The Egel Nest
I don’t post pictures or real names either. I am not really protective of myself, but I am fierce about my babies. You just never know who is reading this stuff and what they are doing with the content. I would rather be too safe. I know I won’t regret that.
I am not as careful as you, but I often think I should be. I love looking at other blogs with kid photos, so that is why I post mine. I may change my mind over time…
Oh geez, I had a comment to this all typed out yesterday, but my computer froze. &%&@# desktop, I miss my laptop.
Anyhoo, I totally agree with you on this, as if you didn’t already know, since I go as far as using pseudonyms for the whole family. However, I also did that because I have even more things I’m worried about because of the nature of future subjects I hope to address on my blog.
YEA, so I thought about all of that when I first started blogging, and my Mom reminds me of it all the time. I’m not sure what to do about it.
I go back and forth on this often. I can see valid points in both extremes on this subject. Reading your fears makes me want to tighten up, but some of the comments make me relax a little. But then… … there’s always something to make me switch my mind back. I say good for you - better safe than sorry for sure, as long as you’re still able to enjoy life while being careful, which clearly you are.
I think that you are right to be as safe as you feel you need to be. I’ve struggled with this too but have made different choices, for my own reasons, I guess. I worry that I’ve put too much information out there, but try to keep anything that would obviously identify us out of what I say and post. I still think about and struggle with this issue though and appreciate hearing your thoughts on it. :)