Things have been quiet around here because I don’t have anything to say. Which is true and not true all at the same time. I have a lot I’d write about my personal life, but not any generally vague projects or design inspired posts. I struggle with my privacy on the blog – how much to share and when. Now that I’ve added my little to the mix, it’s even harder. On one hand, I want to blog the crap out of stuff, but sharing my family’s intimate details in a public format is weird. One day, my son may apply for a job or for college and when they google his name, his mom’s nutty blog from years ago pops up. Do I share his bath time pictures? Will his college roommate print the pictures and post them around their dorm in 20 years? Does his future wife google him and find a poop in the tub post (apparently this happens to everyone) before their first date?
I know the odds of anyone really finding and reading posts like that are probably slim to none. But I’m also shocked at the search terms people use to find my blog. Pictures I posted of our Vegas vacation ended up on a very bizarre website with content from around the web. It wasn’t just pictures of the strip or of a certain landmark. These were pictures of my husband and me on some website I’d never heard of but was getting a lot of traffic from. It was weird enough that it was the two of us, but I can’t imagine checking my traffic to find a picture of my baby on a totally different website being looked at by god knows who.
I play around with the idea of starting an anonymous blog where I could write whatever I wanted to. But then, what pictures do I use? I’ve already started to limit what pictures I share on my personal Facebook and I’m starting to wonder about the pictures I share on Instagram. I also worry about some day in the future where I may re-enter the work force. Will a future employer google my name, find this site and not be happy with the amount of my life that I’ve shared publicly? Will just my writing put someone off? Will some angry post show up first and paint me in a whiny/immature manner? Crap… Is that what this post is doing?
I’m terrible with keeping a journal and had thought a blog would be a good way to keep track of my life as I get older… maybe a private blog is the only way to do that. But I like to write. I really enjoy it when I can write about what’s really in my mind and heart. Someday, I might like people to read this stuff and also enjoy it. What’s on my mind and heart though is my every day – my husband, my child, my dog, my parents, my sister, my friends… And yet, sharing that is scary.
I’d like to know… how do you decided how much to share on your blog? Do you ever have the same concerns or do you figure it’s just a sign of the times?
5 comments:
This is a great post! I often wonder the exact same thing. I limit my personal photos on facebook because of the privacy issue and instagram is another good point. I don't know why I share photos on my blog because that is no different. I struggle with the content I put on my blog and usually don't post the ones where I share more personal information. I always err on the side of caution. I'm curious to hear what others thing!
I get what your saying.
I don't have a problem posting pics on FB, because I know my profile is set to private. I'm not friends with any creep-o's, so I don't care about them seeing my posts.
And we know I post a lot of pics.
As for the blog, that's a different story.
I LOVE to blog.
I don't post anything mean-spirited, anything rude or slander. Period.
Other than that, I think it's a comfort level thing.
Obviously, I share a lot of personal information on my blog, but its mostly skin-deep things.
I don't often go below the surface.
I think being a journalist really helps me here.
I'm use to random people reading my stuff, it getting random links on weird websites and people being critical of what I do.
I think I've transferred that mental ethic into my personal blog too.
Somebody will always hate what you write.
That's just the nature of people.
Bottom line: It's a comfort level thing.
Sidenote: I enjoy your blog.
I'm not sure any of the above statement makes sense.
Happy blogging. :)
I'm still new to blogging and struggle with the same issues. However, I do post pictures of my children on the blog. It was something that I struggled with at first, but after seeing so many others that do the same, I thought "why not?". I limit FB, just because I'm not on there much and keep most posts on an even level (nothing anyone hasn't heard before).
I do hope you stick around. I really enjoy your blog.
I understand completely! I Personally do not say my kids actual names on my blog. Nor do I post pics of them that you can see features/face. I'm weird probably. But like you say I do not want my pics used improperly. Ever. I too have my profile on fb set to private. No friends of my friends seeing my pics. I hope. My instagram is also private. I like private.
Thank you all for the feedback! You all have such great points. It's such a difficult thing to put yourself out there. I read plenty of anonymous blogs that have great content and readership but I think I've already crossed over the anonymous line! If I try to post my address, I hope one you will give me a firm talking to!
Post a Comment