I’ve been thinking a lot the past few days about how to keep my family safe while blogging.
Of course, I think worst case scenario!
The creepy pedophile stalking my child.
Her birth parents finding out where we live and kidnapping her.
The man (or woman) that recognizes me and follows me home.
Yes, I’ve been a drama queen all of my life!
Anyway, I’m trying to find a balance between being transparent and protecting my family while blogging. I want to reach as many people as I can with our story and the love of Christ, without saying, “Hey, here’s my address! Come over for coffee!”
*I’m trying to delete my Google+ account as we speak because it won’t let me remove my last name!*
I attempted to find some articles with tips, but came up empty handed…surprising!
So, I’ll share my personal ground rules and hope that you will, also.
I try not to use our last name (Thanks, Google+).
I don’t use the name of the city we live in.
I don’t use the name of the church we serve at.
I know some bloggers choose not to use their names or their children’s names. I have decided that’s not a big issue for me. Moriah’s name has such a story and testimony to it. I want people to know the meaning behind it.
So, here’s where you come in. This is an extremely important topic (I think!) and I’d love to have the Mommy Blogger community chime in.
What are your blogging ground rules?
What will you not talk about on your blog?
and
How do you grow your reader base safely?
I look forward to sharing our ideas with one another!
The following two tabs change content below.
Christie is a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful little girls, a pastor's wife, and lover of Jesus. Her hope is that STC would be a source of encouragement for women all over the world!
Latest posts by Christie (see all)
- Remembering Mandy Kelly from Worshipful Living - March 29, 2017
- Homosexuality Should Not Polarize the Church - November 17, 2016
- Grace & Truth {Week 69} - May 6, 2016
Good discussion. I do not show my children’s full faces, but do use first names. I try not to disclose our location, although the few readers that I have do know my city and state. I do not announce where or the exact dates of our vacations with the exception of travel to the Bahamas.
I think because I stick to a journal of my homeschooling adventure (which is just not exciting for most people) that I cannot grow my readership.
I love reading other’s blogs, especially when I see the works of God in people’s lives. I prayed for you all often as you journeyed to Moriah and continue to pray as God increases your family.
I had the same fears and concerns when I first started blogging too, about 9 months ago. then someone informed me privacy is so 80’s ..took me awhile to understand and accept that..but I think I agree…
I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can
You are so right! I realize there’s more strangers probably know about us in the normal day, than on the internet! Will check your blog out! Thanks for stopping by!
Yes, people are crazy and I think about safety as well. I don’t use any of my family member’s names, mine included.
I don’t say when or where I’m going on vacations until we are back. I don’t mention places of employment, schools, or even my town name.
It might be silly, but it protects me from search engine snoops. I love to read other mommy blogs and hope that most of my readership comes from other readers and writers of these kinds of blogs. I guess I just assume most of my readership will come from “the community.” Since I do this for fun and to document the crazy, funny, important times in my family’s life, readership isn’t as important as it might be to some. Don’t get me wrong, I love comments and followers like the next girl but it’s just not high in my priority list right now.
I think privacy is pretty much an illusion. If someone wants to know bad enough, they’ll find a way. That said, I don’t use our last name (thus no “follow me on facebook” button, which could potentially attract readers), but I do use our first names.
My blog is mostly for IRL friends & family, and my own record keeping. It’s always fun to have a new follower, but I’m not going to make myself crazy drumming them up. I try to remember that I should be LIVING my life, not just blogging about it. 🙂
Yes, I agree. I guess you have to decide whether you want to be heard or whether you want to live in seclusion 😉
I did revert back to the old blogger platform to remove my last name!
Thanks for stopping by!
Christie
Hi Christie, I agree. Google should be more conscientious of the social user opposed to treating all as business accounts; privacy being an issue in both case, though more demanding of a mother trying to protect her children. One thing we all need to remember is that once you decide to “put yourself out there” on the Internet, you’re closer in eye to your audience. This is fantastic in most cases, though difficult when it comes to privacy. I even have to remind my husband to be more mindful of how he takes and posts pictures because of such issues. I think it helps that our children homeschool and are pretty much always with us (yes, even the teen). If it were a few years back when I was a single mother, the situation would not be the same.
Note for moms that own self hosted blogs (like WordPress, Typepad) and websites – make sure to have a different mailing address on your hosting and domain (website address) accounts. I have noticed that too many are using their home address not realizing that anyone can see this information.
Ultimately, we put our lives and trust in the hands of the Lord. It is smart and right to be discerning, though not very comfortable to live in fear.
Lea, thanks for your insight!
Yes, I agree that Google needs to have more options for people that want a “lower profile” account. I’m all for sharing my experiences and my heart, but my last name is a bit much.
You’re right. We are putting ourselves out there and our lives and trust are in the Lord…great point!
Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to future fellowship with you!
Christie
You are welcome. Thank you, Christie. I look forward to the same with you 🙂