Is blogging dangerous?

[Rachel in KY]

My mother asked my sister how to access my new blog. She then sent me an email expressing her many concerns about my posting all kinds of information on the internet. Among her points were: using real names, showing the road on which I live, I do my a.m. barn chores alone (barn is a mile away from my house on someone else's farm), having pictures of my family online...

 

I don't completely disagree, but considering how many millions of bloggers and websites are out there, is it any more risky than going to the grocery store and having someone decide to follow me home?

[kewb]

For me, I don't think blogging is any more dangerous then any of the other things I do. A lunatic has as much chance of targeting me in the grocery store as through my blog.

[Aoife]

Mt Dh is in the same frame of mind. I only use the first letter of each of my kid's names when I reference them and I post no photos of them.

 

Although I would be more worried about photos and such on facebook then I would a random blog

[Hen]

I don't *think it is more dangerous then being online at all, such as fb or posting on message boards. And yet, I do try to be careful- I'd hate to be sorry the information is out there, way after the fact. I don't have real names on my blog, or where we live..tho I have the general area mentioned. I do post photos of my kids, because I love photography. I do make sure street signs are blurred, addresses blurred and even license plates from cars on our street.

[elegantlion]

I think you will find all levels of blogging. Is it dangerous? I don't think so but our internet lives are not truly private, but that another post. There was a recent thread about that.

 

IMO what it comes down to is YOUR level of comfort with what you put on the blog. My dh and I discussed it and he wanted more privacy. So I don't use his or ds' real name, I don't post photos of the front of my house. I don't post our town.

 

This has also been brought up before but I don't assume to know anyone elses comfort with my blog (or any internet venue). I don't post pictures of other peoples kids, other family members without permission, or the real names of other bloggers/posters who use a pseudonym online.

[Carol in Cal.]

...if they can be identified.

 

I never mention my Dd's name online.

 

I don't post specific pictures of her either.

 

I have a friend who is a recruiter, and she thinks that people's tendency to confide online like it's a private diary is really, really dumb. Her company has turned down applicants who have drunken binges documented on facebook, even if they are from very good universities and have excellent qualifications. The web is not private, and it's not ephemeral. Anything on the web is on there forever, so taking a long view is essential. Would you be sorry if your grandchildren saw all these pictures? How about your pastor? How about your children's future employers? Because, guess what, they probably will.

[momto2Cs]

I do post pictures, and I do tell about specific places we have been, but...

 

No real names

No address info, not even the town name, etc. I think on my profile it just says Northern California

I never post directly about a place we're going until afterwards. I won't say we're going to xxx, but I'll say we have been to xxx.

Like Paula (elegant lion) I don't post other people's names, or pictures of their kids without permission.

 

I feel pretty safe that way!

[LittleIzumi]

I will put my kids' names on some, but not where I live beyond the city name. That's too dangerous for my comfort level. And no last names generally.

[Remudamom]

I worry more about my kids more when they are away from the ranch than over my blogs.

[mom2abcd]

Someone posted this awhile back:

 

I see so many folks who sign their names to their emails, then write things like "Wife of __ years to ____", and "Mom of ____ for _ years, ____ for _ years, and ___ for _ years", and even "Proud owner of ______, the dog."

 

Do those who do this realize the ammunition you're putting out there for potential harm-doers? Especially considering how many of our emails are forwarded to strangers? And considering the fact that we advertise to buy/sell things from each other? Thus providing our addresses and/or phone numbers?

 

Let's put this into perspective. (All the names are hypothetical) I get an email from Nancy, who's selling some school books and the email address tells me:

1. her last name is probably Brown and her signature tells me:

1. she's been married to Bob for 20 years,

2. has a 16-year old daughter named Chelsey,

3. a 13-year old son, Bob Jr.,

4. a 10-year old daughter, Amber,

5. a dog named Bingo

6. lives in the Triangle area

7. and her phone number is 555-1234

 

With this information (or just pieces of it), a predator can go to any number of websites and do a reverse phone number search - where you put in the phone number to get the address, instead of the address to get the phone number. Actually these days, one can do a search with a first name and general area and get results. So, now the predator has the Brown's address. What's to stop them from casing the house for a few days to catch a pattern of behavior? Then at some opportune time, seeing Bingo in the backyard by himself, strolling around and taking him. Then the next day they see 10-year old Amber riding her bike outside alone, walk up to her, call her by name, tell her that they're a neighbor and think they just spotted Bingo down the street, and asking her to come help find him?

 

--

And here is a story that really makes kids think!

 

Story of an Online Predator...

 

Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home.

 

The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster. "You're being silly," she told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe."

 

She saw the porch light burning and ran the rest of the way to her house.

 

Once inside, She leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty. After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab snack and get on-line.

 

 

She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy

List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:

 

ByAngel213: Hi I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

 

GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?

 

ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.

 

GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?

 

ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.

 

GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?

 

ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!

 

GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?

 

ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross!They

look like bees. LOL

 

GoTo123: What is your team's name?

 

ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really kewl.

 

GoTo123: Did you pitch?

 

ByAngel213: No, I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!

 

GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye.

 

Meanwhile...... GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her

profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.

 

Her name: Shannon

Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985 , Age:13

State where she lived: North Carolina, Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.

Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents got home. She played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in

The conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her now.

 

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ball park that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.

 

Next Thursday, Shannon's game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the fear she had felt.

 

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car. Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there.

 

Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.

 

"Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.

 

"Sit down," her father began. "This man has just told us a most interesting story about you." Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the man. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!

 

"Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man asked.

 

"No," Shannon answered.

 

"I am a police officer and I'm your online friend, GoTo123."

 

Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! Goto123 is a kid my age! He's 14 and he lives in Michigan!"

 

The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true.You see, Shannon, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them.

 

"But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your

jersey just made finding you a breeze."

 

Shannon was stunned! "You mean you don't live in Michigan?"

 

He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"

 

She nodded.

 

"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky.

 

The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone.

 

Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line.The wrong people trick you into giving out. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again."

 

"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly.

 

"Will you tell others about this so they will be safe too?"

 

"It's a promise!"

 

***************************************************

This is a fictional story, but it makes a good point. Please send this to as many people as you can to teach them not to give any information about themselves. This world we live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age, let alone anything else.

 

EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS!

All should take warning --even adults!

[Night Elf]

This is a fictional story, but it makes a good point.

 

I knew someone who was so paranoid that she didn't call her children by their real names out in public because there were stories of stalkers who use the child's name to lure them away from their parents. So maybe we should all do that too to avoid scary situations? And that's a real story.

[Tess in the Burbs]

It can be dangerous. My dh showed me a video he had to watch from work years ago how putting any info on the internet can lead people to you. Obviously those being targeted would have a connection to something important you know? but it would be about manipulation to get you to give up info for someone else in most cases.

 

I think the average person isn't in this danger. Those with gov't clearance would need to be more careful.

 

But think about it. Some perv is reading blogs. Comes across a beautiful child. Reads about where child lives. Daily life schedule. Details about this child. Names of people she knows. Knows where she lives. Eventually goes to find child. Easy enough...he knows all the details. And he knows enough info to convince child he knows her and her family.

 

yes, it's dangerous. But so is flying. And driving. I think you have to just be smart. Don't use your real names. Don't give all the info away to strangers. You can password protect a website. We have done that. But I don't put my kids on the internet. I have a blog but it's for sharing info with family. no real names. no location. no pictures of us. It could be anyone, anywhere.

 

good luck deciding how much you want out there. OH, did you know the internet is archived? Even if you take it down now it's archived and people could find past stuff. Spooky that people have that much tech ability.

[Supertechmom]

And just think if your kid goes into any public life... all those goofy pictures, funny picts, will be seen long out of context with the explanation of the pict. Wonder how many future careers are all ready dashed because of stuff on a parent's blog? I've seen some and thought if the press gets a hold of this in 20 years.....shew what a field day.

 

But.. it is too easy to piece someone's life together from a blog. And wasn't there a story just recently on here about picts of a kid taken from their blog and then used on a craig's list ad? Plus, I wonder how many perverts have certain blogs that they like to ...ahem...."view" for their jollies. :tongue_smilie: gives me the creeps to imagine that.

[Riceballmommy]

On my mommy blog I use a gimmick, I got the idea from a sub community on Xanga. On Momaroo, they use Mama Ladybug, Mama Pig, etc. So on my mommy blog I'm Riceball Mommy and my daughter is Mini Riceball, everyone else gets some nickname or inital. I haven't posted any photos yet, and really don't plan to post much of any in the future. I keep my facebook friends rather limited, and I don't keep much of that public, though I do use my real name on my artist website, and blog, because my name is my branding. After you factor in that the gimmick feels like a moot point but it makes me feel better and I suppose that's what matters.

[Margo out of lurking]

It can be dangerous. My dh showed me a video he had to watch from work years ago how putting any info on the internet can lead people to you.

 

You don't have to put info online for people to find you.

 

At work today, my boss was trying to track down one of our volunteers. We knew she'd gone out of state to visit her daughter.

 

Thanks to these forums, I looked up our volunteer at http://www.veromi.net (didn't pay anything, used the free info). Her (adult) daughter's and son's names were listed. I looked up the daughter's name, including the age that had been provided. It brought up two men with the same last name and similar ages, one of which I assumed would be her husband.

 

I googled the daughter's city to find the county where she lives. I went to the real estate assessor's website and searched for her name. It showed property owned with one of the two men, so I knew I'd found the daughter and son in law. I ran their name through a white pages site and got their phone number, which my boss called.

 

Total time: 5 mins. All with public information. I'm a pretty decent internet stalker.

 

Back to blogs. I've blogged for over three years. If someone wanted to find me, they could piece together a lot of info by reading a lot of posts. But I'm being realistic. Anyone I know IRL has far more potential to be a danger to my family.

 

If stalking (with the intent to harm, forget harmless stalkers like me, haha) were a real danger, the newspapers would be FULL of stories. They're not.

[Mommie_Jen]

I've blogged since 2007 and recently shut it down, making it visible to no one. I have started a new one, but haven't made it public yet. No names, no location, no pictures of us or kids. Last year my little mommy blog was found by a anti adoption, anti Christian group based in the middle east. They left a weird enough comment that I backtracked them to their website and found where they had ripped me, and other adoptive pants, apart. It freaked me out enough where I yanked it all. To each their own. I follow a blogger who lives in another state. I know her profession, her husband's, the names and ages of her kids, and where they live.

[Whereneverever]

My blog is pretty lame info wise. My husband has a ton of info out there about all of us.

 

I don't think it's any more likely to attract danger then going to the grocery store.

[Remudamom]

I don't think so. If you're worried post a pic of you packing.

[Catwoman]

My mother asked my sister how to access my new blog. She then sent me an email expressing her many concerns about my posting all kinds of information on the internet. Among her points were: using real names, showing the road on which I live, I do my a.m. barn chores alone (barn is a mile away from my house on someone else's farm), having pictures of my family online...

 

I don't completely disagree, but considering how many millions of bloggers and websites are out there, is it any more risky than going to the grocery store and having someone decide to follow me home?

 

Maybe it's more dangerous. Maybe it's not. But it's just one more way for people to learn more about you and your family than you would probably want them to know.

 

I think your mom made some very valid points.

 

Think about it this way -- if someone stopped you in the supermarket and asked what street you live on, what your kids' names were and how old they were, and asked to see some family photos, you might think he was a stalker or a child molester or a lunatic. But when you post all of that exact same information on a public blog, you're basically doing the exact same thing, only with many more potential "interested parties" able to see it all.

 

I think there's also an issue of how much detail people post in their blogs or on other social media.

 

When people post things like, "Tomorrow we leave for Disney World and we won't be home for two weeks... we have to drop the dogs off at the kennel before we go," and they have already posted things like their home address, it wouldn't take an Einstein to figure out that it would be a good time to break into the house.

 

Will anyone ever use the information to hurt you or your family? Probably not, but I'm not willing to take that chance. I'm always surprised when people will complain about their nosy relatives or snooping neighbors, and then will go ahead and post every detail about their lives on their blogs or on Facebook, where a whole lot more people will be able to read it.

 

I guess it has a lot to do with how privacy-conscious you are. If you don't mind having all of that information out there, for any and all to see, that's fine, but I wouldn't do it. I think we all need to figure out how much information is within our comfort levels, and we all have different feelings about that.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Catwoman

[Catwoman]

Oops! Double post! :blush:

[Mama Geek]

We don't post pics of dd on public forums or blogs. I have a blog for people I personally know that is by invite only and I do send e-mails to family. I don't give out our names and try to be vague about locations. If you read enough of my posts here you could probably figure out who I am, but that is about it.

[shanvan]

Someone posted this awhile back:

 

I see so many folks who sign their names to their emails, then write things like "Wife of __ years to ____", and "Mom of ____ for _ years, ____ for _ years, and ___ for _ years", and even "Proud owner of ______, the dog."

 

Do those who do this realize the ammunition you're putting out there for potential harm-doers? Especially considering how many of our emails are forwarded to strangers? And considering the fact that we advertise to buy/sell things from each other? Thus providing our addresses and/or phone numbers?

 

Let's put this into perspective. (All the names are hypothetical) I get an email from Nancy, who's selling some school books and the email address tells me:

1. her last name is probably Brown and her signature tells me:

1. she's been married to Bob for 20 years,

2. has a 16-year old daughter named Chelsey,

3. a 13-year old son, Bob Jr.,

4. a 10-year old daughter, Amber,

5. a dog named Bingo

6. lives in the Triangle area

7. and her phone number is 555-1234

 

With this information (or just pieces of it), a predator can go to any number of websites and do a reverse phone number search - where you put in the phone number to get the address, instead of the address to get the phone number. Actually these days, one can do a search with a first name and general area and get results. So, now the predator has the Brown's address. What's to stop them from casing the house for a few days to catch a pattern of behavior? Then at some opportune time, seeing Bingo in the backyard by himself, strolling around and taking him. Then the next day they see 10-year old Amber riding her bike outside alone, walk up to her, call her by name, tell her that they're a neighbor and think they just spotted Bingo down the street, and asking her to come help find him?

 

--

And here is a story that really makes kids think!

 

Story of an Online Predator...

 

Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home.

 

The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster. "You're being silly," she told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe."

 

She saw the porch light burning and ran the rest of the way to her house.

 

Once inside, She leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty. After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab snack and get on-line.

 

 

She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy

List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:

 

ByAngel213: Hi I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

 

GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?

 

ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.

 

GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?

 

ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.

 

GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?

 

ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!

 

GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?

 

ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross!They

look like bees. LOL

 

GoTo123: What is your team's name?

 

ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really kewl.

 

GoTo123: Did you pitch?

 

ByAngel213: No, I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!

 

GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye.

 

Meanwhile...... GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her

profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.

 

Her name: Shannon

Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985 , Age:13

State where she lived: North Carolina, Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.

Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents got home. She played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in

The conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her now.

 

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ball park that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.

 

Next Thursday, Shannon's game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the fear she had felt.

 

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car. Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there.

 

Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.

 

"Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.

 

"Sit down," her father began. "This man has just told us a most interesting story about you." Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the man. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!

 

"Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man asked.

 

"No," Shannon answered.

 

"I am a police officer and I'm your online friend, GoTo123."

 

Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! Goto123 is a kid my age! He's 14 and he lives in Michigan!"

 

The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true.You see, Shannon, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them.

 

"But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your

jersey just made finding you a breeze."

 

Shannon was stunned! "You mean you don't live in Michigan?"

 

He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"

 

She nodded.

 

"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky.

 

The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone.

 

Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line.The wrong people trick you into giving out. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again."

 

"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly.

 

"Will you tell others about this so they will be safe too?"

 

"It's a promise!"

 

***************************************************

This is a fictional story, but it makes a good point. Please send this to as many people as you can to teach them not to give any information about themselves. This world we live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age, let alone anything else.

 

EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS!

All should take warning --even adults!

 

Thanks for posting this. I've been trying to explain to my naive Dd how this can happen. She doesn't post online anywhere, but some of her friends do. We had a discussion about how something like this could happen and she just didn't really understand b/c I couldn't give her enough examples.

[Dustybug]

Another zombie thread comes alive!!!!

 

:P

[jujsky]

I think there are ways to be careful about it. I wouldn't, for example, post that I was going to be alone or out of town. Until recently, I didn't post my full name, but I hooked my blog up to Google+ and now it does and there's no way to change my Google+ account to reflect my first name only :glare: I'm not happy about that at all because my last name is very uncommon. Oh well. I figure if someone is obsessed enough with us to track us down and can get A. us actually home and not at one of our bajillion activities B. through our security system, and C. through 2 big, protective German Shepherds, they must be crazily determined! Not to mention that the houses in our neighborhood are close together, I have neighbors on all 4 sides of me pretty much, and everyone knows everyone else and is aware of strange cars. I think the chances of someone I know committing a crime against us are far greater than some random stranger stalking me on my blog. What mental nut-job would stalk a homeschooling blog anyway? I doubt rapists, kidnappers, and murderers are all that interested in the jello-and-fruit plant and animal cell models I made today or that we plan on making a giant cookie later in the week.

[Mommie_Jen]

Another zombie thread comes alive!!!!

 

:P

 

 

Woah. I had NO idea, I didn't even think to check the date. It looks like I maybe was the one who brought it back to life?? But I was on the first page, which means it would have had to have a recent post, but I don't see one now.

 

I am hanging my head in shame. I am sorry!

[shanvan]

Woah. I had NO idea, I didn't even think to check the date. It looks like I maybe was the one who brought it back to life?? But I was on the first page, which means it would have had to have a recent post, but I don't see one now.

 

I am hanging my head in shame. I am sorry!

 

I didn't notice either. :blush:

[Katy]

I'm pretty careful with these things; but then my dad went from the Navy to being a cop when I was little, and my sister recently had a sex offender target their son because of family law enforcement connections. I try to keep things as vague as possible, and we don't post photos or names online. I also try and keep blog life and real life very separate.

[Ibbygirl]

I don't think so. If you're worried post a pic of you packing.

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[Ibbygirl]

I didn't notice either. :blush:

 

Me either. :ohmy:

[*lifeoftheparty*]

nm. Didn't realize it was an old post :)

Edited August 29, 2012 by Gao Meixue

[besroma]

Thanks for posting this. I've been trying to explain to my naive Dd how this can happen. She doesn't post online anywhere, but some of her friends do. We had a discussion about how something like this could happen and she just didn't really understand b/c I couldn't give her enough examples.

 

:iagree: I am glad this was posted.

[Catwoman]

Me either. :ohmy:

 

Add me to the List of the Clueless. :blush:

[LisaBoo]

:iagree: Good advice.

I think you will find all levels of blogging. Is it dangerous? I don't think so but our internet lives are not truly private, but that another post. There was a recent thread about that.

 

IMO what it comes down to is YOUR level of comfort with what you put on the blog. My dh and I discussed it and he wanted more privacy. So I don't use his or ds' real name, I don't post photos of the front of my house. I don't post our town.

 

This has also been brought up before but I don't assume to know anyone elses comfort with my blog (or any internet venue). I don't post pictures of other peoples kids, other family members without permission, or the real names of other bloggers/posters who use a pseudonym online.

[Elizabeth in MN]

I've been blogging for over a decade and am very careful about the information I put out there. I have in the past used real names, no location beyond the town name, and pictures but none of my daughter. If I had it to do over again I would only use first names, no pictures of my dd, and the state I live in.

 

My main concern is my dd and how posting things about her could impact her life in the future. She doesn't need nude baby photos turning up in a job interview in twenty years.

[Wheres Toto]

Another zombie thread comes alive!!!!

 

:P

 

I thought this thread sounded familiar but evidently I didn't respond the first time.

 

I blog and use real first names. My first name is the most uncommon one in my family, everyone else has extremely common first names. I don't put our town name (small town) but someone could figure out our general region but I live in the most densely populated state in the country. A google of dh's first and last name will come up with at least 5 different people, none of which are him.

 

I do put pictures but only of my kids or if I have express permission from the other parents (I put a video of my oldest's tap duet from this year, I had permission from him and his mother).

 

I worry more about someone targeting us out at the mall or the store. Following us to our car would get them our license plate number and they could probably find us through that. Or just follow us home. Yet, we still go out in public all the time.

 

I have a big problem with my son telling random people our address and inviting them over for a playdate. It's been a lot of work getting him to stop and if the wrong person overheard it, they know exactly where we live. It's not something I lose sleep over.

[teeniebeenie6]

I think it is dangerous to use real names and to have pictures of streets. There are just too many children predators out there. I remember watching a show about child porn and they showed a US map with green circles where child porn had been accessed and almost every spot of the map was covered. It freaked me out. I have a very unusual last name and once had someone message me on facebook saying they liked my picture and wanted to get together. My facebook is private but they could still see my name and profile picture which happened to be me holding my child. I ended up changing my profile to my maiden name. Even if the risk is low, I don't want to take a chance.

[Catwoman]

I have a very unusual last name and once had someone message me on facebook saying they liked my picture and wanted to get together.

 

:eek: :ack2: :eek: :ack2:

 

Yikes! That is creepy!!!