Entropymama Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) Do you use your real name? What about your husband/wife/kid's real names? Why or why not? Edited March 31, 2011 by BSmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I have nicknames for them all. My hubby is Oz, since he's from Australia. The kids are M1 and M2. I'm sure if someone tried, it wouldn't be hard to find out who we really are, but I figure where there's a will there's a way. I do it for my own peace of mind, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use real first names but they are very common names and in a state as populous as NJ, it isn't going to help anyone track us down. There are 14 other people in our state with the exact same name - first and last - as DH, so first names only aren't going to do much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Names are changed to something fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 not only no, but h e double toothpicks no. no one online needs to know my kids names. I let few people know mine. Never my Dh. It's not my information to give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Yeah I do. The privacy settings are such that only half a dozen people can read it. No point getting secretive when most of them know where we live. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Other. :D I use their real first initials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use my real name (first name only), but not my kids' or DH's real name. Julie is a fairly common name, but if I couple that with DH's name and the name of my kids -- I guess it would be easy to find us if someone wanted to. Besides, if I ever want to complain about my MIL, I wouldn't want her to do a google search and find me ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use all of our real first names, because I figure if someone really wants to find us they will regardless of giving cute nicknames. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use my name, but not my ds or dh. This was by dh's request. His real name is not Tigger, but he laughs like it. I do use my pets real names, they don't care if they come up in google search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganClassicalPrep Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use real names, first only. I haven't found a real reason not too. Honestly, I'm more concerned about a random snatching from the store than someone tracking us down on the internet. Then again, DD and I don't live at our permanent address. We have an apartment near my school, but use my parents address as our official address. (Financial aid and all, and since we will only be here for a short time it never made sense to switch.) So even if someone did look for us, they'd never find us. Although... sometimes I wish I had used fake names for more privacy. More as a cover from family who may be trying to find anything than strangers though! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use a shortened version of my real first name, but I changed my family's names to nicknames. Mostly for safety. I also never mention exactly where we live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use all of our real first names, because I figure if someone really wants to find us they will regardless of giving cute nicknames. :iagree: I figure the odds of someone weird stalking us aren't any worse than irl. I don't use last names, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annettemarie Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I do. My husband is a pastor so our info is kind of out there anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 People who are more famous than I use real names (Susan Wise Bauer, for example). Who the heck would want to stalk *me* because of what they read on my blog? If someone is determined to find out something about me or my family online, they will do it regardless. I'm much more worried about something happening IRL that has nothing to do with the fact that I blog and use our names. Besides, I occasionally do photography work. Kinda hard to do business online without using one's name. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 No. I refer to myself as the Strawberry Mama, my DH as D (his first intial) and the children by their shortened first names, just like here. I use a vague description of where we live, not the actual name of the town. I have a business, I deal with the public at large, and my blog is public. I'm not really all that worried about cyber stalking or anything, but it does make me more comfortable knowing that ALL of my personal info isn't so easily accessible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Nope! I have a wildly unusual first name that is spelled weird (I think my parents for this on a daily basis-sorry if I dripped sarcasm on you) and don't like to give it out. On my blog, as here (and pretty much everywhere on the internet, except FB, which I have set to private), I am MiHH, dh is James Bond, ds is Indy (at his own request-I was using his initial, but he didn't like that) and the baby is Han Solo (also at Indy's request). I also don't use the names of any of my friends. They all have nicknames that go with some part of their personality (Cheesehead is from WI and a raging Packer's fan, The Contessa is in love with all things Italian, Hoosier Mom is from IN-her blog is called Hoosier Vagabonds, her husband is JAG, because he's a military lawyer, etc). I do however use the dog's real names. They don't mind. I do use our real city, but I'm not all that worried there. I have been "recognized" in our military community and it cracks me up (mostly because I can't believe they read my silly little blog). Several times I've has someone come up to me and say "Hey, aren't you MiHH? I read your blog!" BTW, Hoosier Mom "blog stalked" me for months before moving over here. She googled our military town looking for information and my blog popped up (I do many posts about where we live). She became a follower and then contacted me with specific questions about living here. After we'd been communicating for a while (and I checked out her own blog and saw that she was a legit military spouse), I gave her my real name. We recognized each other one day outside the post office shortly after she moved here. We're now great friends! She even threw my recent baby shower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felicity Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use our real first names mostly because I couldn't think of anything else when I was setting the blog up. Apparently two names each and I'm out of creative ideas. Sad, really. Plus no one reads my blog anyway.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mother Superior Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I have a very very neglected blog pertaining to adoption in support of my business (I'm an adoption law attorney). My other blog, recently resurrected, is about homeschooling and homeschool activism-- I am on the Advisory Board of the Illinois Homeschool Political Action Committee. So, both of my blogs pertain to my "public" life. And as such, both use my real name. I never really wanted to lead a "public" life, but that is the way things have come about in recent weeks. It's a little freaky-- but it keeps me honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use pseudonyms for everyone I mention on my blog, but it's more just a convention among my social circle than for protecting anyone. Since my blog links to my Facebook page, it would be a simple matter for an interested reader to find out who I am. For that matter, the reader could fairly easily track my complete online presence from blog to various forums I post on, and match that to my address and phone number in the book. So yeah, theoretically, some evil person who doesn't like something I say here could turn up at my house and call my children by name in a bid to kidnap them. I'm kinda relying on being sufficiently insignificant that nobody hates me quite that much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
july19 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use our real first names, but no last names - though it's a pretty common name, especially here in NJ. I never give out an exact address and especially since we're moving soon, even the "Bergen County" location will be obsolete. Facebook is set to private. My husband is on the radio, writes for an extremely popular internet media site and has thousands of followers and fans, is heavily involved on his college campus, is extremely active with Habitat for Humanity and other charities, etc and he's stricter than I am. He lists his real name because he has to, but he refuses to mention our son at all and has only mentioned me twice - and that was by the term "wife" only. That being said, I really am more worried about someone trying to steal my kid at the store than I am about someone tracking me down via the web. There are so many sites dedicated to listing personal information and addresses that if someone really wanted to harm my family, they could find us. Thanks again, spokeo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Other. :D I use their real first initials. I should add - this is for avoiding family and neighbors, not for safety. Like others have mentioned, I'm more concerned with every day errands and events. Though I *would hate to have to deal with the type of harassment Mrs. G (formerly from PW) faced when people hunted her phone number down. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 First names only for dd11, dh and me. I used "brother" and "sister" for the teens. I haven't yet linked my blog to my (private) facebook. Friends are starting to link their blogs on FB but I just don't want to deal with some relatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 My real name is in the address of my blog. I try to avoid using my kids names though. I rarely blog about my family, so it doesn't come up often. I don't think I have put my wife's name on my blog either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 When I started our blog, I used our real names. If you went there today, and hunted through older posts, I'm sure you'd still find them. About a year ago I switched to nicknames, because my blog was suddenly gaining popularity on various websites of interest for other Americans moving to Brazil, and was associated with our city. Also had an unsettling email around that time (I have a blog-only email, listed on the blog). I took my blog private for about a week or so, went through editing names to nicknames, wrote an article/blurb about why we were switching to a more anonymous feel, and took the blog live again. I've used nicknames ever since (though, like I said, still not fully edited those older posts to get rid of our names....). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon in TN Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use nicknames for all of us but there are a few other bloggers out there who know the "real me" from affiliate programs and just wanting to meet up with other bloggers I've connected with. But definitely no names or faces of my kids or dh on my blog. Any pics I use either won't be of their face (I'll focus on their hands or something) or from behind. I have a real cute pic that I used a while back of dd reading to ds both snuggled in a chair, but I shot it from behind so you can see the book they're reading over the backs of their heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Other. :D I use their real first initials. Same here. It is more for my own piece of mind. If someone was truly interested they could easily figure out the area we live in based on where we go and what we are doing, and of course the pictures of them are like a big arrow saying "Here I am". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use all of our real first names, because I figure if someone really wants to find us they will regardless of giving cute nicknames. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Ok, now I'm a bit concerned. Can someone actually find our family from me using first names on our blog? It's not linked to my facebook page, which I've set on private anyway. My husband and daughter's names are very common so I have used their first name. Never had to use my name because I'm always the one writing so there's no reason to... I also have never listed our town or any details like that. Oh, and NO ONE- not even my family who I have have sent the link to several times in an attempt to get them to care what we're doing with Grace- reads it but me. It's almost like an online diary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I need an "other" category. I use my real name, but have nicknames for the kiddos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Yes. I cannot imagine anyone stalking us for any reason. I don't post a lot of personal information, though -- mainly homeschooling recommendations and papercrafts stuff. I follow a lot of "famous" people blogs in the scrapbooking industry, and they all use their real names. If I were putting inappropriate things on my blog, I could see someone going out of their way to find us. But as it is, whose really going to want to stalk a scrapbooking homeschooler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsrevmeg Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I use our real names. I say we live in Deliverance. That could be applicable to many areas, not just our own. Like some previous posters, I am more concerned about about a random irl kidnapping or something (like a methhead breaking in) than someone stalking on my blog. Who wants to stalk a boring, homeschooling, preacher's family??? Plus one of the reasons I ever started blogging was so my mil could see what we are up to. She can barely keep the kids straight as-is. If she had nicknames to keep up with she'd go crazy-er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 My personal blog, which I've had for ten years and which is mostly friends-only these days, yes. If I could go back in time and be more anonymous, I might. I use aliases on my public blogs. I have no concern whatsoever about sexual predators, and think that, for the most part, those fears are way overblown. I have seen online drama devolve into harassment CPS calls and that sort of business, though. While I try to avoid that type of thing, I also don't see any need for random strangers to easily find out who we are. I also do it to try to maintain a modicum of control over who from real life is reading the blog, and my kids have an unusual enough combo of names that they'd be easy to google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticamethyst Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 When I first started my blog all the kids were given blog names. Then I linked my blog to my FB which I use to keep in touch with family and I slowly just began to use their real names. I do like the idea of using just their first initial and will try that, fabulous idea.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I have / have had several. I use real names in private family blogs that require a password, and I use fake names in public ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 My blog has little to do with my family, but I decided a while ago that should they ever end up in the blog incidentally that they would have fake names. DH is very private and has asked that I please blog anonymously and not use real names. I will continue to honor that request, even if I do start a "family" blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 I should add - this is for avoiding family and neighbors, not for safety. Like others have mentioned, I'm more concerned with every day errands and events. Though I *would hate to have to deal with the type of harassment Mrs. G (formerly from PW) faced when people hunted her phone number down. :glare: Who is Mrs. G? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We use our real first names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
july19 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Who is Mrs. G? PW is Pioneer Woman and Mrs. G is a contributor to PW's homeschooling section. Mrs. G was a public school educator who homeschooled her children. She had some trials and tribulations, but was a very successful educator - both in the public eye and in her private home. I have learned so much from PW's homeschooling section, and especially from Mrs. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I used to, but when I moved my blog from Homeschoolblogger to Blogger, I decided to start over and gave my kids code names. I just didn't want people to be able to Google their names and find out tons of personal stuff about them. People who read my old blog know their real names - but eventually I'm going to either delete my old blog or make it private. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zillymom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I use my real name (first name only), but not my kids' or DH's real name. Julie is a fairly common name, but if I couple that with DH's name and the name of my kids -- I guess it would be easy to find us if someone wanted to. Same here. My real name, first name only; the abbreviation DH, and a nickname for DD. Our DD's name is very uncommon so I don't really want the blog to be so searchable (although I don't mind if people I know stumble upon it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I just didn't want people to be able to Google their names and find out tons of personal stuff about them. People who read my old blog know their real names - but eventually I'm going to either delete my old blog or make it private. Yeah. Two more thoughts... 1. It's setting a bad example if I'm telling them not to give out personal information online and then going and doing the same for them. 2. Online bullying, employers googling potential employees and so forth is already a problem. I'd like to minimize the chances that my online actions now might have a negative impact on them in the future by avoiding increasing their googlability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 It seems to me that this has a lot to do with how much personal info we put on our blogs. I mention my boys, but I never say anything bad about them (nothing to upset a future employer, LOL), and I don't share personal problems with them or anything like that. I just show pictures of them with their toys, mention books they like reading, etc. I don't quite see what about that could be so interesting to some stalker. We're just quiet people who keep to ourselves. I cannot imagine anyone coming after Nathan because, for example, he made WWI documentaries or Ben because he makes balloon animals. Yeah. Two more thoughts... 1. It's setting a bad example if I'm telling them not to give out personal information online and then going and doing the same for them. 2. Online bullying, employers googling potential employees and so forth is already a problem. I'd like to minimize the chances that my online actions now might have a negative impact on them in the future by avoiding increasing their googlability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I don't use my real name. I use initials for my kids and hubby. Why just because. It keeps things a bit more private. Also, I have one son who does not want his face pictured on my blog, so he does not usually appear in any pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 It seems to me that this has a lot to do with how much personal info we put on our blogs. I mention my boys, but I never say anything bad about them (nothing to upset a future employer, LOL), and I don't share personal problems with them or anything like that. I just show pictures of them with their toys, mention books they like reading, etc. I don't quite see what about that could be so interesting to some stalker. We're just quiet people who keep to ourselves. I cannot imagine anyone coming after Nathan because, for example, he made WWI documentaries or Ben because he makes balloon animals. :iagree: We're pretty boring. Nothing controversial, very little deep thoughts, just a description of what we've done that week mostly. In almost 2 years, I have less than 7,000 total visitors and the majority of those are probably DH and MIL. Googling my kids first names isn't going to tell much. They are very common first names and they don't all have the same last name even if someone knew my last name. My oldest is probably the most "out there" on the internet but it's not through my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I use my name. I do not use the names of anyone else I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in C-ville Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Oh, I have SO used real names and know that we could easily be found. If I had to do it again, I would not use real names but don't know how to change this now. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I voted "yes"--but that's only for my own name. (Trying to build name recognition in case I ever land that elusive book contract :D ) HOWEVER, I don't mention the names of my kids or husband, nor do I mention specific birthdays or ages. Also, I rarely post pics of my family because there are so many creepers out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I use our real names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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