My bloggy world has been slightly jaded. I recently encountered an experience that totally spooked me…
Remember I wrote a post about my near obsession with stats and the numbers game? Remember how in that same post I mentioned you can use your stats to your advantage as long as you don’t compare yourself to the numbers in the process? Well, I was doing a routine stat check recently and I noticed I was receiving some incoming traffic from China on a very strange referral. At first I didn’t think much of it but when this same referral started to hit my blog daily it began to concern me. I never clicked on the link (just in case it was something suspicious) but instead I did some research on Google Analytics and found myself in a support forum.
Apparently, I was not alone.
I was one of thousands of website owners from all over the world who were being attacked by this highly suspicious traffic out of China with the SAME referral.
I went back to my stats and over the next few days I had a surge of traffic coming from this suspicious site. They were hitting my blog on the hour, every hour. At that point I knew they were not coming to Theta Mom to read my latest post or to meet a blogger through TMC and as it turns out, my presumptions were correct.
It has been reported that these were indeed hackers, crawling websites and probing for passwords in an attempt to add malicious scripts. I immediately started to block the IP addresses but the problem was this site was running on thousands of servers so the IP addresses kept changing with every hit. After heeding the advice from Google Analytics who was investigating this issue for thousands of webmasters, I was advised to block all traffic from China to ensure these hackers couldn’t access my site. Needless to say, this unnerving experience has brought a couple of things to light for me.
It reinforces the idea that our blogs can be seen by anyone, anywhere at anytime – including this kind of “unwanted” traffic.
In addition, I’ve had some really nasty Google searches recently (so nasty I can’t even repeat them on this blog) with the word mom in them which ultimately lands them to MY blog since “mom” is in the title. These are especially the kind of peeps I do not want coming to my blog viewing pictures of my children or reading about me. However, it’s the kind of thing to expect since we are putting ourselves out there on the internet for ALL to see.
So I think this begs to ask the question, what standards should we have set forth on our blogs for ourselves? What are the limits?
There is no right or wrong answer here but for me, I do not share my children’s names, my place of employment or any of that other personal information. Furthermore, anything I add to Facebook I presume can be seen by everyone so I don’t add anything there that I wouldn’t add here. But I do post pictures of my children on this blog and although in recent months I watermarked them, I’m beginning to wonder if I should even post pictures at all.
So if there is EVER a post I would like you to comment on, please make it this one and share with me – I really want to know how you deal with this. As active bloggers, where do you draw the line? What are you comfortable publishing on the internet and how do you do so without losing your authenticity as a blogger in the process?
This is great food for thought even though it’s not a great topic and one we’d all rather avoid! I have now implemented some of your suggestions so I can even be more careful than I already think I’m being. Thanks for the well-written post!
.-= Chels´s last blog ..Composting HELP!! =-.
I worry about this as well and make those attempts at some keeping at least a portion of my private information off of my blog (names, places, etc). Like you, I post pictures…and I worry about it when I do, but the pictures are so much a part of what I love about blogging that I’m not going to stop.
.-= MyMercurialNature´s last blog ..The Happiness Project – Bowling Shoes =-.
i don’t give info on what we do work wise. all my photos of ava are appropriate – fully dressed and respectful. i list my name but i’ve been published and because one of the main focuses of my blog is writing, it’s a decision my husband and i are comfortable with. i recently revealed the city i live in but i’m starting a page highlighting it’s good points because, well, this city needs all the help it can get.
so sorry that happened to you! very scary stuff!
.-= ericka @ alabastercow´s last blog ..my bucket list =-.
I’m quite a bit of a newbie blogger, but I’ve had a Twitter account for a couple years now, and recently got hacked. The hacker posted this sex advertisement posing as me to all my followers and I had no idea until one them DM’d me and clued me in. I felt so violated, and after changing all my privacy settings, went and took a shower to get that gross feel off me! I’ve also had these porn/sex sites trying to follow my tweets. ICK! Like a lot of the above commenters mentioned, once we put ourselves out there, we’re all pretty fair game. I am going to look at that google/alert and see what I can do to become more private, yet keep my readers. Thanks for the heads up, and hope this quits soon for you!
.-= Katie’s Dailies´s last blog ..Blonde Moment # 3,746,000 & A Win =-.
Thanks Katie- Yes, blocking the IP addresses managed to ward them off, but the reality is – if it’s not China today, it will be hacks from somewhere else. No blogger is immune to this stuff, and as you said, even on Twitter, FB, etc. it happens.
I want to continue to share pics but I will stay vigilent and keep it to a minimum. Writing is the heart and soul of this blog, and that’s certainly not something I will compromise.
I worry about it too. I don’t post where we actually live, where we are for work, but I do post names and pictures. I have begun using the name Princess instead but her actual name is still in the tags and title. It is a hard decision. I don’t worry so much about spammers as I do pedophiles. I wish we didn’t have to worry about such things, but this world has some awful people.
Well, my name obviously isn’t GlowinGirl. *grin*
Actually, my name is very unusual (especially combined with my last name), so I’m reluctant to use it. Plus, my dad freaks out about my being on the Internet. He doesn’t like the kids being on there either.
I don’t use names, and I don’t tell where we live.
.-= GlowinGirl´s last blog ..One More Time =-.
I’m so glad you caught wind to what was happening! I think you are absolutely right. Bloggers do put themselves out there for the ENTIRE world to see – not just the people who we HOPE see our blogs. It’s frightening. I personally don’t like sharing my personal information or pictures online. Even on Facebook (I don’t like that they “own” my pictures once I upload them). I keep it very minimal.
I think this is a fantastic post and I hope that it raises awareness to the less than ideal aspects of sharing too much information online!
Thank you! I have noticed that the bigger my blog grows, the more potential for these things to occur – I think as long as we periodically check traffic and stay vigilant about the decisions we make, then we are doing alright.
I do use real first names on my blog, but I don’t tell where we live. I also do pictures, and I really go back and forth on it. Sometimes even when I am posting a picture and feeling all excited about it I will have second thoughts about posting it.
I haven’t had an experience as scary as yours (and something like that probably would push me over the edge on the picture decision!) but I do have some concerns over family members who have recently found my blog. (family member who we don’t have contact with) The other day I seriously toyed with the thought of deleting it all and starting over more anonymously with totally made up names and no pictures, but that is also kind of a sad thought because I’ve worked hard on my blog and built friendships. I just don’t know.
.-= Tracie´s last blog ..-Why Clothing Choices are Important =-.
Ack, I’m so sorry you have to deal with this!
I refuse to post pics of my kids on Facebook (and if they’re in your profile pic, EVERYONE can see them whether you have your privacy settings on or not). I just recently put a few pics of the kiddos on my blog, but #1 you couldn’t see their face in either one, and #2 they were appropriately dressed, etc. I started using “screen names” for them as well.
I don’t like putting location information out either, for that matter!
Good luck, and hope everything is resolved soon!
Thanks Stephanie – yes, I have reached resolution in terms of the hackers – by blocking the IP addresses, this has warded them off. However, I am still unsure where I will go from here in terms of photos, which spurred me to write this post to get some feedback from each of you. I am feeling more confident in the decisions I have made this far based on these commets. It’s so nice to know I am not alone in this.
Wow – this post makes me cringe at just how lax I am with the pictures I post of my family and with our anonymity on my blog . While I try not to provide too much information, any savvy googler would be able to find us, and that’s just scary.
I’m sorry something like that happened to you. From your experience, I hope to be better about how I protect those I love/feature (often the same) on my blog.
I don’t post pics of the kids faces…if I do…it is skewed, or it is of a baby that will look different in a year. That is even only about 3 posts. I don’t use my actual name or specifics on where I am from. I also haven’t ever posted a pic of myself. I also don’t have my blog very search-able. I bet I am probably shooting myself in the foot with that one, but I have some friends who have had those nasty searches lead to their blog. I am ok growing my blog the hard way.
How do you block a particular country btw? I went to analytics and looked but did not see any way to do that.
Also there are a ton of spammy nasty twitter followers out there. I have blocked and reported a lot. Everyone should just stay on top of all aspects of their blog…and they need to be responsible for their cyberspace.
Great post. Very needed!
have a great day!
.-= jjlaughing´s last blog ..Mad Lib for your table…on a Tuesday… =-.
You have to do a regular google search to actually block out a whole country, as you can imagine how many IP addresses there are – there are a few links to sites that actually post the IP addresses to blobk – but and the more I researched, the more I discovered just how many webmasters have done this for their own protection. If you run into this kind of thing, it certainly doesn’t hurt to block, as I’ve experienced. I think most hosting companies would advise it as well.
I was astounded at how much came out about me when I left blogspot and went to dotcom.
Then my first and last name popped up. Didn’t like that at all.
It can be unnerving.
.-= Alexandra´s last blog ..LOL =-.
Funny you write about this—I was just wondering about the strange places that are showing up on my feedjit….Sadly everything you wrote about justifies my reasons for keeping my blog anonymous. It is a fine line and a scary world—and as technology evolves, it is bound to get even scarier.
I am glad you were able to block at least for the moment- though clearly, hackers are hackers for a reason. And when one door closes, they will find another to open.
And that’s my point, too Cara. Not one site or one blogger is immune to hacking – All we can do is stay alert and peridocially check our traffic and investigate suspicious activity – and as I’ve come to learn, back up your blog regularly!
I post pictures of my family. I will also post pictures of my daughters friends as long as I get clearance from parents. Because my blog is a way to stay connected with friends and family, my pictures will not be going away.
My husband and I are always talking about internet safety and what is and is not a good idea. Because of his line of work, we’re really cautious, but not fearful. I have recently started using my first name on my blog again (after only using a nickname for a long time) due to some things that I’m now doing. My husband and daughter still have nicknames.
It really is a personal decision on whether or not to post pictures. I like to see pictures on blogs. It allows you to connect more with the blogger, but I respect those that don’t feel comfortable posting them.
.-= Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads´s last blog ..Lunch Time Fun: Spring Plate =-.
Wow! This post is scary. I did post pictures of my kids one time on my blog, but just had a gut feeling I needed to take them down, so I did. I never use real names, except for mine. I will never talk about where my husband works,kids names,etc etc. Heather, that water mark you use on your pics, can’t that be cropped off? If you have some crazy person stalking your blog, couldn’t they copy your pics then just crop off the water mark? I do not know, it was just a thought I had? Scary stuff.
Question~ I never check my stats or traffic or anything like that, mainly because I do not know how. Do you think this is something I should become familiar with,just so I can make sure no crazy kind of traffic is coming through?
Jennifer ~ Sad, but true. Yes, they can be easily cropped off, unless you place them smack in the middle. I use sitemeter, it’s free and once you set up an account, you simply add the code directly into your blog. If you want to know more about your traffic, I would recommend using this or Google Analytics.
Wow this is really scary! I’m one using an anonymous blog with no pictures of the kids, but that doesn’t mean I’m not sharing the stories of my life.
Reality is the internet is a scary place. I appreciate the tips to check on those stats. I better do it more often!
.-= ModernMom´s last blog ..The Suburban Mama Code =-.
Before my blog went live I read a number of advice posts from other blogs. I decided I’d use my first name as it’s rather common, and lends a level of familiarity. The kids have psyudo names and I never share my last name. My city is pretty big and I do talk about stuff around town so I mention that.
One more thing I did was pay for a Domains By Proxy service. People can look up who owns your domain name and get all your details. By paying for the proxy service, they only get the proxy company info in a domain name search and any attempt to contact me through that is through the company. I highly recommend that to everyone.
–Jen (www.heligirl.com)
Heligirl – Excellent point. I have that set-up as well because with just a tiny google search, within seconds you can find the home address and personal information of ANY domain owner. So for a few extra $ a year, totally worth the peace of mind. Thanks for sharing.
ugh, i HATE that we live in a world where we even have to think about these things. but we do. i’ve thought about this a lot, and i’ve come to conclusions similar to yours. i post pictures of my children here and there, but they are always fully clothed, and i don’t use their names. also, i try not to reveal too many details about my location and daily schedules (such as times we will be out of the house). still, though, it’s a scary world we live in.
i just really dislike the fact that something that has brought so much good to my life (blogging) could also be the instrument of negative effects like you’ve had to deal with. thanks for the thought-provoking post.
.-= depressionsandconfessions´s last blog ..like, omg! my speling sux. =-.
I don’t know…I post my kids’ names and their pics…I figure no one reads my blog!! 😉 Now I’m all freaked out…hmmm….
Hackers drive me bonkers. They are destructive for no purpose! I have to keep comment moderation on for this reason. I’d love to kill it altogether, but I get a ton of spam, and I feel it’s my obligation to protect my READERS from clicking on the URLs they link to their name.
Erin – I have to agree, the spam recently is ridiculous. I guess it’s just another reality of the bloggy world we are a part of.
Wow – I’ve never even thought about sleazy traffic coming from hackers. That’s really good information to be aware of.
I have had the unfortunate experience of looking at my traffic stats and finding a women who stole 17 blogs posts from me along with photos. I was able to find her email address through her domain provider and when I contacted her about stealing my content she promptly shut down her site.
On my blog I don’t display any photos of my daughter, but I do occasionally mention her name. For the most part I try to keep my family life private, there are just too may deviants out there.
.-= Holly – The Work at Home Woman´s last blog ..How Do I Balance Work and Family? =-.
I’ve had someone in another country steal my content as well. I was finally able to get her to take the content down. I THINK she just was kinda new to blogging and didn’t really “get it”, but maybe I’m just telling myself that so I feel better about it. I don’t know. I hate that this is an issue.
.-= Skooks´s last blog ..DIY: Rainbow Cake =-.
This scares me and I don’t even have a blog!
Wow! I am sorry you guys have to deal with stuff like this
This is one messed up world.
I am glad you were able to figure it out and spread the word to others!
Gosh, that is scary, and honestly I haven’t thought about some of that stuff before. So you have inspired me to be a little more careful. I have been using my family’s names, but I do not mention specifics about my workplace or whereabouts. I post pictures but I would never post pics of scantily clad or cute bath/diaper pics, and I have decided against posting video.
.-= Kristy´s last blog ..Sugar, Hunny, Hunny (and an Award!) =-.
Also, can you suggest to me a good site stat thingy to register with?
.-= Kristy´s last blog ..Sugar, Hunny, Hunny (and an Award!) =-.
Kristy – I really like Sitemeter.com setting up for the basic account is free and once you have it set up, it’s just a matter of adding the code to your blog. You can also register free with Google Analytics, which works the same way.
Statcounter is a good one too.
.-= Skooks´s last blog ..DIY: Rainbow Cake =-.
My Twitter account was hacked 2x and my hotmail account has been hacked 2x, too. I go back and forth with the privacy thing. I waffle between giving up on blogging all together and starting over anonymously with a private blog. For now, I’m sticking with what I’m doing. I am thinking about putting Google Analytics on my blog again.
.-= Tracie´s last blog ..Monday Minute Because That’s All The Time I Have =-.
Tracie – I’m with you, I’m sticking to what I’m doing and before I hit publish, I ask myself is this something that I want potentially viewed by ALL and if I have any reservations, I take a step back. I think it’s smart to be somewhat cautious about this stuff since we are in clear view of ALL.
This is such a tough subject. I know everytime I post something there is a risk involved. I just tell myself that there is a risk involved with many things I do everyday.
.-= The Sassy Silly Spunky Momma´s last blog ..Look What Drake Found =-.
Wow, food for thought for sure! I’ve only been in the blogsphere for close to a year now and haven’t yet seen this – I think I’ve gotten a total of 10 hits on my blog in a year, so far I’m safe. Now that I’m networking and trying very hard to build my readership, I’m going to have to watch what I’m doing! The tips are great, thanks for all who’ve commented – we newbies can use all the help we can get.
I too had two different porn sites try to follow my tweets this week – blocked them both, but I know I’m going to have to be extra diligent now.
.-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..Sadness and Grief =-.
It makes me ill when I see I have a new Twitter follower and it turns out to be porn. Ick.
.-= Skooks´s last blog ..DIY: Rainbow Cake =-.
I personally use the internet primarily for business these days, and my blog focuses on promoting other’s handmade crafts. This said, even in my situation, there’s a great deal of care that needs to be taken that I don’t think a lot of people realize.
As a business, there’s a fine line between giving too much information, and not enough. If you give too much, due to being a self-representing artisan, any information I give is -personal- information. At the same time, customers want a certain level of disclosure in order to feel comfortable.
I love reading other people’s blogs, looking through their pictures, etc. I wish I could participate in this. Because as a business person and artisan I have to have certain information out there for my clientele such as my mailing address (post office box only), phone number, etc.. I had to sacrifice sharing things such as personal pictures, family pictures, etc on the web.
I don’t think a lot of moms who are artists and at-home business people realize there’s a line there they need to be careful of.
Excellent post.
.-= Gilliauna´s last blog ..Cute Hair Accessories Not Just for Little Girls – Another Post by Leal =-.
I definitely think a lot about privacy. I was especially concerned when I noticed my last name was showing up when I was signing up to follow a blog. I adjusted my google settings right away. I also signed up to have a gmail account under my blogs name instead of my name (my gmail account was first.last@gmail.com). I use my children’s names and post pictures but I want to be personal in my blogging but I will never use my husband’s name. Or do i talk a lot about him on the blog. I have been thinking a lot lately about what standards I want for my blog so thanks for posting this.
.-= Julie´s last blog ..Martha Stewart Sewing Tip One =-.
What a scary thing to have happen. I’m glad that you have been able to ward them off for now with blocking the IP addresses. It is so hard to find the line of what you are willing to put out there. I use my daughters names but am somewhat vague with where we live and don’t use our last names. I can only hope that is enough.
.-= The Practical Mom Guide´s last blog ..One Word =-.
Where to draw the line is something very personal. I tried not to use my name when I first started blogging but after a while I decided to go against it because I felt that I wasn’t making that personal connection that I wanted.
I don’t post pics that make our home recognizable. I never post about when we travel until we’ve come back and I’ve never disclosed my place of employment.
There are only a few bloggers that I have as friends on facebook. Anything concerning my blog is through the fan page exclusively.
.-= Sophia’s Mom´s last blog ..Finally getting out there! =-.
I have a friend who works for a lawfirm. After they hosted a recent workshop on social networking (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) she shared scary news w/me about the downside of it all (identity theft, pedophiles looking for children, etc.) I deleted my family blog, all my personal information and photos off of my Facebook page, and ANY AND ALL pictures that I had put on the internet of my 7 year old son. Just trying to be careful!
Came back to this to see what others posted — I have started taking my kids names away and just using their initials and will go through my old posts and do the same. Again, before I started getting followers and it was family it was fine to have that info out there.
I am loving new readers and comments so I just want to start making the changes to make me more comfortable.
I also have removed my FB badge since I’m very selective with who I accept only friends I personally know. So again now that I’m gaining new followers I just prefer to take that away so my last name isn’t out there.
In reading I have noticed the petnames etc., so I may take a day or so to got through and update any mentions of my kids or hubbies full name.
Thanks again for bringing this up .
Oh and I checked my google thing and nothing came up yet…again because I have it private so you can’t search for it (well that is what my settings say on Blogger) I prefer to keep it that way and gain followers by the bloghops and meeting blog people in blog world and keep the pervs away from my blog!
.-= RunningonMTT´s last blog ..Post it Note Tuesday….. =-.
I never show photos of my girls full in faces showing. I usually try to be creative with the shot. I am very cautious with what I put out there in terms of my children but also in terms of the privacy of my family and things that happen to us. Sometimes I wish I could be more transparent but once it’s out there you can’t take it back. Plus my husband is beyond private so I have to be respectful of him!
Great post.
Sadie at heyMamas
.-= heyMamas´s last blog ..Rain Day =-.
I try to get creative with the pics too. I felt incredibly violated when some non-kid pics of mine showed up on someone else’s blog without permission. Terrified me of how I would feel if my babies’ faces were in someone else’s hands (or hard-drives) so I make sure to be kind of obscure on the rare occasion I actually post pics of them.
.-= Skooks´s last blog ..DIY: Rainbow Cake =-.
My husband and I have talked about the comfort/privacy issues, and he and I both feel that, in this day and age, people don’t need to look too far to find out info they may want to know. So even if I were super strict with my blog, that’s not to say that Facebook, Twitter, etc., are “safe”.
Basically, once you’re out there, you’re out there.
.-= A Belle, A Bean & A Chicago Dog´s last blog ..I’m Sure You’re Dying to Know =-.
I totally agree – once you are out there it’s out there which is why my Twitter profile says “East Coast” and “Theta Mom.” No other info is available other than my tweets (which I control) and my FB profile is “Heather ThetaMom.” I do not include any photos or my last name – because as you said, once you put it on the net, it’s very hard to remove it.
I started my blog before I really knew much about blogging. I use all our real names, but have only one picture on my site of us that is in the about me section. I’ve been wondering about this lately though and thinking maybe I should take that photo down because of all the crazy stuff that’s been happening around me to other bloggers. It’s a wild world out there and it’s so hard to find a balance between being authentic and being careful. I don’t know what the answer is. It’s probably different for everyone I guess. But you are awesome to bring up this topic and thank you for telling us about your experience. It is definitely something to be aware of!! XOXXO
I think the answer is different with every blogger. Based on my comfort level and experience, especially moving forward, I think posting photos will be few and far between and only when it really relates to the content. I will continue to not share my children’s names, my husband’s name, etc. because once you put it out there – it’s out there and hard to take back.
I use my daughter’s name in her writing but I don’t divulge any info about our location other than our proximity to Pittsburgh. I’ve never posted a photo of her and never will. I can’t figure out what exactly could happen to a pic of her, but I don’t want to risk it. If you want to know about her you have to do the work and read my descriptions.
I was attacked heavily in September when I hit the national spotlight over waffles (of all things). I think if I’d had pictures on at that time I would know every bad thing that could have happened to them.
.-= Joey @ Big Teeth & Clouds´s last blog ..She’s getting Guppies =-.
I’m fairly new to blogging, but I almost didn’t start because I was concerned about putting too much information about my life online. I think I’ve found a balance that I am comfortable with, though. I rarely post pictures of my kids on my blog, and I haven’t used their real names yet. I’m also keeping my last name off of my blog, and am trying to be somewhat vague about our location.
Wow, ThetaMom. I think it’s dangerous that I’ve even been allowed to have a blog! I know that Google Analytics exist, and I think I’ve checked my blog once or twice, but…yeesh! I had no idea there were dangerous hackers from China out there!
As you can tell from my comment, I’ve used my full name from the very beginning. As a writer, I hope to eventually build up a readership for when (not if! ;o) my first book gets published. As a result, it probably wouldn’t do me much good to use a different blog name.
As far as posting pics, fortunately my kids are older, but when they were younger, I’m sure I wouldn’t have posted their pictures online at all.
As some of the other commenters have said, I’m sure there are myriad other ways hackers have of obtaining our personal information. I had my identity stolen before blogs even existed (or at least before I was aware they existed).
.-= Holly Bowne´s last blog ..Quote of the Week =-.
Just recently I have changed the name of my blog, I have gone back to previous posts and removed names (though I have more to edit). I began watermarking my photos (all except my last post with zoo animals), and I still have lots more work to do. In addition, I don’t post about places I will be until AFTER I went there. I will not let a creeper know the dates and times I will be somewhere… you can never be to cautious about that.
Unfortunately my blog is a great way for my family to keep in touch with my family and I will continue post pics. We are all people and people see people. We can’t stop that. As long as they are not inappropriate I don’t see a problem. People look at us while we are shopping in the mall, having fun at the zoo and every other place we go.
We also can’t live life in fear, but I do think that adivd bloggers need to be more careful. Some of us just have to learn the hard way.
uck! I don’t think my blog would excite any hackers as I just little ole me but this is not good and I hate this is happening!
.-= Mama Bird´s last blog ..Whatcha Got Cooking Wednesday? Greek Shrimp Scampi Recipe Link-up =-.
I am always careful not to reveal anything too personal. Pictures etc. I use anonymous pictures that describe my posts. It sucks that people try and ruin the fun.
.-= Respectfully Yours´s last blog ..Adventures of Mom and Me – It’s a Wrap =-.
I have always been careful with the content on my public blog. I have had a private one for years that is invite-only for friends and family I trust. As much as I love the blogging community at large, there are too many weirdos to share all the stuff about my private life and family with the population at large.
I hate that Chinese hackers were after you. Seriously freaky stuff.
.-= Skooks´s last blog ..DIY: Rainbow Cake =-.
This post is so scary! I draw the line at posting pictures and detailed information about me or my family. I know the web is open to everyone and I am just trying to be careful. Now, I need to do some research on my Google Analytics.
.-= Rondi´s last blog ..CSN Stores $60 Gift Certificate Giveaway! =-.
VERY scary. I thought about this quite a bit when I started my blog earlier this year. I don’t really post pictures, and on my post about our recent trip to Hawaii I even thought twice about posting the pic that included my daughter. I made sure the pic I posted of our front lawn didn’t show the house number. I was recently nominated for a blog contest and they asked for my full name. I’m not even really comfortable having that info out there! Am I paranoid? Apparently not!
.-= Gillian´s last blog ..Shameless Plug – Please Vote for Me! =-.
I blogged about this very issue today!
As a military wife it is very important to be aware of what you are sharing online! And as a mother of three beautiful children it is JUST as important to protect them from people with bad intentions.
http://www.household6diva.com/2010/04/blogging-operations-security-opsec.html
.-= Ann Marie @ Household6Diva´s last blog ..Springtime in Germany =-.
That is really scary! I go back and forth about showing photos of my children. I do {on occasion} and watermark them – even though I am thinking that people can probably get around that. I changed their names too. I guess it is something we will have to deal with as bloggers and the situation will never go away.
Wow, thanks so much for the great post. I check my stats everyday and I have the feedjit visitor widget on my blog to see where visitors are coming from. It first started out as a curiosity factor since I’m a relatively new blogger. Now, Ive been looking for any odd trends. I haven’t had any visits from China nor have I had any issues like you’ve had…at least not yet and not that I’m aware of. I do notice that I have been getting the odd few visits from parts of the world that I would never think would have an interest in my blog…and some of the key words that people have been searching and landing on my blog are way out of whack. Some words I don’t even know the meaning of! lol I only ever post a few pictures, but never give out personal info. Also, I am looking into doing the whole watermark thing for pictures I do post. Thanks so much again for bringing this topic into the forefront, I really appreciate it!
.-= Tracy´s last blog ..Earth Day Challenge Part 2 =-.
Yikes! It is hard to judge what to post and what not. When I first started I didn’t even want to use my own name. I don’t use my kids names, although I think I said my son’s name in my vlog on accident. I also don’t put anything about the name of the company I work for, or anything that would make it easy for someone to know who I really am. I like to be able to choose who I let into my world, but it is hard with blogging. I post appropriate pics of my kids and I also try not to post too many, even though you can see my flickr photos (which I need to start watermarking). I also do not post anything on my blog that I wouldn’t post on facebook, even though my facebook account is more private.
.-= Jayme´s last blog ..It’s a BOOBQUAKE Bitches! =-.
Hey lady! It’s been a while…but just read this post…SCARY! Man, that was one of my big blogging frustrations, I felt overwhelmed by unwanted comments, spam and hackers! I felt that even though I put tools in place to control as much of this as I could, it still never ended…so frustrating! Sounds like you’ve done everything you can…and yes, very important point to always remember…we are putting ourselves out there for all to see, when we blog…you just have to be careful and vigilant.
-Kelly
.-= The Pursuit of Mommyness´s last blog ..POM Says Goodbye =-.