Is Your Cat Out of the Bag?
I'm curious. I read this blog by BlogWhore at Mommies Are People, Too, and it got me thinking.
Who knows about your blog? Friends? Family? Your husband/wife/significant other?
If they don't know about your blog, then why?
If they do know about your blog, do they read it? Do they comment? Do they have an opinion about your blog and/or blogging habits?
If you post anonymously, do you worry about being found out? Do you worry about posting pictures?
Here are my answers:
*I've told most of my friends about my blog. My husband, SIL, and brother know about my blog. I purposely haven't told my parents about this blog.
*I'm not sure why I haven't told my parents, but it's probably because I worry that they would think it's weird and judge me.
*I don't know for sure which of my friends (who live out-of-town) read my blog. A few have left comments or told me that they read me. A few have left one or two comments then have not been back (according to site meter). As far as my husband, I don't know if he's ever read my blog. He tells me that he thinks that all I do is talk about him. (I do, of course, talk and bitch about him, but not all the time. Right?) Tate also teases me about being addicted to the computer, which is true.
*I use pseudonyms for my husband and kids. My name really is Jennifer. I say that we live in Lower Alabama but not the specific town. I do this because my husband is sure that predators are reading this blog waiting to come murder us all. He's possibly right. I do sort of worry about posting pictures, but I think that they add something to my blog. I'm a Mom, I love to show pictures of my kid(s).
I'd love to know what you think. If you'd rather write your own post, that's fine...please leave me your link in the comments section so that I can read about it.
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21 People are even more brilliant:
My parents just found my blog over the weekend. i'm okay with it..my sister and hubby know about it. Most of my IRL friends know about it.
I post pics because we'll...they are already public on flickr so why not. I don't worry about staklers...my biggest worry is freaks that like kids in diapers or naked pics of little boys. *yuck* I blog because it gives me an outlet to brag about my kids. :)
This is totally an issue for me.
ALL my family (parents, in-laws, aunts, uncles...) know about my blog. When it started, it was more of a way of communicating with family than anything. Now that I'm blogging-blogging (for real, not just as a way to share pictures), I find myself constantly censored by the knowledge of who is (or might be) reading. I start to type then, backspace backspace, can't say that... what would the parents thing? It is very lame. Now I'm in a quandary and have no idea what to do.
Second, I use my real, full, name, because this is a requriement of my blog in the local newspaper. No problems there so far... although it's kind of fun when people run across me and think I'm famous or something.
Finally... I have no problem posting pictures. there is SO MUCH on the internet these days, literally millions and millions of pictures of cute kids. But I don't post anything obviously identifiable like the front of our house or my license plate. I suppose a psycho person coudl always track me down, but that's why I have my ninja husband!
Wow, I think this is the longest comment I've ever posted. Clearly you hit on an issue for me!
I started blogging as a way for friends/family to keep updated on our new baby since we live halfway across the country from nearly everyone we know. While that's still true, the blog has turned more to being about me and my whiny self bitching about this mother thing being hard, though this is still baby content.
Some days I regret telling the family about it b/c I think I'd let loose more, but I try to write what I want and figure they either like it or if not, they can close their window.
My hubby knows but rarely reads, which I'm glad about for some reason.
Hmm, my friends know about my blog, some of my family doesn't. I've thought about telling them but then they would read it everyday and I would have to deal with the looks my brother would give me after reading my references to pap smears. And that's just not something I want to deal with today. Or anyday.
Hey Jennifer, This is my first time to your site, via Oh the Joys, via my friend at Little Monkies. I love your blog! And your question poses such a dilemma for all of us. At first I didn't tell anyone (except Little Monkies and my sister!) about my site. Then a weird "I-must-be-validated-by-comments" thing happened to me and I told more friends, and my family. I recommend *not* telling your parents. I did, and sometimes I really regret it. Like Jenny said, you'll start writing something and then think "oh boy what will my parents say when they read *that*?" It really stifles some creativity and honesty. On the flipside, my parents love reading my blog and finding out my latest musings on motherhood, plus seeing photos of the grandkids. The worst came a few months ago when my dad requested a specific topic, e.g., "can you write about growing up on the farm?" That dried up any creative juices I had for over a month. Finally I finished that one and I'm back thinking about the next one. One of my co-workers (a dad who reads my blog, so cute!) suggested that I start an underground blog where I can be brutally honest about my entire family, and not tell them the website. I'm still considering this.
I have not yet joined the club of 'bloggers', although I plan to soon, once I have a little more time on my hands. I'm sure I'll let all of my IRL friends know about it, whether or not they'll read it, who knows? I honestly don't know if I'll tell anybody else about it, mainly cuz I like the idea of having an outlet without hurting anybody's feelings.
My husband knows I have a blog but hasn't ever read it (my choice). I haven't told any of my IRL friends or my parents yet, and I don't plan to. I kind of like having this "secret" place just for me where I don't have to censor anything or worry about appearances.
The issue of posting pictures is a very sticky one for me. I agree that they add depth to a blog, but my husband and I are very concerned about the safety of our child. The fact that he has special needs just adds another layer of wanting to protect him as much as possible. So I'm afraid I won't be showing off my super handsome boy anytime soon :(
My blog was totally secret for a few months, but then I found it was difficult not to slip. Also, sometimes I wanted to discuss something with Paul or my parents. So I told Paul and my parents, but they only read posts I send to them, they don't have access to the whole blog.
Nobody else knows. I made a choice early on with my blog: am I going to be anonymous and all-revealing, or am I going to be public and censoring? Since I can be public and censoring anywhere, I chose to be anonymous and all-revealing. More fun. But I don't say who I really am, and no one who knows who I really am knows I have a blog (except Paul and my parents).
Funny, this has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I'll post on this topic in a bit.
I started out anonymous and that lasted, about 5 posts?
I was having trouble at home keeping my sessions closed so husband wouldn't read my posts. He now knows about it but I don't think he reads any of it. Some of my friends know about it although I'm not sure who reads it. My parents don't know about it, but I'm also not hiding it from them. I make sure not to write about anything I don't think they would want to read.
In regards to my family and anonymity, there is a lot that I would have loved to talk about anonymously. After thinking about it for a while I felt that if they were to ever stumble on my blog, even if I were using pseudonyms, that they would know it was me.
Most of my friends and family know and read my blogs. Hubby reads them because he loves the way that I write.
I don't put pics on my blog though and don't use our names. I'm a little paranoid about that. Especially when it comes to the kids.
Hubby knows. No one else in my family knows. Well, my niece does b/c I gave her a link to one but I doubt she passed it on to my sis.
Secretly, I wish the Devil Wears Sag Harbor did know about it. Because I would really really like for her to know what I think. I should blog about her more in hopes that one day, she will find it. Bwahaha!
I've told friends. But not many comment. I also have tied my ego up into the number of comments and hits I get on my blog each day. It's really lowering my self esteem. I must seek therapy.
I was "in the closet" for about 3 months (just to get my feet wet) before I started telling my peeps (Hubby/friends/family). Now everyone I know reads my blog...including my Hubby's friends (which is kinda weird). But none of my IRL mommy friends in New England have blogs, although I'm constantly goading them to come join me! I'm definitely less-revealing than I normally would be because people who know me are reading. Just part of the downside of wanting to have my ego stroked by IRL folks telling me they've read my blog
I have to say I let everyone know about this blog. It is my way to post pictures of the family and update everyone on our life.
Am I the only guy that finds this blog amusing? Or, amusing enough to post about?
Anyway, the majority of my friends and family know about the blog although few care much (if enough) to read it regularly (or at all). I recently told the gal I'm dating about it and she checks it very frequently. She knows I write a bit outside the blog, so she was interested in reading so I shared. I don't regret it, since it helps identify who I am and keep me a bit more honest. ;)
Ok...Only a select few of family and friends know about my blog and only 2 hate that I share so much info and pictures...But oh well...
I do feel somewhat exposed and I have recently chosen not to share updated photos of my daughter straight on..too creepy. I share all of myself though...It's my place to do that.
I have your questions..I need your e-mail...e-mail it to me.
I've been blogging a year now. It began as a way of remembering poignant and funny stories about the hubby, the daughter and the pregnancy.
I've not kept it a SECRET. I just haven't given them the address.
Hubby knows about it but is completely disinterested.
Mom knows but doesnt have the address. Don't think dad knows.
FIL doesnt know. Other inlaws know but, again, don't have the address.
I fear that they will find it though and do what others commenting here do... type type type, reveal, reveal, reveal, backspace, backspace, backspace, sigh with frustration.
I'm considering an alternative blog where I can let it ALL out and not share it with any of the people I'm protecting or whatever.
Like you, I also share that I live in NE Alabama and post pictures. Cuz my kids are beautiful and I dream of them being discovered as America's Next Top Kids Model and I get to be a stage mommy and shop for expensive shoes and purses and let someone else clean my toilets.
I would love for you to visit my blog. I haven't written anything revealing or embarassing about YOU.
yet.
oh. and how funny is the pseudonym "Devil Wears Sag Harbor!!!"
My husband and kids know that I have a blog but I would doubt that the rest of my family even knows what a blog is. I didn't think that my husband ever read my blog unless I blatantly showed him something that I wrote until 2am this morning. That is when he told me that he was quite mad at me until he read what I had most recently written.
love the comments on post...
p.s. i've got a new url.
mommiesarepeopletoo.blogspot.com
My soon-to-be husband and I started this blog together at the beginning, when we were in a long-distance relationship with one another.
Now, though, he hardly reads it, and he has not contributed to it in about 6 months.
Ever since there's been a community of bloggers that are reading my blog on a regular basis, he's backed off a bit, and let me blog on my own. I think he doesn't want to "steal my thunder".
Only 2 of my friends know about my blog, but to my surpise don't read it very often.
My parents would think it's bizarre and just another bad choice made by me, so I'm not telling them.
And none of my co-workers know my url, though they know A blog exists.
It's just easier that way. I can freely say what I think.
The only thing I didn't count on was a bitter ex boyfriend from a while ago to find it...ooops. LOL
I was just thinking about this topic. My hubby knows about my blog and he accidentally leaked it to our best friends (not that big of a deal) but nobody else IRL knows. I prefer it that way because I'm too self conscious that they will be thinking all these judgy thoughts about me. Of course, I do still censor myself because I am afraid one of them will stumble on it. If I felt confident that I wouldn't be found out, I would have some GREAT posts about my MIL. She's just so...well, I won't say it.
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