Spain Dad, a baby blog

Roth Family Adventures said...

I personally have been torn by this issue. I know some bloggers that keep amonymity by using clever nicknames. Others, like you and me, lay it all out there for the world to read. It’s really like living like a celebrity where the world sees everything you do.

Some people may say you’re exploiting your child or posting about subjects or happenings that may serve as an embarrassment in the future. It’s definitely a hot subject.

My only concern jas been the safety of our child and our family. I’m very careful not to reveal pictures of the exterior of our house and other information that may lead someone to us. I also don’t reveal too much about where we’re going to be spending our day before we go.

I was a little shocked when we were at a community event not to long ago when a group of people yelled out our names. They recognized us from reading our blog.

Jen Powell said...

I am sure I leave waaaay too much information on my blog. I started my blog around the time I moved to France and when I lived there I was way less paranoid about things. Now I am back in the states and I have continued blogging about family. I think part of the reason we are scared to talk about family is because the media tells us to be scared. Part of it is truthful and part of it (maybe most of it) is just to keep us in fear. That is just my opinion:). I am trying not to let fear control me like it did for sooooooo many years! At the same time, I do think we should be careful in some ways. I guess I am figuring it out as well!

kate said...

I started blogging way back in 2003, and it was mostly just a way to keep family up to date on our lives abroad, so I didn’t worry too much about privacy. However, soon I got into the whole community aspect, getting to “know” other bloggers, exchanging ideas, etc. and now lots of people read my blog that I have no idea who they are (not “lots” in the larger scale of things, but an average of 144 visitors a week, most of whom I don’t know.) So if I could start again, I would definitely use pseudonyms. I don’t post pictures that show faces or identifying details of where we live, and I don’t mention places by name, but I also am well aware that someone who was determined (and familiar with Spain) would likely be able to figure out where we live without much trouble, just by putting together pieces here and there.

I do get emails sometimes from other expats in Spain who have found my blog, and I imagine there are many more who have found me that way that I am unaware of, so I know it’s possible that if I’m out in public, calling my kids by name, someone might recognize me from the blog. As I said, if I could do it again, I would use pseudonyms, but for now I’m not too worried.

Anonymous said...

eva-
this has always worried me, as i am quite paranoid in general. i once quit my old blog for this reason. not even merely out of fear for being found, but for sharing too much of my thoughts. too much of an open book. but, for some reason, i went right back to it. it must just be the spirit of the times we live in. all of the cyberspace communities, etc. part of me is so critical of it, but the other part goes along with it. i still wonder whether i should just stop blogging altogether. (for real this time).
thankfully, my blogs never accumulated a lot of readers!
the more i think about it, the more i consider substituting my online blog for an off-line typed blog (typed, because it is faster and i am often too lazy to write it all out by hand). much safer.. and photographs could always be sent by email, instead. the problem is that i am always so eager to share my experiences with the whole world.

Tismee2 said...

I have been blogging for a year or so now and don’t feel threatened as such but I am obviously aware that there are people out there who aren’t as ‘morally balanced’ as most of us.
However, I like to think that I am sharing some parts of my life with family and friends who I don’t see and who live in other places.
I also think that if I changed names and didn’t post pictures I wouldn’t be able to write in the same way. It wouldn’t seem real to me?
I suppose some may call me niaive but I won’t let morons run my life.

Quincy C Brownfield said...

Your blog is lovely and it is so fun to see your story, I appreciate your being so open. I share things about my daughter on my blog and find inspiration from yours!

spain dad said...

I guess for me blogging in its essence is a public act. Those of us who blog do so because we want to make our private lives public.

The blogs I like reading are the ones where people are willing to be honest about their everyday lives. It’s hard, actually, to be honest. I think telling the truth is one of the most difficult tasks of any writer.

Telling the truth doesn’t necessarily mean posting photos of your kids or using real names. It’s much worse! It means making yourself vulnerable and sharing what’s inside you that most people wouldn’t see on the surface.

When we articulate our own vulnerabilities, it helps our readers understand and articulate their own. It helps all of us involved understand ourselves better, and recognize that we’re not alone.