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Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Can you hear D Bowie?  Unfortunately I can.  I never much cared for that song.

Well, I’ve been debating this issue since I started blogging.  And it’s finally come to this.  After reading this post by Jeanna at Days To Come, which I found from this post of Shannon’s, I have decided to revert to my habit of using initials for my kids’ first names AND also to delete pictures of my kids from my blog.

I really can’t believe I’ve done it.  I’m really, really bummed about not posting pictures anymore.  I feel
like that’s about half the fun of blogging.  And my favorite blogs
are the ones that are prolific with picture posting.  I just love putting a face to a name.

But some points in this post, to which both
Jeanna and Shannon linked, have really hit home with me.  My reasons are basically identical to Jeanna’s, so I won’t reiterate what she said so well.

As far as my pictures are concerned, I can’t say that I’ll never post any from here on out, but at the very least, I have gone through and removed what is there.  If I do occasionally post something, I will remove it after a day or so.  That may seem like it defeats the purpose, but I feel like it adds some measure of protection.

I am already pretty selective about what I post, i.e. no n3kkid pictures or swimsuit shots, but the thought of someone "using Photoshop to put your kids face onto n6ked bodies performing s3x
acts and then sharing those pictures with other p3dophiles online" just makes me sick at my stomach. 

As my great-grandmother would have said, "It’s just t’ain’t right."

The other thing that got me is, as I was going through my archives to remove pictures, I came across a picture that gave away my location.  It was so obvious, and yet I never clued in.  I feel like a moron.  I do try to be careful about the information I give out, but I’m sure I’ve made other mistakes in the past.  Evidently I needed wake-up call to pay better attention to what I say.

I know that probably 99% of the people who are reading my blog are wholesome people with honorable intentions, but the fact is, you just never know.

I totally agree with Jeanna, that this is a personal decision, and I am in no way standing in judgment of those who do not feel convicted to do the same.  But for me, and for my conscience, this is what I need to do.

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13 Responses

  1. After reading the post (Thanks to Shannon’s link), I’m wrestling with the decision myself. I’m pretty sure I won’t post any pictures of his face in the future. (Unfortunately, his hands & feet make it into almost all of my pics!)

    I’m still struggling with removing past posts. I know there are not many, because at the get-go, I told myself that I wouldn’t post any pictures of his face (Thanks again to Shannon)… but it was hard not to.

  2. I am definitely leaving my own picture up for the time being. I realize I’m availing myself to the same possibilities as my children, but that is less disturbing to me, and I’m more willing to take that gamble. And I like SO MUCH to see what other bloggers look like that I feel led to do the same.

  3. If I ever started blogging, I would never put my kids pics up there. I have more personal reasons (when your Dad is a prosecuting attorney you tend to keep a low profile, LOL !) but still….I think you made the right decision.

  4. I had a bad situation on (what I thought was) a private family blog. Learned my lesson then. If I do put up a picture of my kids I try to pick one that doesnt show “as much”.

    And yes, it does stink. But I still love your writings.

  5. Wow…my dh and I were just talking about if we should put a filter on our internet connection to protect our 6-year-old from harmful images that may accidentally pop up (she’s not allowed to be online alone, but still…). I never thought about having to protect her from sicko porn freaks using her picture. DH and I may be having another conversation soon. 🙁

  6. I recently made the same decision. It is hard to leave out pictures when they would enhance your post so much. We started a password protected blog just for family so they can see as many pictures of our children as we can upload. That blog can’t even be picked up by the search engines.

  7. Hmmm…I’m going to have to read those articles…I don’t use my kids’ real names, but I post lots o’ pics. Since my blog is read mainly by family, and I don’t have aspirations for a wide audience, I guess I just never thought much about it beyond trying to mask my location and real name.

    Food for thought, definately.

  8. Well crap. Now you’ve got me all scared and paranoid and sad. I hate actually THINKING about these things as opposed to just pretending it doesn’t exist.

    Stupid perverts. They ruin everything.

    Jamie

  9. Sari, I agree. But here’s the thing. Nothing’s stopping other people from posting pix of my kids. Like when I want to post pix of my kids with their friends, I always think I shouldn’t do that without permission. I only ever did it a couple of times, but I do it on Flickr. Which, I think I will allow to lapse, as it is the same concept, is it not?

    And as blogs and my space and stuff gets more and more common, there is no way to monitor what pix of your kids are floating around. I don’t know what you can do about that, though…

  10. I have never used my kids names, nor posted photos of them. Me, yes. But them, no.

    I think there are a lot of people out there who are incredibly naive about their children and the internet – posting school photos and camp photos and their names, etc. I just think it’s too easy for people with bad intentions to find these kids and it’s sad to me that the world is like this, but it is what it is and we need to be careful.

  11. sigh. so true; definitely the reason why i don’t use my kids’ real names either, and i make sure to never post pics that show their faces.

    i’m not too sure on where i fall on the topic of posting other pics of them; most of those shots are from behind and/or far away, or they are only partially in the picture. for now i am okay with that…. but i do think i need to think a little more.

    stupid perverts!

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