I have a bunch of blog posts ready to go. They are all about vacations, birthdays, Halloween... etc. etc. etc. And, I'd like to post them soon. The reason I haven't posted them yet is this...
I HAVE A DILEMMA.
I recently ran into an old acquaintance at the SF Zoo who told me that a strange guy was "following" her blog and that when she tried to find out if she had any connection to him, the only connection she could find was that he was also a "follower" of my blog.
I looked up my followers and I don't know the guy either. What I do know without a doubt is that he creeped me out. Ew.
So, now I'm uncomfortable posting on my public blog like I used to.
Here is the thing...I haven't made my blog private to this point because I like to let people I know casually read my blog... no invitation required. (This stems from the fact that there are some old friends of mine that I would love to ask for invites to their blogs but I don't have their e-mail addresses anymore so I can't request one. Boo.)
That being said... There are only two options that I know of for blog privacy:
1. Make my blog private and ask for people to send me their e-mail addresses so I can "invite" them to read it. (Too bad for those that miss the boat or don't have my e-mail address.)
-OR-
2. Switch completely over to a Wordpress blog where I can password protect my posts and then give some kind of hint about what the password is so that people who actually know me can read my blog without needing an invitation.
Are there any other options? I need help deciding... What should I do? I kind of like the password option, I think. I am up for suggestions, though.
What have you done to make your blogs safe from strange, uncomfortable eyes?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
What to do???
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11 comments:
Hey Stephanie,
Unless you go private, I think there's no way you can keep unwanted people 100% away from your blog. That said, I think going private is a quick way to make your blog unread by a lot of people, especially people who use blog readers to keep themselves abreast of blog updates.
I also use Blogger and use the setting that keeps my blog from being viewed by search engines. For me, that's enough--I just don't want people to be able to find my blog using my name or employer's name or anything like that.
Meredith uses Wordpress for her site and makes some entries public and others (like with personal details or lots of pictures of her kids) private. Having to log in is a bit frustrating, and sometimes I forget to because no updates show up in my reader, but that's the way she likes it.
Steven
I went private a few months ago... i am totally not a fan of private blogs, but i felt like it was safer and it really hasn't been that bad. i just left up a little post for about a month telling people that they needed to send me their email addresses and i think i got most everyone who was reading it on a regular basis. but it is annoying that when someone who wasn't invited, but who i know, clicks on it and can't get in but doesn't have my email to ask me for an invite... that's the downside.
my friend changed blog addresses completely. on the one that everyone was used to reading, she put a post that they had moved to a private blog and then she listed her email address. that way, people still had a way to get a hold of her even after she went private on the new blog. other than having to start a new blog and get it all cute again, i thought that was a good idea.
good luck! :)
ps: speaking of--- i don't know if i invited you to my blog. if you need an invite, email me-
hollyhs5@aol.com
I was just about to say what Steven said. We have a WordPress site that has varying levels of privacy. Some posts, only family can read. Other are family and friends. And occasionally, I'll do a completely public post, but really only if there's no super identifying information about our family or where we live.
Sure, there's a few who don't sign in on a regular basis who miss a lot, but most of our families have caught on that they're not going to know what's going on with us unless they sign in.
Can you block that guy? I do like wordpress, but I also made my blog private..which is kind of pain. I might switch to wordpress...
That's a tough spot Stephanie. We actually just made our blog private. I announced it on the blog and gave everyone a month to see it. After a month I sent out what invites I could with the emails I was sent. I figured, if I didn't get their email in a month than they must not check it all that often and if they know me they can just email me about it. It's worked out ok so far. That's just me though. Good luck in your decision.
Hey Stephanie I found your blog through Holly. Your family is so cute, if you go private we would love to be on it. jeniecevalley@yahoo.com
Hope all is well. It was fun to see you last year in Sees, your little guy is sooo cute!
I did a private blog and use Facebook to keep in touch with those peeps who casually checked my blog every once in awhile.
How CREEPY! I want to see a pic of the guy. How do you check who is a "follower" of your blog? Why does our family attract physco stalker weirdo people lately?! I think I should change my blog to prevent this from happening to me too. Let me know what you do.
Hi Steph,
Super cute pics of your little guy. I have a private blog. Its kind of a pain to send out invites but then your safe. Anyway I can't believe how big your baby is. I think my little guy is about the same age. It goes by so fast. Anyway love the blog. You'll have to invite me if you go private. Lisa Broberg
Hey Steph! Your little man is so cute! That's totally creepy about your stalker! My advice ... go private. I don't know anything really about Wordpress so can't give an opinion on that. But my blog and my family's blog are both private and found that it blocks unwanted eyes very nicely! I like that I know "exactly" who can see the blog and who can't. Good-luck! When you make the change, don't forget about me! :)
Maybe it's too late since you already switched to wordpress, but check out Dennis and Megan Rhodes' blog for another idea.
rhodesroadupdates.blogspot.com
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