Dear Southern Evangelical Christian Mommy-Blogger,
I read your blog. I started reading it while doing research for THE YEAR OF LEARNING DANGEROUSLY and never stopped. You and I agree that your daughters are adorable, your life seems happy and fulfilled and that no sane person should ever turn down a devilled egg. We're less in agreement over the inerrancy of the Bible, but no friendship is perfect. Yes, I used the word "Friendship" for someone I've never met. I know I'm wrong, but I feel as if I know you. I know what small city you live in. I know your daughter's names; I even know your daughter's middle names. I know where you like to spend Tuesday afternoons. Actually, I know more about your life than I know about people I have on my speed-dial.
Which brings us to this letter.You write with an assumption that your readers are mostly like you and while I imagine many of them are, some of them are not. Not everyone looking at your pictures of your pre-school age daughters posing in their swimsuits is benign. Those pictures don't just exist on your website; they exist on the Internet and can go where they will. Putting a watermark on it is nice, but that isn't going to keep those pictures off websites dedicated to people who find small children sexually appealing. And then you've given those people all the information they need to stalk you. You obviously adore your daughters, and you're so cautious about outside influences in their lives, but this blog is no longer just read by their grandparents, which is what you've said was the original intent. As much as I enjoy watching your girls grow, I'm begging you to take them offline.
Yours truly,
A Concerned Reader
(Now it's your turn; am I being overly-vigilant and paranoid? Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I've been called both before.)
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ReplyDeleteGee, you really must get a lot of negative comments. I have several blogs (started the first one in the mid 90s b4 there was such a thing as blogger, but then I am one of the original SGML developers/template designers too). My political blog gets a lot of negative comments. They just make me LOL. If people want to post things that disagree with my blog, I don't care, why would I? Why do you care? Maybe you need a second blog to put the 'edgier' entries. Seems this world has gone to black and white, and doesn't allow for 'shades of gray' and I do NOT mean '50 shades' either. Nice blog, overall though. Well I'm working on the wireframe for my newest blog which will be 'business' not 'political'. Hey write another book! I'm in that business too (when I'm not CIO'g).
ReplyDeleteI thought you were spot on that many moms post way too much info about themselves, their children and especially their schedules. I also know that many small town moms seem to live in the 'that-sort-of-thing-doesn't-happen-in-our-small-town bubble, until they don't, and then it is too late. I hope that your note to her was helpful and not scary. I hope you got the message there before some pervert did something bad with all she already posted.
ReplyDeleteWhat is interesting, is that I have not even been to this Mommy's blog site, and everything you've said holds true in todays reality. We need to be so cautious. Why so many people would say negative things about this post is beyond me. Great letter IMHO.
ReplyDeleteI can't agree with you more, QC. The web can be a dangerous place and it's better to walk the road of caution. You are not out of line at all.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
Such a shame that your sensible suggestions caused such a wave of Internet hate-panic (assuming the many "removed by administrator" comments were as terrible as I suspect). Don't ever change, QC!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, ignorance and denial is as detrimental to childrens' safety as actual abuse...I think it was extremely courageous of you to acknowledge that very innocent "Mom pride" can be used for horrible purposes once TMI makes it to the Internet.
Great suggestions, QC - although they might not have agreed with you, at least you got people talking.
I suspect most of those early comments were removed by accident, but there may have been some other technological reason for it. I am positive that they were not all removed because of negativity, because I recognize some names as regular readers who would not write ugly things here. And while I don't remember exactly what I wrote myself, because it has been so long ago, I would certainly not do such a thing either.
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