I have been silent for the past month or so because I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do with my blog. It started out as a private journal, then a letter of sorts to my closest friends. And then I realized there's nothing private about blogging. I know, I know... that's pretty self-explanatory. I just figured that my voice would be safely lost in the dark abyss of cyberspace for the most part, and then occasionally found by people I like.
Then recently, I realized that most people I interview for stories Google me before they meet me. So they get to click through my wedding pictures and read about my deepest thoughts and poignant moments of my childhood before I show up at their office to talk about their latest gadgets. Not good. Ever tried Googling your name? It's a scary thing to do when you have an odd name like mine. Before, it was mostly my bylines that would float to the top. Now, my blog has gotten enough hits to make it to the first page.
If I make this blog private, it would make it more inconvenient for you to check in. You'd have to sign in or register for a gmail account. Even if I buy my own domain name, the privacy settings will make it more of a hassle for you. But that's what privacy settings are supposed to do, my husband reminded me last night.
Any suggestions on how to address my conundrum?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
My journalism friends who maintain public, personal blogs make a conscious effort not to include their name anywhere on the site so it won't get indexed by search engines. But since your name is in the URL itself, you're better off changing the site address to one that's more masked if you want to keep it publicly accessible. That doesn't mean having to buy your own domain though. You can stay on blogger.com, but use a name that only your friends would know is you.
Kevin's suggestion is good.
I also believe that anyone who has half a brain should have a gmail account :) So going private is also a fine option. That way you can blog as yourself, with no worry.
i promise not to google you before you interview me. and have no objections to you making your blog private, as long as i'm still allowed in.
Post a Comment