Words from McGruff...

Blogapalooza was mostly about fun. We did, however, take a brief moment to discuss some of the issues and topics related to blogging. One in particular was that of safety. We are mostly moms, posting about our families. And we throw a lot of information up on that website, without even realizing we're doing it.
The odds of a creepy stalker coming into your life are slim. Nonetheless, here are a few tips to keep in mind when blogging:

1. Consider not using your last name on anything: your URL address, your blog title, your profile... nothing. Just out of curiousity, I tried an experiment. So as not to put anyone on the spot, I'll change the last name to Nacho, as in you should hope this is Nacho Family.
I see on Patty's blog the title "The Stories of the Nacho Family", and in the profile, a picture of her and her husband labeled "Patty and Paul". So now I know they are Patty and Paul Nacho. I can also see in the profile that they live in California. So I hit the white pages and look them up. POOF! An address. I take that address, plug it in to Yahoo Real Estate, and up pops their house, with a listing of local schools. I also notice the Nachos have adorable children, whose names are also clearly posted. I then found out which school the Nacho children would be in based on their address in relation to the school zone. All this from the last name being visible.

2. Avoid specifically naming local attractions, universities, parks or events. Go to the Plainville Farmers Market every weekend? Blog about it? Hang out at Skaket Beach? Blog about it? The more specific you are about where you go, the easier it would be for someone to go there too.

3. Add a tracker to your sidebar. Most people use Sitemeter. While you initially may be using it to satisfy your vanity and see how popular your blog is, it could also be a tool for tracking who visits regularly. If you notice someone visiting regularly from the same location, and don't know who it could be, start asking around. It's likely just a lurker (someone who likes your blog but won't comment... not to be confused with a stalker, who likes your children but won't comment).

4. Don't let people Google your blog. I did a post about dominoes once, and I noticed on my Sitemeter that people would find my blog post after googling topics related to "rules for playing dominoes." Sitemeter tells you how people found your blog. No one needs to be finding it on Google. Do the following to ensure they can't:
-Go to the settings tab
-Go to the 4th topic: let search engines find your blog
-Select No and save changes

5. An additional safety feature would be to prevent your blog from being added to Blogger's listings. Follow the same steps as above, only select the 3rd option: add your blog to our listings. Then hit No.

6. Don't list your city when you choose your location. Naming the state isn't too bad, but no one really needs to know your city. If you become friends with people, let them know privately.

7. Think twice before mentioning where you or your spouse works. If someone knows your job, it would be easy to figure out your schedule as well.

I hope I'm not freaking anybody out here. Like I said, the odds of this happening are very low. But it's only wise to be as cautious as possible when it comes to our families. I know I have been a little too lax in some of my posts as well. If you have your last name anywhere on there, think twice about it. I found your kid's school today. I know what sport they play. I know their name. All of that would've been much harder to pursue if I didn't have your last name. I feel kind of like McGruff the crime dog, doing a public service announcement. I should make a joke about taking a bite out of crime, but I can't think of one that's actually funny.
Bummer.