Reader comments
Mom blogs — Does posting photos online jeopardize your family?

Irresponsible people | 12:58 a.m. March 24, 2008

One of my coworkers has a 16 year old niece who has a blog on the internet. The Niece had put enough personal information on her blog that a two time sex offender was able to locate her, lure her out of her home in the middle of the night and take her accross state lines.

Luckily the police were able to locate them based on the girl texting from her pocket. In the back of the truck was a duffle bag with plastic bags, duck tape a butcher knife and a hatchet. The only other item in the back of the truck was a shovel.

Thanks to california law this man is on his third strike. Parents should never let there children post any personal information or photos for the hundred of thousands of sexual preditors there are in this country. It should be a crime for a parent to put or allow thier children to put this information on sex offenders favorite toy.

Ronald A. Young | 5:14 a.m. March 24, 2008

For Free Speech to be really Free then you should be able to Post Your Photo where the format allows you to. I have never used an Anon except a couple of times recently in this format because I have wanted to agree with myself. I have rarely used my own name except here. I have used my user name for the last 14 years. Windows 3.1 and a 14.4 Modem, on a 356 enhanced IBM knock off. I have never signed a letter to the Ed Anon. Anon to me means 0. Now my wife and I have instructed the kids to not put personal information up. The youngest two have been good about it. The oldest two, now out of the home and living on the Mainland, not so much. The Daughter Internet Dated which is like Lonely Hearts Club on Speed. Mom or I checked everyone out and insisted on them coming to the Door, Showing I.D. and Proof Of Insurance. Which in most cases we Photo Copied. Most where age appropriate which for us was about up to 7 years. Had Jobs and drove nice cars/trucks and where up scale. For miners its vastly different.

DeLaval Milker | 7:34 a.m. March 24, 2008

Mom blogs are dangerous for all society, like a cheesy christmas card form letter on speed. The latest decorating tips or achievements of your cannot fail progeny (check out the spelling in some of the posts....progeny do fail) is not anything I want to know about. Fortunately, we don't have to seek this fluff out. Unfortunately, some do for the wrong reasons.

Comments continue below

You never know | 8:43 a.m. March 24, 2008

Employers will look for this stuff when considering job applicants. What your teenager thought was cool or cute might affect their future for getting into medical school. You might have thought the Holocaust was fake and a conspiracy in High School, now today employers will find your old beliefs and not want to hire a racist.

James | 8:52 a.m. March 24, 2008

Ronald K. Young - How can you think a 7 year-old is old enough to date let alone internet date? Why is your daughter interested in dating 7 year-olds, and when did kids that young start driving "nice cars/trucks"?
Also, why should miners be treated any differently? Do you think working underground makes them a bit looney? I've known a few miners, but they seemed like decent people. Of course, I've never met a 7 year-old miner; I actually thought there were laws against minors doing work like that. I have to admit, that post left me quite troubled and perplexed.

Re:James | 9:17 a.m. March 24, 2008

I never comment on these things -- but I had to tell you that when I read your comment I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair! Thanks for starting my day off right!

Kara | 9:18 a.m. March 24, 2008

On the subject of blogging, I love blogs. It's a creative way to share common interests. If some people think mom blogs/decor blogs are cheesy or too fluffy, they can look somewhere else. To each his or her own.

Is this bad? | 9:31 a.m. March 24, 2008

If I put pictures on my blog of my family, but I use fake names when I write about them, is that safe?

to James from James | 10:09 a.m. March 24, 2008

I think he misspelled minors. He may have meant a 7 year age difference between his daughter and her date. Thanks for a very good laugh...i needed that.

Mimi | 10:23 a.m. March 24, 2008

You don't have to go to the trouble of putting your kids' identities on the internet--you can just drive around with it plastered on your car. You know, those decals with their name, where they go to school, what sport they play and the number on their uniform. Make it easy for anyone to simply go to their school and pick them out. Don't forget to park your car in your driveway and let everyone know where they live.

Frank | 10:39 a.m. March 24, 2008

Despite all the information given out that lets people find you, most people post all the information on their blogs or "online-friend website of choice" necessary to get into your email and bank accounts.

Birthdates, names, any info on your location, pet names, or schools you or your family attents, along with any comments or happy birthday wishes from a well meaning friend provide tools for strangers to access info the most complex passwords cant protect.

Phil | 11:26 a.m. March 24, 2008

I recently started a blog. Honestly I limit some specific details of my life, but anything I write on there could be found out by other means by a person with enough motivation. Just be wise in what you write about if you have concerns. I'd be much more worried about social sites such as Facebook or MySpace as sources to gain information about yourself than a standard blog. Chances are if you are going to have someone "stalk" you through a blog they would probably do it without you having a blog also.

Old theory | 11:40 a.m. March 24, 2008

There's an old theory - you've probably heard of it - that if you put 1,000 monkeys in a room full of keyboards and left them there to type long enough, eventually one of them would type a work of Shakespeare.

We now know this theory is incorrect. Thanks to blogging, we've put millions of monkeys in front of keyboards and we have yet to see anything approaching a work of Shakespeare.

Nothing is safe | 11:52 a.m. March 24, 2008

Google maps recently started getting down to ground level with their pictures- I just looked and found that my house was shown with the garage open with our sports car inside and my child in the yard- If someone wants to take a car or a child there is no way to hide this. The house is even mapped for anyone who wants to get there. I don't know about you but this makes me feel really safe...NOT!

Lionheart | 12:31 p.m. March 24, 2008

Old Theory You are really funny.

Tammy | 1:12 p.m. March 24, 2008

I think blogs can be a great way for people to keep up on one another's lives. You can share photos, videos and cute stories. However, just like any good thing, it needs to be done in moderation. If you run around all day with your cell phone camera, take photos of everything your children do or are supposed to be doing, then publish their names and pictures of the house on a blog, you are setting yourself up for danger. (Yes, one of my co-workers actually has an aunt who does this.) Not only do I think it violates her children's privacy, but it also puts a ton of information out there for anyone to find. I don't believe blogging itself is bad, but you just have to make sure you're not overdoing it.

John | 2:11 p.m. March 24, 2008

Why are all your comments so long? No one wants to hear you blab on that much.

Donna | 2:31 p.m. March 24, 2008

It's worthwhile of Warburton to raise the issue, considering the popularity of blogs, but her article fails to give us anything to substantiate fear. After all, before the internet we had identity thieves, stalkers, et al.

I say the mommy-blogs make excellent journals, and the internet provides a wonderful immediacy for sharing. (Many moms find ways to print and preserve theirs for a lasting record.)

Robert | 3:36 p.m. March 24, 2008

No mention of Heather Armstrong and dooce.com!

How could you write an article about mommy bloggers and not mention the most popular mommy blogger in the freaking nation! Did I mention she lives in Salt Lake City and is a former BYU student!

How about some fair and balanced reporting here.

Anonymous | 3:48 p.m. March 24, 2008

I made my blog private a few months ago and I'd say it has its pluses and minuses. I love that I feel safer. However, I don't feel that because my blog is private, I'm totally safe anyway. Even though it's people I know that are viewing my site, a lot of incidents of danger are involving people you know, not strangers, anyway. So, you still have to take other safety precautions of teaching your children.

Also, I find that fewer people check my blog because logging in is one more step. I don't care too much, because it's a creative outlet for me, and I don't need to have a lot of readers every day to generate ad revenue or boost my self-esteem.

Making a blog private also makes it so that google reader can't pick it up for people to check easily to see if you've posted something new.

So, it's good to be safe, it comes at a cost, but it's worth it.

Oren | 3:50 p.m. March 24, 2008

Never put personal information on the Internet. No dates, no names, no address, nothing, nada. You have no idea who will do what with it.

Donna... | 4:31 p.m. March 24, 2008

"Wonderful immediacy for sharing"? Why should I care whether some kid has been potty trained or not? Mom blogs are just yet another way to wrap yourself up in another technical medium without having to actually communicate with other people. If moms want to know what is going on in their extended family, and let them know what's going on in theirs, why don't they pick up an actual phone and listen to an actual voice? I bet these mom bloggers also have those stupid stick-figure stickers on the back of their cars with the names of all their kids, plus the pets. And "lasting record"? Sorry, but knowing that "Johnny pooped today and I bought a shirt at Shades!" is NOT a lasting record.

Southwest Steve | 7:52 p.m. March 24, 2008

Been using the wife's blog to spout off about things (i.e. incompetent airlines)...but...do you really want an old boyfriend/girlfriend checking up on you? I say take it private and by invitation only.

Ronald A. Young | 9:07 p.m. March 24, 2008

I have never gotten into Blogging. The reason being I have this great desire to be read .So I like Formats like this better. My Daughter is a heavy Blogger, I am not sure what she Blogs about. A lot of it is about Hanti and Anime. Both of which are fairly graphic. There are Books now that are in English that you read back to front. I always read Mags that way but it not the same the Books read from Back to Front all the way through. Its like Sci-Fi on Steroids. However just about anything clean that will get my kids reading and writing. I only started using spell check in the last couple of years. I didnï¿½t save post until a whole TV Stations Board went out. Now I save everything and have back up tapes. I have no trouble keeping up with the next generation but they are real good, born with Keyboards in their hands, Graphics in their heads. What they do not do sometimes is be careful and use common since. Information comes a piece at a time. They don't understand that, and the price for not understanding can be high.

Mom Blogs | 9:16 p.m. March 24, 2008

Do they block those out at the prison?

How about Turkish Prisions.

Is it therapy for the inmate to have a nice Utah mother to relate to?

just weird

Pam/Boise | 11:03 p.m. March 24, 2008

I think your'e cruising for a bruising. There are predators waiting in the wings. You are just extending an invitation. Even in my local paper, I see people put in childrens pictures all the time with a cute little caption. I would never do that, to much danger lurking around. You cannot be careful enough. Times are not what they use to be.

I think journals are personal | 5:44 a.m. March 25, 2008

Journals are usually very personal experiences and feelings that one experiences in life. I remember when journals were personal, and you would only read them to those you trusted.

Now many write their journals on line for almost anyone to read. Not to mention they put pictures, and give the readers a state in which they live.

I for one have not joined in the introducing the world to me and my family. I AGREE WITH THE ABOVE IT IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE, IF NOTHING ELSE IT IS RISKY!

Mandi | 11:54 a.m. March 25, 2008

Robert...there is no way the DesNews is going to promote Heather Armstrong. Just take about 5 minutes to browse her site, and then rethink your comment.

Julie | 1:34 p.m. March 25, 2008

I do not get it- if there is no mention of where you live and of your last name then how is someone going to find you? Technically anyone can find anyone but why should we hide in fear.

Elethra | 9:56 a.m. April 1, 2008

I have a Mom Blog, and I'd like to inject a little perspective here. I am the oldest of 46 grandchildren, and none of my family live in the same state I do. I enjoy my blog, and keep up on the ones that my cousins, aunts, and parents have because trying to keep in touch via phone calls would get ridiculously expensive. Different people have different methods for keeping in touch with their families and, although no everyone would choose my method, it's rude for people to trash the entire concept. In the name of safety though, I don't list the city where I live, any last names, my kids' birthdays, or pictures of my house. I don't have my address or phone number listed, or tell where my husband works or where my son goes to school. I may still go private at some point, but for now I feel like I've done a lot to make it safe.

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