Blog talkers returns


Been busy for a few weeks, but thought I would take up the mantle again!

This Week's blog talkers discussion starter:

Tell us …

What are your opinions on the subject of giving personal information out in your blog entries? Do you use the real names of the people you blog about? Have you ever had a bad experience with someone getting ‘too much information’? I’d like to know: Do the people that you blog about ever complain that you are blogging about them?

I've tackled this a few times over the past few years blogging - though I'm not sure I've ever talked about it online, I've thought lots about it.

Doing what I do, which involves lots of 'pastoral care' I avoid mentioning situations or names for much of what I do, because most people in this area would probably recognise what or who I am talking about, and because pastoral ministry is so strictly confidential.

As for personal information, most of my details are available publicly because I am a public figure - its the nature of ministry in the C of E! I don't tend to talk about where I am or what I'm doing in too much detail because mostly this blog is about thinking out loud! Also, my wife and family haven't chosen to blog, so I don't tend to go into great detail about them either. When I posted some pictures of the family on the net my wife asked me to take them down again, just because she felt the family was already exposed enough and often feels as though we are 'living in a goldfish bowl', as she says, anyway.

Never had a bad experience with regards to what I've posted, I did once talk about someone on this blog who emailed me to say 'was this me?' but I didn't carry that discussion on further as it didn't seem that it would help to do so. It did help me to let off steam about something that person had done, without naming any names or even going in to too much detail of the situation.

Comments

Anonymous said…
i used to opt not to mention the kids names, or mark's (whoops!) or put photos of the kids.

having seen sooooooooo many peoples' blogs with piccies of their kids, sometimes LOTS of piccies of their kids, over past few years, i've given in, and now i do likewise.

a bit like you, if someone wanted to find out where i lived or who my family was, a quick google search would reveal all... so not much point in trying to be secretive!

annie
www.annieporthouse.com
9:38 pm
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