<p>Hey students -- if you keep an online blog you need to think about who could potentially be reading it. </p>
<p>My friend (I'm a parent) just did a search on a school and her daughter's name and easily came up with two very embarassing blogs.</p>
<p>Do you really want anyone in the world reading your personal diary? Do you think it is a secret if it's on the INTERNET???</p>
<p>Her daughter has, shall we say, been "called home" from school permanently.</p>
<p>I did searches on my names, before. Most of what comes up are my Writing and Photo Albums. There's nothing there. One of my blogs does come up, but I discontinued it in the spring, soo... <em>shrug</em></p>
<p>Being able to privatize entries is a blessing.</p>
<p>Izzy:
Make sure when you "privatize" an entry it still can't appear on the blog search engines, because many still do.</p>
<p>Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.</p>
<p>My parents don't search much on Google. (And I know they don't use blog search. They don't know what a blog is.) Or use the Internet much. Or know how to highlight and make things bold on Word. <em>feels bad</em> I hope they can manage when I go off to college...</p>
<p>Apparently I have a pretty popular name- or at least a couple "famous" people share the name. I've tried searching for myself- but I've never actually found myself. </p>
<p>I keep a livejournal, that is locked- but I don't write anything bad in it. My parents and grandparents read it from time to time. They think its fine.</p>
<p>My blog isn't searachable. I can also check IPs. There are things in it my parents don't know, not because I'm engaging in illegal activity they don't know about, but mundane things I don't tell them because they don't need/want to know. It's not particularly personal. Nothing in it is secret.</p>
<p>I don't think most people care about complete strangers halfway across the world reading their private thoughts, which is something a lot of people (parents) don't get. Who cares what people in Indonesia or Australia or Brazil think of you? You only want it hidden from people you actually know.</p>