Blog Archives
Do I really have to think first?
Posted by therookiedad
As a blogger do you ever stop and think about what you are blogging about and how it will effect other people? Do you have any qualms blogging about family in the hopes that they won’t see what you are saying about them?
I was recently starting to write a blog again about the choice to have only one child and spending some time with family confirmed that choice. I was stuck in a particular section of the blog trying to figure out a way if I could do this without the possibility of the family members seeing it, quickly realizing I couldn’t I backed out. Not wanting to cause a family war just because of my blog, I’ve already started one war, don’t really need another on the other front.
I know that I could have changed the names to protect the innocent and I could have just said that they were not family members, but that would be pushing my creative limits as a writer. I share each and every post of my blog on Facebook and Twitter so that my family can keep up with the recent happenings with the Kid. While the particular family members don’t have Facebook (wait you are telling me someone does not have Facebook?) I’m almost certain they would not see the post. I am friends with other parts of the family that would have shared it with said family members causing a huge family battle about parenting. In fact just by me blogging about it right now, I am sure if my family saw this they would know exactly who I am talking about, what brought this up, and exactly what I would have blogged about if I had not thought about it first.
@hangingwithdad tweeted me when I asked the question to my twitter friends:
Always. I don’t want something I write to hurt friendships I have in real life. They are too valuable to ruin w/ online rant
Just the mere fact that I thought about how my blog could effect certain people will come as a shock to Hot Mama, as I have a pretty loud mouth and spit out whatever comes to my head. In all honesty though as bloggers do we think that we can hide behind our blogs and online persona’s and believe that no one really knows who we are? Or do we have to be careful about what we post so that we do not cause disputes among family and friends?
Social Media and Your Baby
Posted by therookiedad
My wife would find it ironic that I am blogging about this and have the opinion that I do, but today when I was browsing Facebook it hit me. Why do parents create a Facebook or Twitter account for their kids?
This is very strange coming from the guy who is addicted to social media, I have my personal Facebook, my blogs Facebook and twitter accounts, and now a Google+ account (I will only invite you if I’ve known you for a while so don’t bother asking). I find it hard enough to keep up with all of those. Where do you find the time to even update for your baby? I have a hard enough time trying to keep this blog up with an 8 month old!
Can someone tell me the point of creating Facebook pages for your baby’s? What are their status updates? Goo Goo, Gaa Gaa, Da, Da? How does that enhance your parenting skills? Are you so addicted to Facebook and Twitter that you need to have the account for your baby and provide updates? Why can’t you use your own accounts to keep people aware of what is going on with your baby? Read the Facebook Terms of Service, “You will not use Facebook if you are under 13.” Is your baby 13, NO I don’t think so! Rules are made to be broken I realize that, but come on enough is enough. We see enough of your baby on your personal Facebook page why would I want to be friends with your baby?
I made the comment about the chipmunk getting a Twitter account before he was born, my wife shot it down. Thank you! I’m so glad that you told me not to do that.
How soon is to soon? If Facebook and Twitter are still around in 12 years (if Google+ hasn’t taken over the world at that point) when the chipmunk gets into social media, I know that my wife and I will have rules in place. What those rules will be, I don’t know. Google+ is changing the way people can share things and when the chipmunk gets on that, he will realize that, “Hey, mom and dad can be in a different circle and I can keep them from seeing everything.” There comes a point when teenagers don’t understand the implications of the things they post on social media. I’ve been caught with some of the things I have said on my professional twitter account before and talked to at work because of it. Even though you don’t mean things to come across a certain way on social media, it comes across in a totally different way to other people. Teenagers just don’t understand that, so as parents we must come up with rules to safe guard them.
I know these are some very strong opinions and a complete reversal of my thoughts before the chipmunk was born. Some of you may not agree with them, and that’s alright. We all have differing opinions, so if your baby has a social media account, I’m interested, why did you decide to do it? Comment either on this blog or on my blogs (not my babies) Facebook page.
Tags: Baby, Blog, Child, Children, Dad, Daddy, facebook, Family, father, Fatherhood, Fathers, Google, home, Life, mom, mommy, Mother, motherhood, Online Communities, Parent, parenthood, parenting, Social media, Social Network, Twitter
