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Posted: 08.06.2003 But I want is to be left alone in my average home
Is blogging changing? I noticed Erika is thinking of going passworded. Jen also adds her 2¢ on the issue. I've received several e-mails lately asking about passwording (how I do it, do I regret it, would I recommend it, etc.) The answers, in order, are with cookie-password protection in php - absolutely not - most definitely 'yes!'.
Do you have a passworded blog? If not, have you thought of starting one? As blogging continues to grow more and more in popularity, I fully expect to see the number of locked-journals increase. "Words are weapons - sharper than knives." And they can, and will, be used against you. Sometimes even by people you know well and believe in. Trust me on this. When even the anonymous bloggers start to have spin-off passworded sites now, it's time to sit down and re-examine the medium and how much you share is too much, and just when to share it, IMHO. Because I seriously doubt I'll share my politics - or our misfortunes - here again.  Good morning, sunshine! I have given some thought to password protecting my blog, but only because of who I don't want to see it. I would still be posting the same stuff, just need to keep some eyes away. I just self-censor things I wouldn't want out there. I guess as an alternative I could get a second, annonymous blog for those oh-so-delicate posts, but that seems like a bit of a hassle. I don't know. Thanks for brining it up again, though. Definitely a good time to think about it. ¤ ¤ credit: Kevin | 08.06.03 at 06:26 AM | link- -this ¤ ¤ I found myself taking a break from blogging last week because I didn't feel comfortable writing about the things I needed to write about. I do censor myself, and have done so from the very beginning since some family and friends have access, and I couldn't trust my work environment not to stumble on the blog as well. I have a LiveJournal for protected entries, those which I entrust to valued friends who also have LiveJournals, and I've contempted setting up a pMachine powered blog (or something similar to what you've done, though I don't know where to begin) with member-only access, too. I'm still on a break from blogging, and considering a return next week after a two-week holiday. When I come back, I expect to continue self-censor myself and use alternative means to protect more personal aspects of my life. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to, but that's the nature of the blogging beast. Words are indeed weapons, and I don't to give anyone the tools to hurt me or mine. ¤ ¤ credit: Mariann | 08.06.03 at 06:49 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Oh, I am definitely thinking about it. ¤ ¤ credit: Andrea Harris | 08.06.03 at 07:14 AM | link--this ¤ ¤It kinda sucks it has to come down to this. Why can't we all get along? ¤ ¤ credit: Mace | 08.06.03 at 07:21 AM | link--this ¤ ¤The funny thing about my passworded anonymous blog is that it's mainly just keeping out my mother and relatives. There are only a couple of people on the web who know my real identity and it's going to stay that way. My private blog is where people get to read about the real me, what goes on inside my head, what I'm doing etc. I like to know who's reading that stuff. My normal 'anonymous' blog is for links and titty talk, the passworded one is more personal. 12 months ago, all I wanted were hits. I wanted to be popular. Now I just want a small group of regulars who chat to me. How times change. I'm happier blogging now. I've always protected my privacy. We have a silent number, I never ever gave out my surname on mailing lists, so the anonymous blog was just one step further. I mean, it started because I was talking about having sex with a woman and flashing my breasts. What happens if I want to marry the future president of the USA. A girl has to protect herself ;) I think sharing the personal thoughts and views in front of a select group of friends is the future of blogging. ¤ ¤ credit: Jessica Parker | 08.06.03 at 07:25 AM | link--this ¤ ¤I've been thinking about it for a while now... I just haven't done any research on it. Someone needs to start a "How to password protect your MT blog" tutorial, like they have for skinning. ¤ ¤ credit: Veshka | 08.06.03 at 08:07 AM | link--this ¤ ¤I've thought about making a password protected blog, I've been debating it for a while now and I think your entry convinced me to start it up. I really don't want to do it and honk people off, but if I'm going to reveal more private & sensitive stuff, I really have no choice. ¤ ¤ credit: Shane | 08.06.03 at 08:38 AM | link--this ¤ ¤I just like the idea of blogging being a general access thing. Of course, I might change my mind if I was going through something sensitive in nature and had to deal with a bunch of asshats. *grin* ¤ ¤ credit: Nicole | 08.06.03 at 09:05 AM | link--this ¤ ¤I recently gained access to a fellow blogger's private blog, and I love the idea - the content seems more personal, but this is probably partially because the more personal stuff has left their main site- and, I'll admit I like the "being in on the secret" aspect. I'm definitely thinking of a private section - I want to do one right now- I just don't have anything worthwhile to put there yet. But to answer, yes, I think they're a great idea. Couple pros/cons: Con. Our page hits drop off Con. Being open and, in a sense, intimate to a select few isn't in the spirit of blogging. If this paradigm shift is to occur, now is the time, before AOL and MSN offer a blogging app within their collective services. The internet was a vastly different place in 1992- blogging is at the same point. ¤ ¤ credit: Quinn | 08.06.03 at 09:29 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Nicole, that's exactly why I didn't want to password in the beginning -- and also why I tried to keep this blog up, running, and 'business as usual'... Aren't asshats a wonderful thing? [/end sarcasm] ¤ ¤ credit: robyn | 08.06.03 at 10:55 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Robyn, I wish things had been different, and you hadn't had to make a new blog and password it. I love what you write over here, and think about what I'm likely missing over there. ¤ ¤ credit: halla | 08.06.03 at 12:02 PM | link--this ¤ ¤The day I felt I had to password protect my blog is the day I quit. I have poured my heart and soul out for the world to see, because for me it is therapy. I have had people call me a whore, a bad mother, a bad wife, a slut, but I don't care what they say. I've deleted a few comments that were ugly, or just told people to fuck off and then I was done with it. And if I can be totally honest here, I know how bad I felt when I was no longer invited to your passworded blog and I wouldn't want to make people feel that way, so I suppose if it was something really personal, I would just send an email to the few people I wanted to share it with, or make phone calls. But to each his own. You did what you felt you had to do, I just don't think that would be the answer for me. (sorry for writing a book) ¤ ¤ credit: yvonne | 08.06.03 at 12:51 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I said the same thing about passwording this blog once upon a time. But it got to the point it was hurting the one I loved the most -- and I couldn't be that selfish to keep everything public when it was effecting him, too. It wasn't an easy decision, but it's also one I don't regret. It works for me/us -- and in the end, that's what matters most. Everyone has to make that decision for themselves. ¤ ¤ credit: robyn | 08.06.03 at 12:58 PM | link--this ¤ ¤Goodness, I too have been thinking about password protecting my blog. I used my real surname as part of my blog domain and as such everyone can find me. Sometimes I find myself holding back, but there are times when I just let it all out. How this will affect me in the future, I don't really know. So perhaps it's time to really look into the password thing. ¤ ¤ credit: Ursula | 08.06.03 at 01:11 PM | link--this ¤ ¤it's a tough thing... a couple months ago, I started a private LJ because I was going through some shit I didn't want everyone to read about. But, I haven't been there much lately... On one hand, I pride myself on being so honest with the world and sometimes connecting with others because they can relate to my tribulations and life. On the other, wtf do you do when you need to gripe about your boyfriend, work, other bloggers, etc...? I wish I could have a private journal that blocks certain entries from certain people but not all people ;) LOL. I miss reading about your life though, Robyn. I respect why you had to do wht you do, but it's sad sometimes when a blogger you love goes private. Understandable, but sad... ¤ ¤ credit: reese | 08.06.03 at 01:32 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I've got my blogging system tuned to show/hide posts based on whether a user is logged in or not. If it's someone I want to see private/personal stuff, I send them login info and it all works out just fine. I don't use it often, but when I do I'm glad I ahve it that way. ¤ ¤ credit: Pete | 08.06.03 at 02:35 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I've thought about going password-protected too, just because there are some things I'd like to write about that I'd like to keep between a group of friends, that and I'm trying to avoid an ex-friend, and that would help. Veshka,I agree about the tutorial thing. ¤ ¤ credit: marie | 08.06.03 at 04:46 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I've password-protected my blog just this week. What else can you do? There are people in the blogosphere who want no one elses voices heard but their own. ¤ ¤ credit: BeerMary | 08.06.03 at 04:53 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I have a couple of concerns... 1) Won't this turn away new readers? 2) What about long-time readers of the site who never post, like me? Will I no longer be able to read it? I found a cool site about a week ago, but I can only view the front page, not the archives. And the only way to get access is if the owner of the blog wants me to have access. I mean, you can't even link to particular blog entries. How am I supposed to let that person know I am just a curious reader who enjoys reading the site? Do I have to start commenting all the time, just to prove I'm not a bad person? Personally, I can understand why you would want a passworded blog, but work it out so that new readers or lurkers can enjoy your writings. ¤ ¤ credit: Richard | 08.06.03 at 10:54 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I think it all depends on how you do it, Richard. I've had the private sections of my blog passworded since February. Hopefully that hasn't turned away new readers here... ¤ ¤ credit: robyn | 08.06.03 at 11:14 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I ended up setting up an LJ with private/restricted groups for the stuff I'm not ready to talk about on my regular blog. ¤ ¤ credit: Lisa-grrl | 08.07.03 at 08:28 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Losing new readers is a sad part of it, but to stop blogging altogether is to lose the friends you already made. I stopped, but I really missed my "blogfriends". I will continue to accept new readers that happen by, but I realize I won't be getting 400 unique visitors a day any more. Oh well, as long as I'm having fun and still getting to "talk" to my "blogfriends", it's all good. ¤ ¤ credit: BeerMary | 08.07.03 at 11:19 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Tough question. When I was having privacy issues a while ago I considered several options: moderating my posts, password-protecting, going anonymous. In the end I just walked away from my old blog. Wasted a damn good URL, too. Six months later it's pulling me back in. Not writing can be very punishing. So I'm preparing for resurrection and asking myself the same question: how do you balance full expression with guarded privacy? Selective editing of your own posts is out of the question. Writing for the censor isn't creation--it's an exercise. Censoring means hollowing it out, making it soulless. And it deserves better than that. You have to respect it enough to give it the full attention and voice it deserves. Password protecting is also not an option for a (surprisingly) similar reason. Again, it's about respect. If writing is creation then it deserves to fill the measure of its creation, which is to express something. And expression demands an audience. Problem is passwords keep out an audience of beautiful strangers who can approach your creation with the same objective and undistracted attention that you gave when you created it. So, in the end I am settling on complete anonymity. Names changed to protect the innocent and all that. When you remove the distractions of personalities and relationship politics you get to focus on the writing. And so do your readers. The downside is that you'll have to leave some faithful readers behind. And you lose a couple years of blog equity (including, of course, the damn good URL you had). The upside, though, and what makes it all worthwhile, is that you actually get a second blogging life based on your "if I had it to do all over again". ¤ ¤ credit: I | 08.12.03 at 04:55 PM | link--this ¤ ¤
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