My brother thinks that it's only a matter of time before someone finds this who shouldn't. (CCM, Moby, Y2K, or my professors, for example.)
He's probably right.
Actually, he's pretty convinced that it's already being read by people who I don't want to be reading it.
I guess he could be right.
I'm seriously considering making this a private blog.
I can't stop blogging altogether. I'm too addicted at this point. And I know that there are some of you out there who are just as addicted to my blog as I am (the charming Nico, for example).
If I were to make this a private blog, that would mean that it would no longer show up in your GoogleReaders and BlogLines. You would have to give me your email address so that I could invite you to read it. You would have to come directly to the page. You would have to sign in.
Basically, I expect that the step of privatization would take my readership down from 135 to about 4. (Because I know about myself that if something's not in my Reader, I forget that it exists.)
I'm putting up a poll (in the upper right-hand corner), and I need honest feedback. If I were to make this a private blog, would you keep reading and commenting? Because if I make the switch, I want to know what I'd be getting myself into. Losing that many readers at once would be a bit painful for me. But it might have to be done.
If nothing else, I might be moving to a less obvious address (having my name in the title means that it's easy to spot on other people's blog rolls). We'll see.
So please go vote on the poll. And please be honest.
~A~
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Going Private?
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28 comments:
I have been following your blog for a while and am not sure if I have ever commented. I tend to only check private blogs once in a while for updates. Reader is so much easier. Its not an easy decision to make, but in the end you have to do what you feel is right.
I too have been a lurker for a long time. However, I know how lazy I am and when others have gone private I have just let them go. But it is your blog and your world.
my suggestion is to make all of your current entries private (or edit through all of them to make sure your name or any other identifying information is left out, but making them private seems OH SO MUCH easier), change the URL so that it's not so identifying, and then blog anonymously. You can still keep most of your following by sending out a private mass message to your 20sb friends, or telling everyone that they have a week to join an emailing list to get the new URL when it's up and running. That way, you know exactly who is reading it, and those people will know who you are, but the new comers won't, and anybody who KNOWS you won't be able to find you through google or elsewhere.
I completely understand your need to blog, and I actually lost a friend because of my blog once (she was completely disinterested in the fact that I blogged until I went on a date with a not-even-really-ex of hers, and then in the spirit of honesty and full disclosure, told her about it. THEN, she clicked through a link i had on my facebook to my blog and used everything she read against me, as if i'd been keeping it all a secret from her, when in fact she already knew everything and i was generally keeping my mouth shut so as not to rub it in her face. but whatever. the point is...) still, it has become a part of who you are, and you should never give up who you are for somebody else-- so take a few precautions, but please, stick with this. it's so you.
Can't you just go through and make each post private? I read a private blog through my google reader. It comes up that there is a new post, I just have to enter the password for it. I'd look into that one. Either way, I'll keep reading :)
No suggestions from me. It seems that all the blogs I have been reading are going private, and that means I can't get back into some, which makes me sad. I'm glad you are giving us all the foreshadowing.
I'm torn really.
When people I knew found my previous blog, I made it private immediately, but I hated it. I did immediately see a drop in the amount of people who read it, and I just felt, well, kinda like i was a "prisoner" in my own blog. I can't really describe it.
On the other hand, I know first hand how horrific it can be when you DO find out your blog has been found. In my case, people printing it out and passing it around for other people to see.
I suppose the thing is, it doesn't have to be permanent. You could make it private til you feel comfortable again, then go public once more.
If you DO decide to go private, my email is pollypoptart79@yahoo.co.uk.
I'd say change your domain, go anonymous, and only send the URL to those who request it.
Either way, I'd still read. :-)
You know I'll read whatever you write!
I would prefer that you stayed in my reader...
but thats just me being selfish.
Considering you've already built a healthy community, and have probably leveled off on the number of readers you're going to attract in the first place, i don't think going private is a bad idea.
In the past your musings were more internal, but now that you've actually become, erm, socially active (shall we say?) I can see the need to maybe cloak those internal musings from attracting the wrong sort of attention, right?
I would still read, probably less often. Before I knew about google reader, I would check blogs monthly or weekly, based on how often the blogger blogged. I might put you on my twice weekly list if you kept up this pace!
Would you still tweet about new posts? Would you privatize your tweets as well?
I used to blog anonymously and I never explained my pseudonyms: if you did that I would lose some of the humor inherent (Moby, Y2K and CCM all make me laugh).
I'm with Sandy - make private posts so that the feed itself is still public. I know that Blogger has this capability - so that way in the feed all we see is "private post - login to read" but at least we'd all still have the feed.
Oh, wait, no, I'm wrong.
Wow, this is kind of an issue isn't it?
I'd read this still if it was private. So keep me posted!
I didn't see a poll, but I would still continue reading your blog if you decided to go private. Although I don't think you really NEED to, I can understand your concerns about it. If enough people in real life started reading my blog, I'd probably consider it, too. But, I really enjoy reading your blog and hearing about all the fun things you do and the cool parties you go to and the cute guys you make out with. So, if you go private, I'd still take the time to log in and everything.
Sorry for the double comment, but I like Daniel's idea. If you DO go private and won't show up in our readers, you could twitter about new posts, and hopefully still keep a lot of your traffic!
i agree with your brother. considering your blog is tied to facebook right it's probs pretty easy for peps you don't want to find it find it.
but keep us posted as to what you decide to do
I agree with those who say go anonymous, letting current readers ask for your new address. I think it would be much easier to keep everyone with you on a new blog then trying to just keep this one private. No matter what you do, I'll keep reading, though :)
I was going to go private too, beause of my son, but really, I am honest, and if people want to get mad about me being honest, then let them. I kept it open so that my family and friends can read it without me knowing or if they want, tell me about it. I say stay public, but if you want to go private, can I be a part? :D
duh I would still read!
Okay, so I'm saying this hoping not to offend and hoping you don't take it that way, but your blog is a guilty pleasure for me. It is a fun, dramatic romp into the life of a 20 something that I no longer am. Sometimes in my google reader I skip your blog and read the more "serious" blogs on my list, but then I almost always come back and read your entries later.
I'm afraid that if you weren't in my Reader the balance would be off. And I know that it would be rare for me to venture off and read blogs not on my reader (like in the olden-days when I had the list of blogs I read on the side panel of my blog and would hit each in turn, returning to my blog page in between each)
So for completely selfish reasons I hope you don't go private...or that Google reader inventors figure out a way to allow password permissions.
P.S. I'll miss you at the NaNo Write-ins this year!
I never could figure out what was so great about reader...I tried it once and it didn't even seem to work. 90% of the blogs I read are on LJ, so I read them on my friends page there. The select few others I just visit directly, such as yours. If nothing else I could just subscribe to the RSS feed. I don't see what the big deal is with this Reader thing...I suppose I'm the only one that isn't in love with it, though. *shrug*
Just stopping by to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
I'm a recent reader and this is my first comment but I enjoy your blog. I go directly to your page; no reader.
I would still stop by if you go private. I've considered doing that with my blog too for the same reason (and already make some posts friends-only), so I do get why you might want to. But yeah, I'd keep reading if you go private.
Also, happy day after birthday! Maybe you have another fruitful year. :)
i would still read if you went private! i don't follow a whole lot of blogs anyway so i'm pretty invested in the ones i do read! i've kinda got the some similar questions and totally just read through your comments for some tips on how i should handle the future of my blog as well!
I can't figure out the poll thing, but I would still read if I could. Plus I don't even know anything about feeds or reader or anything. I'm techno-dumb.
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