I like to go down memory lane as it reminds me of where the journey of life has taken me.

Sometimes I’ll recall my childhood days. Other times, challenges I conquered. And today, it takes me to my why I started blogging.

Today’s Lesson

Although it was nearly three years ago, I can remember my first days of blogging like it was yesterday.

The excitement of publishing online. The challenge of learning something new. The thrill of having a platform from which I could share. The hope of helping others. The nervousness of wondering how my words would be construed. The anticipation of my first comment. And the dream of where blogging might take me.

I’m reminded I’m not alone.

Many new bloggers go through the same emotions as they embark on the blogging journey.

Although we can’t change the past, nor erase mistakes we made, I do think the knowledge we’ve gained can benefit others who are new to the world of blogging and who may be uncertain as to what to expect.

With that said, today’s lesson is about sharing what we’ve learned and mentoring to those who are new to blogging.

I’ll go first.

Although I realize it’s often our mistakes that can teach us the most, one of the things I learned is, there is no one right way to blog. Our blog is what WE make it and trying to make it a cookie cutter copy of what someone else is doing only takes away from our authenticity.

To a new blogger, I would say, “Follow your heart, be true to yourself, speak from your soul and proudly showcase your individuality”.

Now it’s your turn.

Today’s Assignment

If a new blogger chose you as their mentor and asked for your best blogging advice, what would you tell them?

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Many of us bloggers dream of getting discovered and having our traffic numbers soar. We wish for that one big break.

For those who don’t know, Tracy of I Hate My Message Board recently had got her wish come true when her “Whole Chicken In A Can post went viral. Tracy didn’t expect it, nor was she prepared for what would happen next.

Although her numbers went through the roof, Tracy soon found out, having a post go viral has its drawbacks and its lessons.

In her post titled, How Life Coaching Helped My Blog” she shares,

What bothered me more was a few comments about my son’s dirty face in one of the pictures and somebody saying he had an unfortunate haircut. I think all of you parents can understand how much I wanted to set the record straight on that, but ultimately decided doing so would be counterproductive. I did decide that this was a lesson learned and from now on I won’t include photos of the kids in my blog posts.

Today’s Lesson

Realizing this experience is so fresh on Tracy’s mind,  I’ve asked her to join me and answer a few more questions – not just about the lessons learned, but what she witnesses in forums.

1) Prior to having a post go viral, did you ever have reason to believe posting photos of your children was a problem?

Yes and no, meaning I was aware of the risks of possible things that could happen, but I also realized the chance of actual physical harm coming to my children was remote. My biggest concern and reason I had not posted more photos of my children is that once something is online it’s usually there forever and you very quickly lose control over how it is used. I also took into consideration my husband’s and other family member’s comfort level in what I reveal about our family, including photos.

One thing that surprised me is how quickly extended family members were forwarded that post by people unaware that the boy in the pictures was a relation. If I’d been trying to keep my blog a secret, it would have been impossible after that!

2) Knowing there are predators online, when you did post photos of your children, did you take any precautions as to which photos you would include?

Yes, I don’t post any nude photos or pictures/video that could be described as boys dancing in their underwear, no matter how adorable it is. One thing I’ve learned is that predators do image searches to find photos of real children. Unfortunately, as administrator of an online forum, I’ve seen firsthand photos from my site being linked to by another very unsavory forum, where I also found hundreds of photos of young boys taken from public flickr and photobucket sites. I’ve also seen people steal photos of other people’s kids and use it to form a false online identity. In one case, a poster faked her identity for nearly 7 years using photos of the same young girl and later a young boy. Although no physical harm is being done, it’s still very unsettling and you worry about the emotional repercussions later for the child if they ever have reason to find out.

3) After having a post go viral and seeing how readers were critiquing not your post, but the photo of your child, what advice can you share with other parents who share pictures of their children on their blogs?

Remember that people who’d think that sort of criticism is necessary are safely ignored, they are just looking to get a rise out of somebody or look like some sort of big shot. You know the truth about your child and the level of care you provide and there is absolutely no reason to feel defensive. That said, in the future I will not include photos of my children in my blog because the nature of some of my posts make it likely that they will either go viral and/or be popular on the sorts of sites where people like to one up each other with how nasty their comments can be.

As a forum administrator, I’d advise people that the more photos and stories about their children and personal lives they share, the less identifying information they give. Not just because of the admittedly tiny chance of a predator coming to their home, but because people online can be mean. I’ve heard of employers being called, CPS [Child Protective Services] given false reports, family members being contacted, all sorts of crazy things. My personal feeling is that we also need to be concerned about our children’s right to privacy and what information about them winds up on Google.

Tracy, thank you for sharing what you continue to see, not only on blogs, but in forums. For the safety of our children and our loved ones, you’ve opened our eyes to what not only can happen, but what DOES happen.

Today’s Assignment

Having read about Tracy’s experience, will this affect what photos you post online?

Do you take any precautions when posting photos of your children?

When a post goes viral, we can attract all types of visitors. Knowing that, do you feel you and your blog will be able to stand up to the scrutiny of those who will be critiquing not only your words, but every aspect of your blog?

Please raise you hand and share your thoughts.

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P.S. In 2008 we had an instance when Debbie Yost, a Down syndrome advocate and author of Three Weddings put a call out to all of her cyber friends to help her get a video taken down. Someone had taken a video of children with special needs, turned it into what they thought was a “funny flick” and posted it on YouTube. Debbie did get the video taken down, but not before many had been subjected to emotional scars.