Family Blogging – Yay or Nay?

So, Facebook got hacked. Once again. After saying they care very much about their consumers’ privacy. Again. This and many other reasons are why parents have mixed feelings about starting a family blog. After all, what if you share more than you intend to?

Surely, the blog you are considering is supposed to be viewed by friends and family, not everyone. On the other hand, there is a chance you want to share your family’s accomplishments, or daily activities, with the world. Whatever the case may be, here are a few dos and don’ts of having a family blog.

Privacy

The first thing you want to do is make sure your family’s privacy is protected. Don’t disclose too much of your personal information. No one needs to know your daughter’s address and the name of her crush. Consult your family regarding how much of their info they feel should be online.

If you want to take extra precautions, avoid posting pictures of your family altogether, at least until all members are of legal age and/or understand the consequences of having their photos posted online. Don’t give out your phone number, or your address. Avoid using full names – stick to first names, or, better yet, nicknames. Family pets are okay.

Platform

There are several blogging platforms that allow you to document your family-friendly events for free. I’d like to go back to my previous point about privacy to mention that you should read carefully their privacy policy and terms of service. Consider blogging platforms like Tumblr, WordPress or Blogger, since they have fairly simple options and you can choose who gets to see your posts and stories.

Another option to consider is vlogging, which is short for video blogging. Using YouTube, or a similar platform, you can record yourselves talking about what happened in your life, document birthdays, proms, proposals and the like. If you’re feeling extra creative, and have talent and time to back it up, you could animate your adventures. Just remember to have fun.

Comments

If you allow the general public access to your blog, get ready to deal with the comments. Most of them will be positive and friendly, but there are trolls, who make it their job to make people online miserable for no reason. There will also be a ton of weird comments as well.

If you want your family to feel good about their blog, the best course of action is to ignore the comments altogether. In fact, many platforms give you full control of who, if anyone, has the privilege of commenting on your content. There is an unwritten rule among the content creators out there: “Don’t look at the comments.”