One of the first things any blogger should decide on is how public they’re going to be about their lives. I’m an avid blog reader, and I read blogs by people who are completely transparent about who they are, and others that are totally anonymous, and some who are somewhere in between. As a reader, it doesn’t really bother me which way the author wants to go. They’re all people I won’t likely meet, and I’m interested in what they’re writing regardless.

Now that I’ve had a child, this question is even more important. The kid doesn’t have a choice in the matter, being just a baby. If I could ask, I would, but it’s a decision I’ll have to make for them. Even typing these last two sentences, I have to decide whether to use “she” or “he” or try to keep the gender private! Of course, my husband gets a say in this decision as well. If I reveal gender, what else do I reveal? Their name? I know of at least one blogger who gives out her own (first) name, but uses nicknames for the rest of her family. She shows pictures of all her family members as well. Do I do one or the other, but not both?

My father recently asked for a picture of my kid to post on his facebook profile. In his request he specifically mentioned that he can control who sees his profile and the pictures on it, so I could rest assured that “no pervs” (as he put it) would be seeing anything. Well, with a blog, I don’t really have that option. It’s meant to be public!

Stay tuned for my decision on the issue!