My daughter will be turning five next month, and I’m already fielding questions about her having a blog in the future. To be honest, I’m perfectly okay with her having a blog. I’m also perfectly okay with monitoring that blog, and requiring her to withhold from posting sensitive information. Age-appropriateness is also very important. She can look up toys, read about animals, natural history and the like, but she will not be allowed to research best diet pills, or view any other type of subject matter that is inappropriate for her age.
When it comes to blogging, she can use her first name, mention her brother by name, and talk about school, activities and friends, but she is not to mention any other names. I want her to refer to her friends by the first initial of their first name only — P for Pamela, for example, and she is not to mention the city or state we live in, the name of her school, or any other identifiable information.
The way I look at it is this: the internet is becoming such an integral part of our lives that it’s only a matter of time until my daughter is on the internet. It’s not a question of IF, it’s a question of WHEN. And since she will be posting on the internet sooner or later, it makes the most sense for me to monitor it when she is a child, and instill in her caution, responsibility and common sense.
If you have children, will you let them blog?
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I think it’s really awesome that you’d encourage your kids to blog, or allow them to. My parents were very anti-blogging, even though they thought that the internet was a good thing for me to have access too. But they did something right, because I don’t mention things like school names, cities, my friends’ names (besides initials, like you mentioned). I do mention my province and age and that I am in school, but it’s very general information. It took me a long time to actually get to the point where I actually realized that there are loads of people in my school with the same first name, even the first age, in the faculty that I’m in.
But what kind of photos would you allow her to post on her blog? Anything with her own face or her brother’s? And how old do you think she should be before she starts keeping a blog?
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Blastocyst – it’s probably not what you think it is. =-.
I agree with everything you just said. I’m nowhere near that point right now, but when it gets here, I will allow it. As you said, they will be doing it sooner or later anyways! Best to teach them how to do thing now.
4 out of 5 of my kids are online. The 4th one only last night asked if she could go on facebook. You’re right in saying that it’s WHEN they go online, not IF.
Blogging is a major part of my life and if the kids want to give it a go, then I have no problem in that. But security is important and of course, monitoring what they are writing and being sure that they don’t offer up private information is of most importance.
.-= Tina @ Mummified Times Five´s last blog ..Scrap: Love the beach =-.
i think this is a good thing to think about.. i remember my first blog started up when i was 18, cause i got into the internet late, and i was so shocked when i saw 12 and 13 year olds owning domains while i was still on angelfire lol
one thing that i wonder with your rules though, if you don’t want her to post this sensitive information on her blog, will you also not want her to link to your blog? given that you are her mom, and you do mention names and locations, that would be pretty much canceling out what you’re safeguarding there.
i do think its awesome that you would give her a blog and monitor it. i am still pretty shocked when i come across younger people’s blogs and see some pretty adult subject matter being written about. i always wonder if these parents are aware of what they are doing (most likely not) so i’m glad you are making an effort to stay involved in that.
i really think it could become a fun activity for you and your daughter to share in. since you have been a blogger for a long time, she can look to you for help making her layouts and you can teach her all you know :D
.-= Nimil´s last blog ..farewell Patrick Swayze =-.
@Nimil: I’d like to think that I do a pretty good job of censoring myself in the way that I would like to censor Alyssa. I use their first names only, same with ours. I don’t publish our city and state, or specific details of where we live. And unless I have permission, I don’t refer to friends except by the first letter of their first name.
In the past I used to be more lax with things, but over the past few years I’ve definitely tightened the reins.