The ugly side of blogging.

September 13, 2010

The ugly side of blogging.

A lot of things happen when you make a conscious decision to open your life, thoughts, and family up to the exposure that comes with a public blog. For me, blogging filled the hole left when I graduated college and no longer had access to sappy poetry and angsty creative writing classes. It’s become a neccessity in keeping my inner peace. An online diary of thoughts, joys, and sometimes hard learned wisdom.

But as with anything of this nature, when you put yourself out there - anyone in the whole world is free to read, to respond, to form opinions about you. The overwhelming majority who send me messages or comments about my blog are positive. More than positive! Uplifting, encouraging, helpful - In blogging, I have found a community of like-minded people who believe, just like me, that life is ours for the taking. But alongside that, I’ve learned to grow a pretty thick skin when it comes to what people think and feel compelled to share with me.

Another negative side to opening up our life is that I’ve had my photos and words taken and re-purposed in very creepy and unusual ways. Once a girl took many of my most intimate posts - a letter to friend who had passed, a prayer to God, the story of my wedding day and changed the names on them to fit her life and began re-posting them on her blog. Dozens of posts. So many posts that she garnered a following and when someone sent me the link alerting me to it - she had her readers send me nasty messages claiming I was stealing my content from her.

More times than I can count, my photos have been swiped and posted on other websites and blogs. Once a modeling photo from my early twenties was stolen and used on a New Orleans escort service webpage - that was probably the worst!

Recently, several people have taken photos of Everly, reposted them on other sites, given her a new name and claimed she was their child. That is absolutely terrifying to me. It makes me feel like I am making her vulnerable. It makes me question if allowing our life to be so public is the right decision.

Just this weekend, a reader alerted me to a french website that not only was using my blog header and multiple pictures of Everly (whom they renamed Hayden?!?) but had the audacity to write “All photos are by me. I will report anyone who steals them. Also, there is a tumblr blog with my photos that is fake and it should be reported immediately”

Seriously? What is wrong with people? I just don’t understand it. They say that imitation is the best form of flattery, but this isn’t imitation on any level. It’s flat out stealing, lying, and deception. And it really, really sucks.

I am going to continue to speak out on this. I’m not going to roll over and shut down my blog and let the small minority of creepos who enjoy doing this sort of thing get away with it. I can not thank those of you enough who have taken the time to report these occurances to me - you’re the only way I know that they exist.

Anyone is welcome to use my blog content so long as you provide credit as to where my words, photos, and video originated. I think it’s a true compliment that anyone out there finds my blog worthy of reposting or sharing with others - but please be considerate and respectful of me and all bloggers who share their content.

The good news - crazy french blog is no more. It was deleted when I checked the link this morning. Life goes on. Blog posts will be written. Fat baby thighs will be photographed - and I am hopeful that as an online community, we will continue to keep everyone who works in this space accountable. I find no greater satisfaction then when I am creating something that acts as a tangible or visible representative of my spirit. This blog is one of those things for me. May you all find beauty in doing the same in your own life.

Best,