Once Upon A Time...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
...there was a girl named Aimee.
She worked at a job where multiple dentists would yell at her and be bossy and mean for insignificant, petty things and be their typical weird selves.
So one day she started a blog to help escape the pains of the day. To find creativity again while her soul was being sucked. (Think: the Hallows at Azkaban.)
She quickly fell in love. And the blog blossomed into something she would've never guessed or imagined.
Never ever.
So many dear friends, near and far, from the past resurfaced and she was able to experience all over again why she had loved them so much in the moment when their lines crossed.
She made friends she never would have imagined. She would find herself thinking about them throughout her day and caring about people she had never officially meet. It felt so much more healthy than reality tv.
She had many happy, joyful moments. Sad moments - tears even. Reflective moments. All with her blog and its many old and new friends.
There was a unity that was hard to put into words.
Then the day came where she began kicking herself that she used her name in the url. Because she was going to have to grow up and be a real person. A professional even.
You see, way back when she started her blog she wasn't really thinking it mattered if she had her name in her blog. Foresight did not exist. Remember, she was just a girl needing a creative outlet. There was a time when she was happy to see people googling her name and finding her world on the world wide web. That time is not now.
She refused to let this creative outlet come to an end though.
Because a part of her would have to die if she did that.
So she wondered about many things.
Would keeping her blog the way it is affect her ability to be a professional? Would she feel comfortable with that kind of disclosure available in the world? She had never been a private person. She was always free with sharing things about herself. How did she feel about those boundaries though?
Would she need to change her url? What could be a title that would make her happy? Blog titles aren't easy to pick. Would her friends know how to find her? Would they follow her to her new site without her name?
What would she do with the Google issue? Why did they have to be so good at their job, dang it?
So she thought and she thought - for months even - and couldn't make any decisions.
Standstill.
Until she needed to make a decision sooner than later.
So she decided to have her blog friends tell her what to do and she lived happily ever after.
So one day she started a blog to help escape the pains of the day. To find creativity again while her soul was being sucked. (Think: the Hallows at Azkaban.)
She quickly fell in love. And the blog blossomed into something she would've never guessed or imagined.
Never ever.
So many dear friends, near and far, from the past resurfaced and she was able to experience all over again why she had loved them so much in the moment when their lines crossed.
She made friends she never would have imagined. She would find herself thinking about them throughout her day and caring about people she had never officially meet. It felt so much more healthy than reality tv.
She had many happy, joyful moments. Sad moments - tears even. Reflective moments. All with her blog and its many old and new friends.
There was a unity that was hard to put into words.
Then the day came where she began kicking herself that she used her name in the url. Because she was going to have to grow up and be a real person. A professional even.
You see, way back when she started her blog she wasn't really thinking it mattered if she had her name in her blog. Foresight did not exist. Remember, she was just a girl needing a creative outlet. There was a time when she was happy to see people googling her name and finding her world on the world wide web. That time is not now.
She refused to let this creative outlet come to an end though.
Because a part of her would have to die if she did that.
So she wondered about many things.
Would keeping her blog the way it is affect her ability to be a professional? Would she feel comfortable with that kind of disclosure available in the world? She had never been a private person. She was always free with sharing things about herself. How did she feel about those boundaries though?
Would she need to change her url? What could be a title that would make her happy? Blog titles aren't easy to pick. Would her friends know how to find her? Would they follow her to her new site without her name?
What would she do with the Google issue? Why did they have to be so good at their job, dang it?
So she thought and she thought - for months even - and couldn't make any decisions.
Standstill.
Until she needed to make a decision sooner than later.
So she decided to have her blog friends tell her what to do and she lived happily ever after.
(Thanks for any input you could give me on the issue.)
11 Comments:
Not having my name anywhere on my blog, nor mentioning my real name when I refer to myself (and asking others to do the same when referring to my blog) has really helped me have a sense of security and anonymity. My profession is such that I find it best that no one is able to find me unless they know me (but this applies only to me as others in my profession don't care).
My thoughts: only change your name from your URL and page if you feel it will effect the patients. Otherwise, continue to be true to yourself. there are numerous days I wish I was that confident to have myself out there. :)
Does that make sense? I'm going on really low sleep ;)
I'd vote for changing your URL and any searchable terms on your blog that connect to your name or your husband's name. I google myself all the time to see if my blog pops up just to be safe because while I don't have a job where my drivel could get me in trouble, there is a certain safety in being anonymous. You can still be who you are but without your real name attached. That's a good compromise, no?
As for what to name it? I have to think on that.
Well, My blog used to be private AND not have my name anywhere. But I am the opposite, I decided I no longer wanted to work at a job where I would get in trouble for having a blog or a twitter or a anything with my name plastered all over it. I also want a job that, if I decide to get 5,000 tattoos, no one will care.
Ahem.
To your problem: yeah. . .I think you might have to change your url and maybe come up with some nicknames. I know that I google every professional I do business with and I think it may not be completely wise to have patients reading. I think it might hinder your ability to write what you want. I also feel like your stat counter will drive you crazy with each new hit.
Friends can still find you via facebook, where, if you want, you can put a link to the blog, so you can still connect that way.
Depending on how messy your google results are, you can always get one of those "clean up my net rep" services.
Also, google will let you set-up "Google Alerts" on any search term you choose. And they will email them to you. I get daily reports on my name so I can see if anything new is out there.
P.S. sorry I wrote so much.
oooh, this is tough and I have no good advice (sorry). But I am curious to see what others think, because I have been pondering the same thing (even though my "professional life" doesnt really exist...).
change your url nothing else.
oh and if you haven't already make it so that google can't find your name in your blog on for your professional website.
Change your URL. I would follow you anywhere!
I know. I wish I hadn't used our names for our blog address too (even though we've ended up going private). Do whatever you wish but DON'T stop blogging. Wherever you go, I will follow you. Religiously.
Make yourself as unfindable (I'm sure it's a word) as possible. And here is my by-way-of-experience reasoning: I have a friend who was in a custody battle and my friend's lawyer found and used my friend's ex-husband's new wife's blog as evidence in court. Apparently you can get a notorized electronic version of a website that is pretty indisputable. So, I would say that as a professional, who could be called as an expert witness someday, that you do not want your blog to be used in any way to discredit you. So, I say do what you have to in order to keep that from happening. You never know how someone can twist your words to make you look uncreditable.
(I'm Shannon's font snob friend.)
I have no earthly idea about this, but I will follow you and your witty blog anywhere you go!
I say change your URL _and_ try to root out any other mention of your full name. Try to make Googling your full name go to your professional site and have your personal site just be something that you're friends know how to find. All your readers love you enough that "hiding" your personal blog a bit won't be a barrier to them finding it.
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