pregnancy/baby blogs: password protected?

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking of starting a pregnancy blog that will later become a baby blog because friends and relatives who live far away have been asking for a way to track my progress. Some of my friends who have pregnancy/baby blogs have restricted access to their blogs by requiring a password. Others haven't. I can't figure out what to do, so I figured I'd ask what you all have done. On one hand, I like the idea of protecting our family's privacy and restricting access to the blog, especially after the baby is born. On the other hand, I have some older relatives who are pretty internet savvy for their age but who would probably struggle with having to set up a login, etc, and I know they'd love to read the blog. Also, just yesterday I was telling a friend that another friend that she had lost touch with has a baby blog and I sent her the link, but I forgot that it was password protected and you had to be invited to even be able to create a login. Is there an in-between alternative? Have any of you had problems because your blogs weren't password protected? If yours is restricted, why did you decide to do it?

Thanks!!!

[Anonymous]

I have an MSN blogspot.com blog and I have my blog password protected.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I decided to password protect my blgo because I was getting uncalled for comments. Also, it creeps me out the fact that a stranger off the street can go into it and find out almost everything about you! My blog used to come up by a google search, etc. It turned out that a male coworker (who was hitting on me) found my blog and knew a lot of info on me!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your input. That story alone makes me think password protecting it is the way to go. Yikes!

[Anonymous]

How about creating a facebook account and that way you can block it to the general public (you can even set it so when you google your own name your profile shouldn't appear), but make it accessible to your "friends"?

[Anonymous]

My Blogger blog isn't password protected, but it is unsearchable on search engines. The only way someone will know the address is if I give it to them.

[Anonymous]

I also have a Blogger blog. I did not require a password to view it or to leave comments for the same reasons you cite: many family would be unable or unwilling to set up an account just to view the blog. At first I was unaware of the option to make the blog unfindable by search engines, and I did get one random comment that appeared to be an advertisement in Portuguese. I deleted that comment, switched my setting to unfindable by search engines, and have not had a problem in over a year.

My family LOVES the blog. It's such a great, easy way to keep everyone up to date and share pictures. Even my 87-year-old technophobe grandmother loves to look at the blog, after my stepdad bookmarked the page for her so she could get to it in a minimum number of steps.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- I didn't know there was a way to make it unfindable by search engines. That sounds like a good option. I have a Facebook page and will probably post some pictures there, but only my friends who are on Facebook will be able to see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- I didn't know there was a way to make it unfindable by search engines. That sounds like a good option. I have a Facebook page and will probably post some pictures there, but only my friends who are on Facebook will be able to see it.

Well, if your relatives (like Aunt Tilly and Grandma Nelly) are internet savvy enough to check a baby blog than they should have no problem setting up a Facebook account for themselves (they don't have to use it or even keep updated) because by having an account you can invite them to "join" you and have access to your blog.

Plus, that way you can monitor who has access to your site, but at the same time keep it "hidden" from random google searches, other facebook people just "searching/trollling" around, etc.