It is incredibly tempting to share that picture you just snapped of your new baby, or someone else’s baby you are excited about. The last thing in your mind is the brutal digital world that will take in that picture and keep it forever – regardless, you or the baby wish that to be the case.
All you know is that you are bursting with joy and pride, and the world has to see it!
In a previous blog (Superhero for Children’s Privacy), I talked about finding what is right for you and your child(ren), and being consistent about it. For that reason, a bit of planning before the baby rocks your world can lead you to choose differently. Well, it did for this cute couple, and this is how they decide to go about their announcement.
Now, the credit here goes to a friend of a friend, and the privacy-conscious me absolutely loves this idea because:
You can always share, you cannot (almost never) take it back. They are choosing to withhold until they decide not to, if ever. They are choosing to let the real owner of the privacy share if he/she wants to one day.
This sets expectations and behavioral guide rails for the excited friends and family. Never guaranteed, but definitely less likely that someone from your circle is going to cross that line for you.
You have better control of where the content goes. Your accounts might be private, but what about the accounts of those who are in your network? You may still run into proud family members sharing and beaming about the cuteness, but that is easier to manage, especially you already demonstrated a different level of sharing for your baby.
Dear parents,
You might be reading this way past the newborn stage, but please remember this can be applied to many situations. Your actions will be mirrored by others around you when it comes to information sharing of your child(ren).
What do you think? Do you see similar posts in your network?
A Blog About Children's Privacy 