Starting a family blog might be a good option if you’re looking for a project that involves the whole family. Blogs can be a great way for families to stay connected: documenting their children’s activities and accomplishments, writing about their travels, and generally keeping friends and family in the loop about their lives. Blogging with kids can be educational and give parents an opportunity to talk about online safety.
Which is better: a family blog or a family website?
There are a difference between a family blog – a public blog chronicling your family’s life, potentially attracting a large readership in the process – and a private family website. A private family website allows you to share pictures and other information while maintaining a level of privacy that you are comfortable with. Private blogging sites allow you to “lock” your family website pages, so that only you and your family members have access. Unlike social networking sites where everything is posted in a public forum, a private blog provides security features so only the people you want can access your family website.
Blogging with kids : Pros and Cons
If you decide to start a public family blog, there are pros and cons. These include:
Pros of a family blog:
Acts as a childhood journal: A family blog can act as a living childhood journal , one that your children may enjoy looking back on with nostalgia.
Provide a record of your experiences as a parent: Some parents write blogs to show the reality of family life, to give a counterpoint to unrealistic ideas. representations of ‘perfect parenthood’. Blogging can help you reach out to other families, share your parenting story, and build a support network.
Provide a creative outlet for your kids: Blogging with kids can help improve your child’s writing ability. Your children may not always feel able to express themselves at school, and blogging can be a liberating format for written self-expression.
Provides teachable moments: Blogs can Be educational and informative. Some of the topics you might choose to cover in a family blog could generate talking points that can help your children understand different perspectives and viewpoints.
Keep in touch with family and friends: A family blog can be a great way for extended families, especially those who live far away, to keep in touch and bridge a gap that might otherwise widen.
Generate income: It is possible to make money with blogs. Some parents may consider family blogging as a way to generate additional income.
Disadvantages of a family blog:
Potential invasion of children’s privacy: Some may feel that public family blogs invade children’s privacy, especially when they are too young to consent to information sharing.
Potentially exploitative: some they may perceive that the children’s photos are used to promote their parents’ information. ‘brand’ in sponsored posts or for some other potentially exploitative monetary gain.
Cyberbullying Potential: As with many forms of online content, blogs could attract attention from Internet bullies and trolls.
Avoid face-to-face communication: Blogging could be used as a tool to avoid face-to-face communication. Arguably, the more we rely on communication via computers, the more we risk diminishing our ability to interact with others directly in person.
Online Predators: A Blog family could compromise the safety of children. placing personal information in the public domain.
Ultimately, if maximizing privacy online is your primary concern, then a private blogging site that allows you to restrict access to your family members to via password protection is probably the best way. to go.
Family Blog Ideas
The best advice for any blog is to focus on topics you are passionate about. There are numerous ideas and topics for family blogs, including:
- Family vacations
- Family history
- Hobbies and interests
- Healthy Family Meals and Recipes
- Favorite Family Movies
- Family Budget
- Family Games
- Family Sports
- Family Pets
- Kids’ Podcasts
- Kids’ Fashion & Hairstyles
- Kids’ Room Decor Ideas
- Product Reviews for Kids
- Pregnancy Health & Fitness
- Preparing for a New Baby
Blogging can be very personal. People often read blogs because they want to know what’s going on in someone’s life and see what it’s really like. Whatever topic or topic you decide to blog about, the best advice is to keep things authentic. Resist the pressure to make everything sound perfect every time. People tend to identify with other people who have the same difficulties and quirks as them.
How to start a family blog
If you decide to start a family blog, here are some of the critical steps to take:
1: Make sure your family is on board:
Before you start a family blog, make sure it’s something everyone in your family wants do. . A family blog puts their lives on public view, raising privacy concerns. Naturally, you don’t want to post content that might embarrass another family member or make them feel uncomfortable. So it’s worth discussing and agreeing as a family if you want to start a public family blog.
2: Decide on hosting:
There are two ways to host your family blog, on your own domain or with a blogging platform. It’s easy to register your own domain and it doesn’t cost much through websites like Register.com, GoDaddy.com and others. However, if a custom URL isn’t important to you and you’re looking for the simplest option, most blogging platforms will host your new site for free. While your URL will be something like ‘familyblog.wordpress.com’, the blogging platform will handle most of the back-end technical details for you. Please note, however, that if you want to customize your blog beyond the strict parameters of the blogging platform, you will need to pay a monthly fee to do so.
3. Choose your blogging platform:
WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms, but there are many alternatives you can consider, so it’s worth looking into the best option for you. WordPress is popular because it is considered easy to modify and has an intuitive interface. For a small fee, it is possible to customize the layout, colors, and header. Regardless of which blogging platform you choose, there are usually how-to guides available on YouTube and forums to help you out if you get stuck. There’s a helpful comparison of the major blogging platforms here.
4. Choose a suitable blog name:
Some family bloggers like to include their last names on their blogs so readers can identify them, but that obviously raises privacy concerns online. To overcome this, you could use an alias or nickname instead. Brainstorm blog names with family members. Choose something memorable – consider the use of alliteration and use the dictionary or thesaurus for inspiration. Whatever name you decide on, do a thorough internet search to make sure it hasn’t already been used.
5. Customize with plugins:
Plugins allow you to customize your blog even if you don’t necessarily have deep technical knowledge. Get familiar with the plugins your blogging platform offers, such as features that let you create photo galleries, add videos, allow users to subscribe via email, track your stats, and more. This will make your site more attractive to visitors. You can install plugins quickly, and these can help make publishing easier for you.
6. Determine your niche and audience:
What is your niche? Who is your audience? If you can answer these questions clearly, your blog is more likely to succeed. If you’re simply creating a private blog to share with your family and close friends, you don’t have to worry too much about these questions. But if you want to reach a larger audience, you’ll probably want to give it some more thought.
7. Decide who will write the posts:
Will you be the main author of the blog? Will your partner and children also contribute? You can set everyone up with their own username and login, and everyone can post whatever they want.
8 Start Posting:
Though It can seem intimidating At first, the more posts you write, the easier it will seem. Remember, the role of a blogger is not to impress anyone. A blogger simply needs to write about what he feels, and people will start following him along the way. Also, remember that written posts aren’t the only type of content you can post. You can also share slideshows, videos, audio, etc.
9. Tell your friends and family:
The people who will initially be most interested in your family blog will be your friends and family. Show them your blog, and assuming you don’t want the blog to remain private and password-protected, ask them to spread the word about it with others they know and through social media. For many bloggers, knowing that people are reading their content is what inspires them to keep writing.
Suppose you decide to make your blog private. In that case, to make it password protected and accessible only to specific followers, you can usually do this in your blogging platform’s privacy settings.For example, WordPress contains guidance on private blogging here.
Family Blogging: Online Safety Tips
Blogging as a family is not only fun, but it can also provide parents the opportunity to talk with their children about online safety. Some online safety tips to keep in mind when blogging with kids include:
Use strong passwords:
When creating your account As a blogger, be sure to talk to your kids about the importance of strong passwords and help them create one. A strong password is:
- At least 12 characters or more and includes a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as symbols and numbers.
- Avoid the obvious, such as sequential numbers (“1234”) or personal information that someone who knows you could guess, such as your date of birth or a pet’s name.
To make your passwords more complex, you can consider creating a ‘passphrase’ instead. Passphrases involve choosing a meaningful phrase that’s easy to remember, and then turning the first letter of each word into the password.
Understand your security settings:
Take the time to familiarize yourself with and understand the security settings of the blogging website you are using. Many blogging platform sites allow you to keep your blogs private and add readers; this is a good option for those who want to create a private blog.
Use two-factor authentication:
Two-factor authentication (TFA or 2FA) is an additional security measure that you can implement. Two-factor authentication requires two separate and distinct forms of identification to access something. The first factor is a password, and the second typically includes a text code sent to your smartphone or biometric data using your fingerprint, face, or retina. Whenever possible, enable multi-factor authentication on your accounts.
Consider online reputation:
If your blog is public, consider the potential impact of what you are posting. Ask yourself: Does this photo, status update, or blog post create a positive reputation for my child? Does this information reveal physical or mental challenges that could resurface years later when my child applies for a job or college? Everything we post online, and everything others post about us, contributes to our ongoing digital reputation.
Don’t post vacation photos until later:
You don’t want anyone or everyone to know where you are at all times. If people know you are away from home, they also know that your home is potentially empty and vulnerable. Instead of sharing travel photos in real time, create a vacation album when you return and make sure it’s clearly labeled post-trip.
Limit identifiers on photos or posts about your kids :
Consider using nicknames or aliases for your children online. Be careful what you see in photos with your children. Please do not post photos of your home where the house number may be visible or mention which neighborhood you live in. Specific details, like a school sign in the background, can give people an idea of your child’s whereabouts.
Avoid sharing information about your child’s school:
Lots of fun things happen at your child’s school: concerts, open houses, sporting events, etc. But it’s not a good idea to share the name of your child’s school on social media or on your blog; doing so could put your child’s safety at risk. If your child has a distinctive school uniform with a recognizable logo or emblem, think twice before sharing photos of him.
Avoid sharing dates of birth:
You may want to share photos of your child on their birthday, but be careful about sharing their actual birth date. If you share photos of her birthday, you can be vague and non-specific about the date. A date of birth is the type of information that could be useful to a cybercriminal.
Examine the content:
If your children write posts on family blogs , ask them to show you what they’re going to post before you post it. Discuss potential issues and explain why certain content may or may not be appropriate to post online.
Use a parental control app:
Parents Those looking to maximize their children’s safety online might consider using a parental control app like Kaspersky Safe Kids, which allows you to block adult content, manage access to inappropriate games and apps, and manage screen time by device.
In addition, using a good quality antivirus will also help keep you and your family safe online. Kaspersky Total Security works 24/7 to protect your devices and data, blocking threats like viruses, malware, ransomware, spy apps, and all the latest hacker tricks.
Related Articles:
- Internet Safety: A Checklist for Families
- Tips for Keeping Kids Safe Safe Online
- Things Parents Should Consider Before Posting Photos of Children Online
- Staying Safe on Social Media
- Apps and Websites That Parents should know
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