We have two pretty firm rules here at WonderfulPages. No names and no faces.

No names: I have a pretty big web presence on a few other major sites under other nicknames, and I really do want to keep that seperate from this. Anyone with some moderate Google-Fu skills could likely link them, but for the most part this site is independent.

No faces: There are lots of creeps out there that use pictures of little kids for all sorts of things. I’ve had to deal with more than a few in my various other roles. Even pictures that aren’t your standard “naked kid in the bath” picture can be taken and modified, or the face used in a composite fake image. Also, if someone did manage to track down my details I’d rather they don’t have clear pictures of my kids to use for reference.

Yes, we’re that paranoid. We’ve had raised eyebrows and not-so-subtle hints that we are being too paranoid. “People post pictures of their kids, and their real full names and cities and other information all the time, why not you?”

Here’s why not us:

I just got an email from smugmug (a really cheap, fabulous image gallery service) saying that they had essentially closed my account to the public. They had a report of my images being used on “inappropriate sites”. They asked that I fix the images then I could open my galleries again.

It turns out that in the 750 pictures in the gallery for the Nicaragua trip there were 3 images that had hundreds of hits per week. Yes, you guessed it, the ones that featured the 3 year old boy bathing at the community tap in the village. They were apparently linked on a horrible site somewhere. I felt sick.

I love those photos. They are some of my favorites because they show the village at its best. Mom is washing and doing her best, the kids are clean and happy and laughing, everyone is working together. Now I can’t look at them the same way ever again.

So. Two rules. No names, no faces.

I hate being vindicated in paranoia.

Related posts:

1. If You Love ‘em, Don’t Post ‘em
2. Checkout that garbage!
3. Not Today
4. Organizing Digital Photos
5. BIG CHANGES. New Blog.