and we are stuck here in fogland with a cranky grandson! wish we were there...

Just worked for me

Blast,
Thanks for posting that picture , I can now finish my dartboard.

Stu

Smash, you bring up very valid points. Certainly all of us know the merits of keeping a low-profile and not drawing attention to oneself. When it comes marketing oneself on the internet, though, a certain amount of “accessibility” is necessary. Blast has a great blog and wild edibles classes to offer, keeps everything PG-rated, and the personal things he posts about his life (including photos) only make him look friendlier and more easy-going. Those are huge pluses for a teacher. Besides, as a guy, Blast doesn’t have to worry as much from the internet weirdos as he would for his wife and kids (and he takes precautions with them especially).

Trust me on this, too: in regards to the internet weirdos, you simply cannot control what gets them all riled up (no matter how benign your material is) or how deep their weirdness goes. It's a personal assessment whether the risks outweigh the gains. I say this as a children’s book illustrator who absolutely has to maintain an internet presence for professional reasons AND as someone who has been the obsession of an individual for the past 5 years. I just wish they’d buy one of my books already!

Great picture!!!

I don't worry so much about posting pictures other than causing the women-folk to swoon (yeah, right) ... its the address, phone number, etc... that would concern me more. I don't post my last name because its VERY unusual, but still, if you search hard enough you'll find it. :-)

I've come to really enjoy the folks on this site. Its one of the best controlled environments I've seen (Thanks Chris, Doug, and Martin) and has some mighty MIGHTY knowledgable people.

Now my suspician about their drinking issues has been confirmed ... at least in Houston.

BTW, what's that pile of papers on the table? Maps??

My photo used to be viewable at any post office.
They took them down.
that staged shootout at the San Jose biker Bar must have worked.
I feel bad for the missionary though.

Christina,

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. I've wondered about the problems faced by women (and maybe men too) whose professions require them to have an on-line presence. That stinks big time.

Ken

Looks like a fun evening.

Re: online privacy
As others have suggested, there is a continuum of anonymity and openness, of risk and benefit, when being online. Complete anonymity is nearly impossible to achieve, especially if one wants to interact with others online, let alone promote/market one's books, blogs, classes, products, etc.

I will note that a few months ago a person posted on this forum, indicating his entire family's upcoming travel plans and also mentioning a collection of valuable items in his house. It seemed imprudent, and as a test, I looked online for about five minutes, searching on his name (which was uncommon) and his city (which was posted in his public profile under "location"). I quickly found his house address (along with aerial photos of his house and neighborhood).

Now, in my neck of the woods, home invasions seem to happen with little more preparation than gathering fellow thugs, a gun and a getaway vehicle rather than online surveillance. Still it seems better to reveal less rather than more about certain personal details when posting online.

That said, I appreciate the openness and good will of folks like Blast, IzzyJG99, Christina et al who share their thoughts and lives with us.

This is very true. One thing I'm very careful about is annoucing future trips. I know I can be tracked down and I know I have a beautiful wife and kids. It sometimes worries me, but I also have a lot of people watching over them when I'm not around.

As Christina said, balancing security against self-promotion is tricky. If I were impossible to find the Houston-area Boy Scout Council couldn't have contacted me about setting up a program with them (Woo hoo!). Luckily other than are old friend ChaoticKlown I haven't had any problems (Blast kisses foot of his St. Barbara icon).

-Blast

I guess I missed that story?