Dean Shareski makes a great point above: “Reminds me of a friend who wouldn’t let their kid on the monkey bars because they heard “how dangerous” it was.” As parents we all make decisions about how to raise our children and what to expose them to. There is no one right way to raise your child. We all love and want what is best for them, but each of us is willing to take different risks. You might feel comfortable letting your child walk to school on her own in grade 2, but I might not be comfortable until my child is in grade 4. Neither position is right or wrong. I think it is the same thing with the current Flickr discussion.

Thanks for continuing the discussion and giving me more to think about.

The questions that I ask myself usually include, “what’s the worst that can happen?” In Alec’s situation and in 99.999999% nothing really. The fact that someone has a photo of my kid on his computer is not much different that someone who sees my kid in the mall and has an image of her in their head. Yes, the potential of digital is different but what examples can you point to that would suggest something that might directly impact the child? The benefits, to me far outweigh the dangers. I realize everyone feels differently and can choose whatever they wish but I simply want people to be fully informed of the real dangers. Most times the dangers are unfounded. Not always, but mostly. Alec’s example is about as close as about as nasty as it gets in reality. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Reminds me of a friend who wouldn’t let their kid on the monkey bars because they heard “how dangerous” it was. Every parent will make decisions about the safety of their children but there are many nuances here that need to be considered. I’m still willing to hear and learn more. In general, most reactions are overblown in my opinion.

Also, you’re last bit about allowing your child to create their own online identity really got me thinking. I can’t even imagine what the online community will be like in 18 – 20 years when my daughter will be using it on her own terms. Will there be a trail of her created by me that she doesn’t wish to have? I hope not.

One last thought I have that sort of relates is something that happened to me. Nothing involving pictures, it actually involved a website called Spoke. When I googled my name online, the first site that came up was Spoke. I had no contact with them, had never heard of them and never gave them permission to use me or any of my info. I found out that they got all my info from LinkedIN and created a profile of me. It took a few weeks to disassociate my name from the site. A few emails and a few phone calls ended up doing the trick. Did they do anything wrong by “stealing” my public info from LinkedIN and showing it on their site?

I couldn’t have said it any better. Ever since I read Alec’s post, I have been trying to put into words how I feel and you completely nailed it.