Pictures Of The Globe

Our Children on the Internet

This year, 2011, is proving to be the year of the baby, at least in my circle of friends.  Five babies born this spring, three due in July, one in August and one in October. 

More than half of these friends are having babies for the first time.  In our conversations about becoming parents and the many decisions that come with that role, the topic of posting photos of our children online always comes up. 

 It’s a topic upon which I have gone back and forth several times.  I remember when my daughter was first born, I was in uber mama bear mode and did not want any photos of my baby posted on-line without my explicit permission.  My poor sister had proudly posted a sweet picture of my nephews holding their baby girl cousin for the first time on her Facebook page and I had a less than rational and pleasant response. 

At that time I had not yet entered the world of Facebook and there were fewer privacy options available on the site.  Within the year, I was on Facebook and posting an obnoxious amount of photos of my new pride and joy.  While I no longer freak out if someone posts a picture of my child online, I still think that it’s polite to first ask for permission.  I always do when posting pictures of children who are not my own on my blog or Facebook. 

 I have since removed a lot of the photos I originally posted of our daughter on Facebook.  I now prefer to post pictures that don’t necessarily show her face.  I’ve also made our family blog an invite-only site.  While I don’t think that someone is necessarily out searching for information about my daughter in a harmful way, I feel better knowing that I have more control over who sees that information.  My husband is also a very private person and I need to factor in his feelings about the privacy and protection of our daughter. 

 Whether or not to plunge into the online world of sharing images of our children is a tricky decision.  I have friends all over the board on this one.  One friend who is about to give birth, has been strictly forbidden by her husband to post even one snapshot of their baby on Facebook.  Another friend, also about to give birth, isn’t comfortable with the idea of having photos of her baby online but also feels that it’s inevitable and that she can’t possibly control the actions of others. 

 I’ve spoken with several people who feel very comfortable with posting photos on Facebook as they feel they have control over who sees them.  I know others who will have nothing to do with social networking but have password protected sites to share family images.  Still there are many others who have completely open blogs about their children, not to mention the hundreds of mommy bloggers who actually make money by sharing stories and photos of their children online.  I must admit that I love being able to peek in on my friends and strangers via their online diaries.

Global Activism: Pictures help transform communities and connect ...

We hear about an individual who’s decided to work to make the world a better place.

Ryan Ansin is the founder of Every Person Has a Story (EPHAS). The organization runs photography clinics for people in developing countries so they can learn to document what is happening in their communities. Then EPHAS pairs them up with kids and schools around the United States who help support projects in those communities. It’s a unique way for American kids to learn about life in places like Rwanda or Haiti.

Ryan got the idea while he was working in film production, making videos for non-profit organizations. He was asked to make a video for a foundation in Cambodia that worked with victims of sex trafficking. But in the process he realized that he wasn’t the best person to make the video.

We talk with the founder, Ryan Ansin, about how his projects are transforming these communities.

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