Never mind Look Who’s Talking. Now it’s Look Who’s Blogging. Joshua Pohl’s proud parents have bought him his own domain and outfitted him with his own Baby Blog. Only three entries so far, and only one in Joshua’s “voice,” but that’s not bad for a one-week-old.
I’m sure this is not the first blog/domain bought for a baby, but it’s the first I’ve seen, and it’s fun to think about. I hope Joshua’s parents have considered the security issues. On the other hand, I’m pleased they’ve already locked up Joshua’s name domain in the .com arena.
Did you see the NYT article yesterday (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/fashion/30moms.html) about parents and blogs? One of the blogs profiled is one I visit religiously (www.dooce.com), and it was sort of interesting to read the analysis of why parents do this. Ultimately, I disagree with the notion that these parents are primarily narcissists who need validation of themselve and their children. As a reader of dooce.com (and someone soon entering the club of motherhood) I find reading it cathartic–it helps to know that there are people like me out there going through this same experience. Whether the author’s goal is to foster this feeling of community or not, I think it’s a great end result. And I think it would be amazing to point to this “log” of my child’s early life later on and say, “look, this was your life.”
The article also mentions The Trixie Update (trixieupdate.com), which I find mildly obsessive–the author has logged every diaper, nap, and bottle his daughter has had.
As for the security issue, I wonder a lot about this. And I think it’s interesting that the NYT didn’t mention it even in passing. I’ve thought about starting a blog for the baby after it’s born, but, ultimatley, I’m just not sure I’m comfortable opening my child’s life up to the eyes of all those strangers. But, I guess that makes me a hypocrite, since I enjoy reading other parents’ blogs. Go figure.
I didn’t see that article, but I’ll be looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the citation. There’s a fine line between community and jungle and the Internet seems to make that line bolder and fainter simultaneously. Fun to think about, jittery to live with (sometimes).