Comments on: Alias Smith and Jones http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/ All about life with boys...and life in general Sat, 21 Dec 2019 17:09:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: tommyboy http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7763 tommyboy Mon, 24 May 2010 00:49:11 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7763 My wife Jessibel and I really enjoy these postings, but I'm troubled that Goofdad's kids are students in the porn industry. My wife Jessibel and I really enjoy these postings, but I’m troubled that Goofdad’s kids are students in the porn industry.

]]> By: Zoe FitzGerald Carter http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7751 Zoe FitzGerald Carter Sat, 22 May 2010 18:00:17 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7751 Ha! I KNEW it was you "Mrs. Reynolds!" Take care, Z. Ha! I KNEW it was you “Mrs. Reynolds!” Take care, Z.

]]> By: Kristen @ Motherese http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7724 Kristen @ Motherese Fri, 21 May 2010 00:55:41 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7724 Hi Jennifer - Thanks for such an interesting post. I am one of the mommy bloggers who uses pseudonyms for her kids and husband. I tend to be very trusting and open about these kinds of things, but, for my husband, keeping his name, our sons' names, and pictures of them off the Internet was a precondition to my blogging. He is an unusually private person and, although he knows that my writing probably gives plenty enough information for a devoted researcher to figure out who I am, he feels better somehow about those measures. In general, what people decide to do doesn't really bother me either way. I don't think you're being reckless and I don't think I'm being withholding. To each alias, her own, I suppose. Hi Jennifer – Thanks for such an interesting post. I am one of the mommy bloggers who uses pseudonyms for her kids and husband. I tend to be very trusting and open about these kinds of things, but, for my husband, keeping his name, our sons’ names, and pictures of them off the Internet was a precondition to my blogging. He is an unusually private person and, although he knows that my writing probably gives plenty enough information for a devoted researcher to figure out who I am, he feels better somehow about those measures. In general, what people decide to do doesn’t really bother me either way. I don’t think you’re being reckless and I don’t think I’m being withholding. To each alias, her own, I suppose.

]]> By: Jennifer http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7723 Jennifer Fri, 21 May 2010 00:10:56 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7723 Zoe, I'm glad you found this post and gave us your personal position. Your points are well taken. Clearly you did not make any decisions lightly in re pseudonyms. I remain troubled by the overlay of novelistic devices (changed identities, locations, details) in what is otherwise a brutally honest work of nonfiction...but life is seldom simple, and I appreciate your explanations. I'm sure Oprah will not rake you over the coals for it. Funnily enough, I am - in real life - Mrs. Reynolds. Zoe, I’m glad you found this post and gave us your personal position. Your points are well taken. Clearly you did not make any decisions lightly in re pseudonyms. I remain troubled by the overlay of novelistic devices (changed identities, locations, details) in what is otherwise a brutally honest work of nonfiction…but life is seldom simple, and I appreciate your explanations. I’m sure Oprah will not rake you over the coals for it. Funnily enough, I am – in real life – Mrs. Reynolds.

]]> By: "A Happy Reader in California" http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7722 "A Happy Reader in California" Fri, 21 May 2010 00:05:41 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7722 I'm with you. Be proud of your kids and go with honesty all the way. Use their real names. Unless, of course, you're blogging about your kids and you happen to be Frank Zappa (when alive) with Moon Unit, Dweezil, Diva and Ahmet, Sarah Palin (Track, Trig, Willow and Piper) and, of course, Penn Jillette, father of bouncing baby boy (or is it girl?) Moxie CrimeFighter. In that case, we can only regret that the concept of pseudonyms hadn't occurred and been adopted before birth. Nope, absent the above and others like it, full disclosure is the way to go. ~ A Happy Reader in California I’m with you. Be proud of your kids and go with honesty all the way. Use their real names.

Unless, of course, you’re blogging about your kids and you happen to be Frank Zappa (when alive) with Moon Unit, Dweezil, Diva and Ahmet, Sarah Palin (Track, Trig, Willow and Piper) and, of course, Penn Jillette, father of bouncing baby boy (or is it girl?) Moxie CrimeFighter. In that case, we can only regret that the concept of pseudonyms hadn’t occurred and been adopted before birth.

Nope, absent the above and others like it, full disclosure is the way to go.

~ A Happy Reader in California

]]> By: Zoe FitzGerald Carter http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7719 Zoe FitzGerald Carter Thu, 20 May 2010 16:21:21 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7719 Hi Jennifer, First of all thank you for the kind comments about my book. And I agree that the whole pseudonym thing in memoir can be clumsy and cumbersome. And you maybe right that people are getting overly paranoid about their personal information. But I think you need to cut authors some slack. We don't change names just for our amusement or to obscure the truth, we do it to protect people who are in our lives who have requested that level of anonymity (granted, it's not foolproof, but none of my sister's casual acquaintances have to know they are in my book.) And we do it to protect ourselves from lawsuits -- invasion of privacy or libel -- and to protect the people we write about from potential legal harm. (In my book, I wrote about a doctor who prescribed my mother a lethal dose of sleeping pills. I not only changed his name, but where he lived.) That said, I'm sorry the issue of my using pseudonyms detracted from the "shining honesty" of the book. It also really annoyed my old neighbor "Mrs. Reynolds" who wanted her real name in it. On the other hand, my oldest sister, "Katherine," who did not come across very well, was grateful... Very best, Zoe P.S. Cool blog. Hi Jennifer, First of all thank you for the kind comments about my book. And I agree that the whole pseudonym thing in memoir can be clumsy and cumbersome. And you maybe right that people are getting overly paranoid about their personal information.
But I think you need to cut authors some slack. We don’t change names just for our amusement or to obscure the truth, we do it to protect people who are in our lives who have requested that level of anonymity (granted, it’s not foolproof, but none of my sister’s casual acquaintances have to know they are in my book.) And we do it to protect ourselves from lawsuits — invasion of privacy or libel — and to protect the people we write about from potential legal harm. (In my book, I wrote about a doctor who prescribed my mother a lethal dose of sleeping pills. I not only changed his name, but where he lived.)
That said, I’m sorry the issue of my using pseudonyms detracted from the “shining honesty” of the book. It also really annoyed my old neighbor “Mrs. Reynolds” who wanted her real name in it. On the other hand, my oldest sister, “Katherine,” who did not come across very well, was grateful…
Very best, Zoe
P.S. Cool blog.

]]> By: goofdad http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7717 goofdad Thu, 20 May 2010 14:46:35 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7717 I actually do computer security for a living. I was just saying yesterday on soccermom's site that you can't write for any length of time without revealing a lot about yourself. Any skilled researcher can use that information to track you down. It's not hard to find public information like weather reports, baseball uniform colors, practice schedules, and the like. Pictures often have license plates (revealing state and maybe more), bumper stickers (I'm proud of my XXX student), road signs, and/or buildings in the background. My Droid PHONE can now do photo interpolation to find reviews of a restaurant based on it's picture ... that means you can find the location! I understand wanting to protect your family ... but I think hiding behind falsehoods while revealing so much of yourself gives you a false sense of security. For Example: This Daddy's Blog posted a complaint about an oven they had purchased. Based off of information in his blog the company was able to track down his invoice and make amends. This was a good outcome, but shows what a dedicated researcher can do in a short amount of time. http://thisdaddysblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/mrg-from-hh-gregg-corporate-office-is.html For my blog, I use our real names / real nicknames. We're just too unique to hide anyway. I actually do computer security for a living. I was just saying yesterday on soccermom’s site that you can’t write for any length of time without revealing a lot about yourself. Any skilled researcher can use that information to track you down. It’s not hard to find public information like weather reports, baseball uniform colors, practice schedules, and the like. Pictures often have license plates (revealing state and maybe more), bumper stickers (I’m proud of my XXX student), road signs, and/or buildings in the background. My Droid PHONE can now do photo interpolation to find reviews of a restaurant based on it’s picture … that means you can find the location!

I understand wanting to protect your family … but I think hiding behind falsehoods while revealing so much of yourself gives you a false sense of security.

For Example: This Daddy’s Blog posted a complaint about an oven they had purchased. Based off of information in his blog the company was able to track down his invoice and make amends. This was a good outcome, but shows what a dedicated researcher can do in a short amount of time.

http://thisdaddysblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/mrg-from-hh-gregg-corporate-office-is.html

For my blog, I use our real names / real nicknames. We’re just too unique to hide anyway.

]]> By: Emily http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7716 Emily Thu, 20 May 2010 14:34:51 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7716 Obviously you know where I stand on this issue. I'm not concerned for the boys safety. I guess my biggest concern would be whether or not I am embarassing them as some of their friends are now reading the blog. Too late - the horse is out of the barn on this one. But I do try to do the litmus test which is asking myself: Will this embarass them horribly now? If yes, then I don't write. Mild embarassment is fair game. Hopefully I am a good judge because using aliases now would probably be a moot point. Although I can always go with Little Surf and Taco. Obviously you know where I stand on this issue. I’m not concerned for the boys safety. I guess my biggest concern would be whether or not I am embarassing them as some of their friends are now reading the blog. Too late – the horse is out of the barn on this one. But I do try to do the litmus test which is asking myself: Will this embarass them horribly now? If yes, then I don’t write. Mild embarassment is fair game. Hopefully I am a good judge because using aliases now would probably be a moot point. Although I can always go with Little Surf and Taco.

]]> By: Elizabeth @ Life in Pencil http://mothersofbrothers.com/alias-smith-and-jones/comment-page-1/#comment-7715 Elizabeth @ Life in Pencil Thu, 20 May 2010 13:25:00 +0000 http://mothersofbrothers.com/?p=2585#comment-7715 I'm with you, Jennifer (and I don't think you're crazy). I don't have a problem using my name (even my FULL name, as evidenced by yesterday's blog post). In this day and age, Internet "security" feels like such a sham anyway. I guess that's the cynic in me. As someone who aspires to write memoir, I feel like I need to be comfortable being me -- name and all. But that's just my feelings on what I suspect is a really personal issue...sort of like changing your name ;) I’m with you, Jennifer (and I don’t think you’re crazy). I don’t have a problem using my name (even my FULL name, as evidenced by yesterday’s blog post). In this day and age, Internet “security” feels like such a sham anyway. I guess that’s the cynic in me. As someone who aspires to write memoir, I feel like I need to be comfortable being me — name and all. But that’s just my feelings on what I suspect is a really personal issue…sort of like changing your name ;)

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