Monday, July 14, 2008

I think I have a stalker

I am a worrier by nature. Even as a young child, I would fret about silly things that didn't matter. To this day, I lay awake at night worrying about EVERYTHING. It always takes me at least an hour to settle down and go to sleep.

When I started blogging, I didn't feel comfortable using my children's real names, so I created the code names "Porgie" and "Izzy". On many occasions, I have worried about posting pictures of my babies. Because, of course, I have the irrational fear that someone will want to kidnap my adorable offspring. Yes, I am insane.

But overall, I have felt very comfortable on my little blog. And safe. But recently, I noticed a new reader on my site meter thingie. This person checks my blog frequently, and only lives about 20 minutes away from me. Even with the close proximity, I wasn't really concerned. I have never revealed which city we live in or our last name. No worries.

But then I noticed that this person was also reading my family blog (I have another blog for my family and friends in Kentucky). This freaked me out a little, because I have never mentioned the family blog on this blog. And I have no link to it on my profile. Hmmmmm. How did this person stumble upon my family blog?

Okay, so now I am a little worried. Am I being irrational and crazy, or is this a little freaky?

30 comments:

TEACHBROECK said...

You can tell where bloggers live? WOW I am so lost...well as much as I love your blog it isn't ME! I live to far away to stalk you!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am known to stop by once and a while. I have never left a comment so I thought now would be a good time to delurk.

Amanda said...

It is a little freaky. But could it just be a coincidence? It probably is:)

Dooneybug said...

Well it's not me! I see you use extreme tracking. I use that one too but a heads up that the location of the internet provider may not be where this person actually lives. I know my ip address is not the city I live in but one that is about an hour away. But the fact remains that if the ip's are the same on both blogs, then they are reading both blogs and that's too close for comfort! Hopefully it's not a big deal and you'll find out who they are so it can put your mind at ease.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I haven't figured out how to track where people are coming from yet.
Can you lock down your family blog and make it private?
I made my blog not searchable by the internet, so its not really private, but search engines won't pick it up.

OH...you can start blogging about how you are moving...post pictures of a new house in another town....talk about the move....blah blah blah.....throw them off your scent....although...they are probably reading this now, huh? :(

Hey you! Yeah you! Quit stalking, Christy!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wait...I typed that wrong.....

Instead of "Quit stalking, Christy!"

I meant "Quit stalking Christy!"

That comma makes it a whole different meaning...sorry!!!!

Jen said...

That might freak me out too! I don't check my site meter all that often (or.. ever) but if I did that would make me wonder.

I have recently scaled back my blogs because I started freaking out about whether or not I should be talking about my kid so much on the internet.

It seems like a lot of blog addresses have been falling into the wrong hands lately..

Melain said...

Geez, how do you even track that crap? Ignorance is bliss, I think. Any chance it's just someone you know taking an interest? Maybe it's nothing. I spend a lot of time on one of my favorite blogs because I like the music she puts on it. I'll go to her blog and just listen to her entire playlist while I work around the house. But to a tracker I would look kinda stalkerish.

I'm really careful about full disclosure too. I don't use their names and I've never mentioned our city. That's just smart, I think. Either that or you and I are equally paranoid.

Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said...

Yeah, that's a little weird. I have a reader in the same city that works at a law firm that's a competitor of the one I work for. He/she spends HOURS on my blog almost every day. And that's weird - I mean, I usually post something every day, but it would take about five minutes to read it. I don't have groovy music playing or anything, so I wonder what the heck they're doing - creeping things occur to me and I contemplate "calling them out" - but eh...??? That's a weird one you got there!

Tabitha said...

Oooh~that is a bit strange!! I wonder if there is a simple explanation ~ I do check my tracker every now and again ~ but I know that the area that comes up on mine sometimes is quite a bit away from where they actually live!! I did have the same worries when I first started blogging ~ but have felt ok about it!!
Hope you get to the bottom of it!!
love and hugs ~ Tabitha XXXXX

amanda said...

uhm totally get it.

i too thought i had a stalker...i was a little freaked out and the hubby told me to get over it.

i didn't.

instead i just stopped looking at my traffic for awhile. then when i went back they were gone?

maybe that will happen for you too?

but really i still have days when i wish people couldn't find me. which is dumb i know. but i am a dork.

Kris said...

That is scary! I'm sorry you're dealing w/ that.. I hope it's nothing.

How do you tell where people are? I have a thing that shows it, but is just a dot on a map..

Marni's Organized Mess said...

I'd be scared shitless. Glad you posted, maybe they'll come clean and we'll get a good update?

Anth said...

I think it's a little freaky.

Becca said...

I think it's normal to feel that way. I used to check my sitemeter daily but I havent' checked it in ages. And I do use our real names...so I'm a little freaked out now too.

Anonymous said...

Hey, sorry to bother you again...not stalking you or anything...but come back to my blog when you get a chance...I have something for you! :)

Mama Smurf said...

Are you sure it's not a friend or family member that lives near you?

Unknown said...

Well I just started reading your blog and didn't know you had another one. I found you by clicking a link on someone else's blog. That would be a little disturbing to know they are only 20 minutes away. Do they never post a comment?

dani said...

christy, here is something you can try, if you want. there is something called sitemeter. it actually tells you the ip address of everyone who stops by and gives information such as what the person's blog address is.
i think you can try it for a month for free. that would at least give you some time to figure out with whom you are dealing???
hopefully it is nothing, but i will have to say in this day and time you cannot be too careful:)
love,
dani
ps are you from ky??? that's where i am:)

dani said...

oh, one other thing. although you do not have on your blogger info where you are from, it comes up on many of our trackers... (at least the general area). so, maybe whoever it is just noticed you were in the general area and has just stopped by for a read:)

Rachel said...

It is a little freaky. Male or female? I am not sure how people can find out about your family blog but some people are so good at this blog stuff. I wish I had a solution for you. Try not to worry too much.

Danielle said...

I am a little freaked out. At least they know you are on to them!

jen said...

i'm sure you have totally exhausted this option...and you are probably much more technologically proficient than me...
but...
if you only know location (and not names/addresses)...
could it be yourself coming up on your own tracker??

Nellie said...

As Jen said, I think you do show up on your own tracker... that may be it. I have a tracker too and all it did was make me wonder... who is that and who would that be, etc... I rarely look at it anymore. Ignorance is bliss :)

I am such a worrier too. Every night when I go to bed I worry about this or that and it takes me a while just to clear my head and fall asleep. Sometimes I think I'm crazy with some of the things I worry about or imagine!

I used to be realy private about my blog, our names, where we live, etc... I still haven't said exactly where we live and I always post thing AFTER the fact... like if we have plans to go to the zoo I won't mention it until after we've been there, etc... so there is no chance of someone knowing where we are.

There are blogs where people list their entire life! I have friends on facebook who list their cell #'s, address's, etc and I think that is CRAZY!

I hope your stalker either goes away or leaves a comment to introduce him/herself!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I think I'm your stalker.

I found your blog (this blog) through one of your listed friends (who was an acquaintance of mine in school). I thought the name of your blog was intriguing and started reading it. What kept me reading it is your ability to write well and entertainingly so (a rarity on the internet, in my opinion).

I found your other blog because you were logged in with that account when you left a comment on my acquaintance's blog. Because your posts would sometimes differ, I kept reading it. Maybe you want to make it private if you don't want random people stumbling across it.

Anyway, I'm not a stalker, perhaps just a "fan" of your posts. I'm perfectly harmless. I'm also a mother and have a baby girl, which is how I even relate to you at all. I live on the opposite side of the country though.

Sorry to comment anonymously, but my own blog is still a work in progress and I don't want to link anyone to it just yet, but I will eventually.

(By the way, since you're concerned about the identity of your children, you do have a picture up from Porgie's birthday that gives away her real name.)

Dana said...

I soooo understand! I would be a little freaked out if I were you, though it could just be a fluke!

PS - how can you track you visits you? I want to do that!!

Becks said...

Ok that is creepy!! I have broken all the blogger cardinal rules. My title even has our last name not so cleverly hidden. I am all nervous now I am gonna get a stalker. I have pretty much made them a map to my house. crap.

Anonymous said...

I think i would worry a little to, i don't comment all the time on every blog i visit but do now and then just so the person knows im there and not lurking about. I hope this post brings the person out of the wood work and its turns out to be nothing

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

That would creep me out, too. I know that I have a stalker...this person told me she reads my blog, and like Heather, I really wish we could block IP's.

Unknown said...

I often look at blogs of people taht I know or blogs that just amuse me! Sometimes I revisit them just out of curiousity! Maybe you just have a fan! Your going to have people looking at your stuff if you post it on the net! But I understand being a little freaked out about people looking at your stuff over and over again. It makes you wonder who it could be!