The first draft of this post can be found on Cassie’s own website, of course!
This summer marks the first anniversary of when I bought my domain through Knight Domains, St. Norbert’s “Domain of One’s Own” program.
In the past year, I’ve learnt a few important things about what it means to have your own name.
BE SAFE
The first thing I never really thought about was how to keep my name safe and private.
I found out that my domain was one of the first things that came up when someone looked for my name a few months after I got it.
I was excited at first, but I quickly learnt that everything I wrote on my blog was now very public.
This meant all of my pictures and the people I’ve talked about.
I chose to only use first names when talking about other people and the things we’ve done together.
In such a public place, this way, I can protect their privacy.
You can choose who sees your posts on social media based on who “friends” or “follows” you.
This is not as easy to do with a name.
Before I found out how many people can see my domain, I thought it would be something I only shared with close family and friends, like a social media page.
Being shocked by how many people could see it made me think about how to keep myself and those around me safe.
BLOGGING
I wasn’t sure if I should start a blog because I asked myself, “What could I say?” That thought still comes to mind now and then, but my blog is now really only for me.
Yes, I share the posts online, but I like writing blogs to remember things from college.
I forgot about some of the fun things I could do earlier in the year until I read some of my first blog posts near the end of the year.
