Privacy Concern: Who should read this blog?

Important!!! Please read this post!!!

Dear friends,

In this age of Facebook, blogs, and open information sharing, I have struggled with how much information should actually be shared with people outside of my family and friends. Who should know about our struggles, who should have access to Grace's medical problems, who can be trusted to react with love when I share my feelings? Today those issues smacked me in the face...

While I was eating lunch, I started talking to the mother of a previous student, who became a friend of mine during the year when her child was in my class. I was thrilled to see her again and to introduce her to Grace, but  I became concerned when she told me that "one of my friends" had given her access to this blog by sharing an email and password. No, I do not know who it was who gave out that information, and I don't feel that this person would use the information inappropriately... As often happens, at first I was only slightly surprised to know that she was reading the blog, but as I left the restaurant, the situation continued gnawing at me...You see, I purposely made this blog private, by invitation, so that I could be completely open and honest with people whom I trust, maintain a record for Grace of her growth and progress, and still protect the privacy of both Grace and my family. In addition, I have freely shared her private medical history on the blog, which I do not wish to make open to the general public. Now, I really don't know what to do. Temporarily I have saved all previous posts from view in hopes that privacy issues will be corrected and I can return the blog to previous form in a couple of weeks...

I didn't really think about privacy much until today, because I thought the 38 people who have been given access to this blog, were the only ones reading it. Now I realize that this friend may have shared with others, and it is possible that uninvited guests may be reading about our family. True, many people feel comfortable sharing personal details via the Internet, and yes, I also occasionally post on Facebook (with the tightest privacy settings in place), but if you are my friend on Facebook you know that I am purposely more vague as the audience becomes larger and my trust circle evaporates.
If you were the sharer of your password, I don't need a confession, I only ask that you reset your login and password to reestablish the privacy I requested in the first place and to keep others from accessing the blog with your old password in the future. Then please think about how you handled the personal information with which you were entrusted. Some day, Grace and I will want to know that the history in this blog was a blessing to her, our family, and friends and that it was not shared indiscriminantly or in a way that could cause her any future embarrassment.

Thank you for honoring this request even if you don't agree with it, and feel free to send me an email if you know of someone who would like to read this blog in the future. That way, I can determine whether I want to share with them or not.

Thank you again and check back in a few weeks when privacy has hopefully been reestablished,
Gail Dunham