There is no place like home...until things change!

I have been on Sparkpeople for a very long time. I have watched many people come and go, and I have watched the site grow and flourish. I love it here and am thankful for it!

I have always been thankful to have this place to retreat to. When I need advice, or to ask a question or I am just looking for someone to share my "feeling of the day"...this has been a great place.

I want to see Sparkpeople grow and continue to do well, and I understand the business side of things.

What I do not care for, and am pretty mad about, is the invasion I have been feeling by this website. Everytime I log in, I fear I will accidentally hit the button that logs me in through Facebook- and then my journey is there for all to see. I am not in a place where I want everyone to know about my weight or my struggles. I keep my 2 pages very separate! I do not like the idea that anyone can come to my blog and hit a button to "share it" with whoever. Now I know that when you blog, it is out there for anyone to see. I have often gotten Sparkmails from people asking if they could copy something, and I have done the same from Blogs I have enjoyed. I just do not like the idea that I feel they are promoting the idea of sharing things with whoever I want- because your blog is your story, your feelings, your deal. I do not like the share button- whether it is to share here or anywhere else. It is not anyone's job but mine to share my blogs.

I am just mad that in order for Sparkpeople to survive, they have decided to put us all out there- and I do not like that. You know who the people are who are on this website and are hoping to gain a following to someday write a book, or be featured in one of Spark's books, or to be in a magazine- that is great! Those people, by sharing what they do, help all of us. I celebrate them- and Spark- for opening that door for them. That is a choice they make, and it makes them happy. Although I like to share things, I feel I do it safely and comfortably and I am not looking for anything more than a few hugs when things are bad a a hip hooray when I can post a loss. I have set my page to private to help ensure I am not standing in the wide open for strangers to look at...I am a person and want a safe place to be myself.

I just wish that rather than having to figure how to "opt out" of these sorts of things- having your blogs passed around- that you could Opt In- "pick me- I wanna tell my story to the world!" Unless I can figure out how "not" to let something happen- it can happen.

I for one, do not want my Facebook friends to know this part of my life. And, I do not want my Sparkpeople friends to know the details of my family and personal life. I keep the two separate because that is how I choose to handle it. As I see this becoming harder to do,and I am worried that I will make a mistake that will cross the two, I am faced with a decision that does not make me feel happy.

I hope more people who feel this way will speak up and let the good people at SParks know how you feel. They can accomplish their goals, have success and and still respect us...or we will all start to fade away and try to find that safe, comfortable place elsewhere, and that would make me sad- because Sparkpeople has been my home for a long time.

Thank you for listening to my perspective.