As I move forward with dustyd.net, I've decided that it's time to rethink how I handle my photos site.
My previous thinking was that I wanted to put as MANY of my pictures online as possible. This is a throwback to my college days, when we'd all get together and party & take pictures, and my website would serve as the viewing & comment arena for these photos. Many a comment war was started, and it was a source of much enjoyment.
Those days are long gone however. The comment wars are no more, and in all reality there's probably not that many people truly thumbing through my pics.
Well, that's not entirely true - A good portion of my site's traffic comes from my photos' inclusion on Google Images. Currently there are 795 images indexed from my site:
While most are harmless, there are a number that show me in various stages of obliterated-ness, or other not-so-appropriate situations. A quick review of the Google Image searches that return pictures from my site reveals such wonderful phrases as: "boobs" & "wet crotch".
Now, this search engine exposure really was my intention all along. I rename all of my pictures to include the title in the filename as well as the url. These SEO techniques have worked well, and I hope to be able to continue.
The problem of course, is that my site is my public face. Future employers and clients will undoubtably search the web for me, and I want to ensure that the image presented is as positive as possible. There's no need anymore to wear my social life on my sleve.
So, with that in mind, I'm going to shut down my photos site temporarily. When it comes back, it will be much leaner - a summary if you will. I think this should put my mind at ease...