Just close family knows and I've explained to them about not clicking on ads. Friends and co-workers do not know. I've found that if you have a successful business people want to know all about how you did it. I'd rather keep that to myself.

am I being paranoid - or does anyone else avoid telling anyone their urls?

You're being careful however, in my situation, my sites are globally extremely well-known within my widget industry, I couldn't hide anyway.

I was once click bombed, along with many others, about 10 years or so ago, Google sorted the problem, I can't remember what happened however there were many members here who were also affected.

In the early days (2003), yes, when I didn't know any better and it was cool. Now I maintain complete anonymity with my sites for account/site safety and never mention them by name to anyone. Even in their design I make them look 'corporate-like", as if a large team of people are needed to run it.

If folks ask what I do I tell them I work on the web. If they ask what site I reply, "Do you like bronc riding?" If they say no, I grin. If they say yes I say, "Well, that's not it" and grin.

I don't really care what my family/friends do on the web and I don't discuss their online behavior as I would likely be quickly bored, so I'm not "worried" about them clicking on Adsense any more than anyone else.

I think percentage matters. If a site only has like 10 visitors a day, and your "family / friends" is that one or more visits of the 10, and does 1~2 click every day for many many days, that'll be troublesome.

But if the site has thousands of visits , and the family / friends visits once in a while and click on whatever things they desire occasionally, it should not really be a problem.

So starting out, I would avoid my family / friends like a plague, but once a site gets popular and established, I am much less worried to only keep my business to myself.

My family and friends all have ad blockers , so no risks :)

My family and friends still don't see my work as work; Dad/Poppa is playing on his computer again. Where they think my money has been coming from these past 20 years I haven't bothered to ask. Or perhaps, as my grandson, they believe I have a magic wallet.

Dad/Poppa is playing on his computer again. Where they think my money has been coming from these past 20 years I haven't bothered to ask.

That reminds me of the man who saw a doctor and got a hearing aid after not hearing for years. During a follow-up visit the doctor asked if his family was happy he could hear now? He said he had not told anyone yet, still just sits around smiling while listening to everyone. But he has made four changes to his will. :)

To answer the original question, I avoid telling people, it's not worth the hassle of everyone asking if I'll teach them, as if I have plenty of time to just give away. Although lately I have started telling some people what I do is not important, it's what I don't do that is the important thing(s).

FarmBoy

My family and friends still don't see my work as work

Yes, I get a lot of this. People seem to think I've been playing Solitaire for the last 14 years. It also means, much to my annoyance, that I get asked to babysit/help out a lot during school hours. After all, I'm free to help because I don't have a job (?!?!?)

In answer to the OP, I've told my wife and kids not to click ads on my sites, and not to visit them if they can help it. Other family members and friends I haven't worried about. I doubt many of them have even seen my sites anyway.

My family and friends knew of my web sites even before Google itself was invented, let alone AdSense.

My circle of friends includes a huge number from right across the world from my genre. Clickers they aren't - unless it is something of genuine personal interest to them.

Amazon might well be different though.

[Added]: The international circle of friends use my main site as a reference library as well as "how to" tuitions.

PS: Family don't visit because it is all too technical and way over their heads.

My family and coworkers know about the site but only certain family members know how much money I make. Nobody knows what clickbombing is except for Adsense nerds though and my web traffic is too high to make an errant ad click harmful.

I think percentage matters. If a site only has like 10 visitors a day, and your "family / friends" is that one or more visits of the 10, and does 1~2 click every day for many many days, that'll be troublesome.

Well, that's the thing. If you only have 10 visitors a day, would you even have AdSense? (Would they allow you to have AdSense? Isn't there some constant minimum overhead involved, that would not make it cost-effective if they're only paying out three cents a month?) If you have such a vast number of friends and relatives that their innocent, well-meaning clicks could harm an AdSense account that provides you with significant income, I'm not sure if you deserve envy or pity. For some reason I keep thinking Saudi Royal Family--but in that case what do you need AdSense for?

Well, that's the thing. If you only have 10 visitors a day, would you even have AdSense?

One point you are missing is that a lot of people don't only run sites for profit. Many of us include one or two small sites as well as our main portfolios, maybe a hobby related blog or a site for the kids' scout troop and leave an ad or two there to contribute to the costs.