I kept a pretty tight "inner circle" prior to my surgery, partly because I was concerned about people's reactions and I was still struggling with the idea that I was resorting to this myself. I didn't want negative comments (even well-intentioned ones) to get into my head and cause doubts. It wasn't until after I spent some time studying (and navigating this forum) that I started to come around to the notion that doing this is NOT giving up...it takes a lot of courage to wake up and realize that you need this, and then follow through!
I have a few friends and family members that have had WLS, and did so with a little more fanfare (facebook updates and such). I'm not much of a self-promoter, so I'm still quiet, but I don't hide the fact that I've had the surgery from anyone. I figure soon enough the word will spread or it'll become more obvious with my weight loss.
Either way, it's a very personal choice and whatever you do will ultimately be right for you. I'm happy with the way I handled mine, and don't really think I'd do it any differently even if I got more confident in it at an earlier time. As long as you are doing it for yourself and have faith in you, the rest will take care of itself...