Internet, Anonymity and You

Astronomer · 12-03-2009, 11:20 PM

When I was younger I didn't really give a crap about what personal information I posted on the net. I think I was very naive but also I didn't have a reputation to keep up. As you get older you definitely need to think about how much of your identity you're making public on the net.

I have a friend who got turned down for a teaching job. She eventually found out that the reason behind her failure was the fact that the school principal actually looked her up on MySpace and her profile picture was an unflattering drunken image of her dressed as a pirate and gulping down a jug of beer. The reality is that there are A LOT of employers who now look people up on social networking sites in order to 'investigate' them! Also... look at the amount of people in the public eye who have been caught out with pictures of them doing something naughty which were found on a social networking site or something.

I am careful about what I post on the net but at the same time I'm not paranoid or anything. I keep my Facebook profile and pictures completely private and only add people who I am close to. I'm am also active in a lot of other internet sites, such as YouTube, Last.fm, forums, etc, and my band as a myspace... I've had a few weird internet stalkers but it's never been too much of an issue. They never know enough about me to stalk me in real life and I can always just block them or something. Although I think sometimes I am a little too trusting and need to be a bit more wary...

mr dave · 12-04-2009, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lateralus

I have a friend who got turned down for a teaching job. She eventually found out that the reason behind her failure was the fact that the school principal actually looked her up on MySpace and her profile picture was an unflattering drunken image of her dressed as a pirate and gulping down a jug of beer. The reality is that there are A LOT of employers who now look people up on social networking sites in order to 'investigate' them! Also... look at the amount of people in the public eye who have been caught out with pictures of them doing something naughty which were found on a social networking site or something.

the simple way to avoid this situation is to treat anything you post on the net as if it was on a public billboard. too many people treat the internet like their personal digital playground, and while it may have started that way for some it sure as hell isn't that way anymore.

boo boo · 12-04-2009, 02:17 AM

Well, I've been pissing people on the internet off since 2004 and so far I'm still alive.

Though Ethan did play a mean practical joke on me a few months ago by posing as some chick who was offended by my rants on feminism and threatened to kill me, knowing where I lived and everything, it did freak me out.

Guybrush · 12-04-2009, 04:15 AM

A practical joke should - I think - at some point in time, be funny for everyone involved. I doubt many would look back with a smile at the time someone said they wanted to kill you and they had your address .. That's just a bit too mean!

boo boo · 12-04-2009, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toretorden

A practical joke should - I think - at some point in time, be funny for everyone involved. I doubt many would look back with a smile at the time someone said they wanted to kill you and they had your address .. That's just a bit too mean!

Yeah but since when was anything Ethan ever found funny actually.... funny?

On the other hand I did once try to hack into a guy's email account and send child porn to everyone on his contact list.

Don't worry, I didn't actually do it.

But I am gonna put his email address on 4chan eventually. Which will inevitably lead to the same thing anyway.

Oh yeah......

Ethan did that to me too.

Guybrush · 12-04-2009, 04:42 AM

Thank you Boo Boo for scaring me even more

After discovering how easy it is to find out all sorts about myself just based on my username alone, I've decided to change it.

.. Just in case I ever kickban some hater who migrated here from 4chan.

I'll keep it recognizable though.

noise · 12-04-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toretorden

Thank you Boo Boo for scaring me even more

After discovering how easy it is to find out all sorts about myself just based on my username alone, I've decided to change it.

.. Just in case I ever kickban some hater who migrated here from 4chan.

I'll keep it recognizable though.

oh now you're just being paranoid, don't you think? i guess you're a mod so you're in a somewhat different position than the rest of us, but still, the only reason i poked around is because i felt challenged to do so. anyway i'm pretty good with google - most people probably can't find that much stuff

/offtopic - your avatar is sooo cool. where did you get it?/

Guybrush · 12-04-2009, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noise

oh now you're just being paranoid, don't you think? i guess you're a mod so you're in a somewhat different position than the rest of us, but still, the only reason i poked around is because i felt challenged to do so. anyway i'm pretty good with google - most people probably can't find that much stuff

/offtopic - your avatar is sooo cool. where did you get it?/

Maybe, but on the other hand it's just a username so as long as I'm recognizable, it shouldn't matter much if I change it. Needless to say, I didn't plan on becoming a mod when I chose. In the first post, I wrote that I tried to be anonymous on the net and that it's a principle I try to follow. Finding out then that it takes anyone here about 1 minute to find everything they need to contact me is just a bit ironic

As for the av, thanks! I can't remember exactly where I got it. I think it came up on a google image search, then I cut it, fixed it and added transparency to it myself.

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 12-04-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

Thank you Boo Boo for scaring me even more

After discovering how easy it is to find out all sorts about myself just based on my username alone, I've decided to change it.

.. Just in case I ever kickban some hater who migrated here from 4chan.

I'll keep it recognizable though.

I've always called you Tore anyway

FaSho · 12-04-2009, 09:12 PM

I share a lot of information over Facebook, but I'm very slective over who can view it Same concept on here. There's a select group of MBers I do/ have shared personal information with.

Links that come up when I google my full name:
-Facebook
-Myspace
-My XC Information(times etc.)
-A forum i joined a view years ago
-More Running/Myspace links

12-03-2009, 11:20 PM	#41 (permalink)
Astronomer we are stardust Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,894	When I was younger I didn't really give a crap about what personal information I posted on the net. I think I was very naive but also I didn't have a reputation to keep up. As you get older you definitely need to think about how much of your identity you're making public on the net. I have a friend who got turned down for a teaching job. She eventually found out that the reason behind her failure was the fact that the school principal actually looked her up on MySpace and her profile picture was an unflattering drunken image of her dressed as a pirate and gulping down a jug of beer. The reality is that there are A LOT of employers who now look people up on social networking sites in order to 'investigate' them! Also... look at the amount of people in the public eye who have been caught out with pictures of them doing something naughty which were found on a social networking site or something. I am careful about what I post on the net but at the same time I'm not paranoid or anything. I keep my Facebook profile and pictures completely private and only add people who I am close to. I'm am also active in a lot of other internet sites, such as YouTube, Last.fm, forums, etc, and my band as a myspace... I've had a few weird internet stalkers but it's never been too much of an issue. They never know enough about me to stalk me in real life and I can always just block them or something. Although I think sometimes I am a little too trusting and need to be a bit more wary... __________________

12-04-2009, 04:15 AM	#44 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	A practical joke should - I think - at some point in time, be funny for everyone involved. I doubt many would look back with a smile at the time someone said they wanted to kill you and they had your address .. That's just a bit too mean! __________________ Something Completely Different

12-04-2009, 04:42 AM	#46 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Thank you Boo Boo for scaring me even more After discovering how easy it is to find out all sorts about myself just based on my username alone, I've decided to change it. .. Just in case I ever kickban some hater who migrated here from 4chan. I'll keep it recognizable though. __________________ Something Completely Different