Our Site in Cyber World

Yes, I posted a question once about a local tragedy. Then the next day I googled to look for some news story updates about the same event. And first thing that came up was MY question on Mamapedia.

But I don't say/do anything here I don't do in "real" life. I mean, I'm the same me to all of YOU as I am to everyone I physically know.

I know many people LOVE the suggestion of anonymity a thing like Mamapedia has to offer, thus the single heavy posts with a made up name and made up city. But I'm just the opposite, I like it for it's feeling of community instead.

:)

I think the only thing Troy would find annoying is how much I brag on him. :)

I don't have any deeply personal info on here, and don't have our home zip code listed either (I use a work zip code instead), so I doubt anyone would know who I am. BUT, I went ahead and made some profile changes anyway. (Like my new screen name, everybody? ;)

Wow - what Theresa said is kind of freaky. Sounds like we all need to change our names...

Signed, The Shadow
(boy, I'm not old enough to remember THAT!!!)

Something really freaky - on another website someone posted about a site called 'Peekyou.com' ... you put in your email addy and it shows all the information that can be linked to you.

I put mine in and while it wasn't up to date - it did show an actual picture of a house I used to own. *and* my legal name. All for free. A person can pay for even MORE information all about you and all from just a single email address. Which makes me wonder if a paid account would show my *right now* physical address. Ack!

The internets are a great place, but also very scary sometimes.

Thanks for the info!

Yep - not surprised.
Google your own real name every so often (and your family members).
Last time I did, it came up with places I've lived since the mid 1980's, possible relatives (not all correct but many were), my maiden name, etc and so forth.

Privacy about our private lives is becoming a bit of an illusion.
And the information is more or less shared voluntarily.
Who needs Big Brother when we blithely publish our lives on sites for all to see and there's peer pressure to do so (what's popular IS a form of peer pressure - Facebook, Twitter, etc - starting to use social media at younger and younger ages is practically becoming a right not a privilege).

I think there are consequences that are not yet fully realized and there are bad things about it along with the good.

Not mentioning any names but somebody on here once posted such detailed information of where they live that I swear I could have found them if I really wanted. I was most disturbed that they thought nothing of it and were oblivious to the consequences of their actions.

Here is how I look and deal with this. If someone wants to find you. They will. They don't really need the internet. IT IS HANDY... for stalkers and crazies. Yes. People using the internet need to start with something in there minds. ANYTHING YOU DO here is recorded. Somewhere, some how on a server farm, in an email data bank, on a hard drive. Its all there for time memorial. Even when you think you have lost something... its still there. All a computer is, is a compilation of number sequences. You cant just blast em, and they are gone. Some one was saying you can purchase software to hide your trails, no your not hiding them, your just rearrainging them and confusing the normal user. Hackers will still be able to find your trail IF THEY ARE REALLY wanting to come after you.
Before computers, the sickos' went through garbage, and stole mail, they would use that dinosaur called a phone book, and ease drop on group discussions at churches and a get-together.

Tomorrow they may invent something that lets us link our brains telepathically. Someone will find a way to see into that too. Its the law of nature and balance.
Simply put if you don't want people to find you on the internet and look into the deepest part of your soul. DONT PUT IT OUT THERE to be looked at. As far as people reading things you wrote. Whats the difference if you wrote it on a piece of paper and dropped it on the ground? Its free advertising and if you are complaining about something that is not right about it, well that's maybe a good thing, and someone needed to see it.
I am worried daily about how sick the mind of humans have gotten. I figure, I am sort of careful. I have normal checks and balances in place, but really if a freak wants to find me, he will and he doesn't even need a computer to do that.

I heard on NPR yesterday about a new tech tool called . . .. um I am thinking . .. . something with a "W". . . anyways it is a new ap that makes your email, texts, tweets, etc "self destruct" Wicker! it's called Wicker.

It helps remove your digital trail. Kind of cool, eh? Still new and still being developed. The information you put out can only be read by intended receiver and you set it to be active for 1 second up to 6 days.

whoops! That's something else! Did it make you want to change your response at all? I don't know if that would work -- like if you eliminate the name of his business, I don't know whether the link would be broken.

Change your handle and your location! Thats scary!

I've only posted a few questions on here, but one was about my SIL, just last week. I have horrible thoughts of her also being on this site and recognizing my descriptions. I don't use my real name, as I never do on public forums, but that makes me nervous that she could could figure me out and question me about it.

Many years ago I learned not to use my real name on anything public. I had written a review of a romance book on Amazon. The whole internet thing was still pretty new, so I didn't realize my real name was on my account for public consumption. A co-worker did a google search on my name (or whatever was the hot search engine at the time) and found my review. I was pretty detailed and wrote in a way I would never write or speak at work. He actually brought up my review at work and I was so embarrassed. On the one hand I was really creeped out that he searched me on the internet (there were many, many co-workers to choose from, and he chose me!), but on the other, I learned my lesson early, and relatively harmlessly.

What I do find funny, is on some technical forums I've participated in, people always assume I am male.