Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

I had a discussion with my eldest last night about this - something they have been talking about at school. How being a member of any web forum (such as BE) can lead to another member stalking the "real" you.

I hadn't really thought about it but I guess it must happen. I find it really weird that someone you only "know" on a forum would go to the hassle of working out who you are and contacting you/causing issues for you outside of the forum limits for no other reason than because they can - and probably because they are a total freak who needs a proper hobby.

Thoughts? Have you ever had someone from a forum stalk you even though you don't know them from Adam in the "outside of that forum" world?

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

We had this discussion last night and, if you show up on my doorstep again, I WILL get a restraining order!;)

I use LinkenIn to track people down/check them out all the time (for legit business purposes). Cross-referencing is bloody easy.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

I have thought about this, yeah... I don't know. I'd like to think most people around here are honest and not creepy... mostly, haha, but I think quite a few people around here could have their real identities unearthed relatively easily...

But I'm more careful elsewhere online. My Facebook is pretty well completely locked down, and I am very selective about what I post on there, and I regularly check my security settings to make sure Facebook hasn't farted around with new policies or whatever.

LinkedIn is, well, LinkedIn. Again, I just have it separated from the rest of my online world - not linked to Facebook, Twitter, whatever.

I have a Twitter account that I've used, uh, twice?

My other online accounts I use different screen names and emails, so that they stay pretty insular. Between meetups and whatnot, I'm not too concerned about BE overall (knock wood)... but yeah, the thought has crossed my mind.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

Ha ha, yeah sorry about that. Won't happen again.

Hmm I know what you mean but I guess I am getting at more freaky stalking, like overstepping the nosing at Linkedin or someone's FB profile.

I mean finding out where they live, causing issues for them within their job/personal life or spying on them in places where they hang out. Creepy weirdo stalking I guess rather than professional business type stalking!

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

Not that I know of I haven't.

I also make the real me hard to find. My user names are not linked to my email address anymore, I don't use my real name really anywhere online that is public, I am not listed in the phone book, My name on Facebook is my first and middle name which aside from family nobody knows since I don't use it other then when the government wants it or requires a company to have it, but I don't tell anyone it.

I am sure if someone really really wanted to they could find me, but I am pretty damn boring and they won't get much entertainment from it.

I google my name all the time, I give up after about 50 pages.

I also don't use my photo on my FB profile, it's always a random photo of something, a bird, a cloud, water, an airplane, a car and so on.

My GF was stalked once, but the guy didn't find her online, he was her neighbor and had moved, but kept coming back and bothering her, purposely going to her work for no reason other to bug her, coming to her door and trying to come in, and so on. (Before I met her)

The police never really did much but take reports, he eventually stopped after her neighbor said if he came around again his as* would be grass.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

I don't think I have ever been stalked by anyone on here but I wonder if anyone has had an experience of it. If you had would you mention it on here I wonder or would you not because you didn't want to let the stalker know you were onto them and their weird ways....:(

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

I also don't use twitter, and while I have a linkedin account, its never updated and really I never did fill it out much, doesn't list where I am, where I work or anything, the employer listed is like 5 or 6 years ago.

Its not a useful website for my line of work, only signed up as someone suggested it could be useful.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

On the evening of that September 11th, I had planned to meet a bunch of posters from the internet and then to crash at the home of a poster called JerseyGirl. The meetup was to be in Lower Manhattan and was postponed because a plane fell on it. When it was rescheduled JerseyGirl was elsewhere and missed it.

That was a shame because JerseyGirl turned out to be an utter nutcase. She fell out with another poster, a university professor, found out his real address (he posted using his actual name) and began enrolling him in political organisations and ordering goods and services in his name. She then moved on to doing the same to his wife and eventually turned up at the university.

After meeting hundreds of people from the internet I would have liked to have met at least one stereotypical lunatic (I think the Montana Miltiaman was an atypical lunatic).

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

It's something you have to accept once you start publicising anything about yourself.

Quite a few people on here know who I really am and I know who they are.

If I put my name on here, it would take seconds to track me down to my home. My name (my name) will get lots of search hits because I write stuff for publication and it's no secret that I live in Quebec. My name is unusual in Quebec. And I'm in the phonebook.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

Wow - that is totally what I am talking about! Was she stalking him because she felt wronged by him on the forum or was she just plain bonkers?

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

As I read this, I am feeling like you want us to go look for you..is there a prize if we locate you? :rofl:

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

That's a fine line. It was a long time ago and I don't remember the thread that set her off but her beef with him was rooted in an argument on the board.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

It's a bit worrying with kids. They are growing up in a world where privacy almost does not exist, and so they are willing participants. The tech companies constantly chip away at privacy and are funnelling everyone into large social networks. I think it's only the young or famous that are at risk of being stalked.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

Probably more of a disappointment.

Re: Internet Forums & Stalking....
 

Jerseygirl who is still on here ?