[Closed] Legitimate to "out" forum users?

*googles DrJ*

Oh don't worry a particular bike company did something similar, although they didn't use it on the forum they tried to use it as a threat in an e-mail, with a "look what info I have about your I'm on the phone to your employer as yuo've commtited X offence" boy oh boy that certainly back fired on them 😉 I had committed no offences and I certainly resent people threatening me. It's wrong.

Be careful what you enter into the public domain.

Back when I was interviewing staff, I routinely googled candidates. It often proved useful in weeding out 'unsuitable' people.

I have an Internet footprint the size of Belgium, but I'm always very conscious not to put anything inappropriate where any munchkin might find it. I never swear on Twitter / Facebook, for a start.

[url= http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/erv0bio-1 ]Dr J's achievements[/url]

Back when I was interviewing staff, I routinely googled candidates.

hence my name is not Turner...

An easy solution, never argue online as it is utterly pointless and those that choose to do are ...... To argue and put a point of view across it is necessary to observe body language, intonation of vocal delivery and the nuances of facial movement so sitting behind a keyboard and monitor is not the ideal situation to take these "tics" into account.

Ignore them.

Dr J - yo' pretty famous already.

"hook shot !"

I purposefully dont make great efforts to hide who I am - it means I am always reminded to consider whether I would worry about my professional id being linked to what I type in here. And to date Ive been more than comfortable with it.

If you thought you were "Mr Invincible Anonymous", trolled for England, offended at leisure, admitted to being called Alice at the weekend and riding a Fat Bike....and then got identified and outed.....*sucks teeth*

Cougar that's acceptable, but aruging with people or falling out then making creepy threats is NOT allowed!

This is going to run & run (opens another bag of kettle chips)

An easy solution, never argue online as it is utterly pointless and those that choose to do are ...... To argue and put a point of view across it is necessary to observe body language, intonation of vocal delivery and the nuances of facial movement so sitting behind a keyboard and monitor is not the ideal situation to take these "tics" into account.

how the **** can you say that, you ignorant, clueless, b*st*rd !

🙂

<Grabs handful of squid's kettle chips>

nom.

How dare you turnerguy 👿 , i'll have you know i am not ignorant......not a bastard and maybe....just maybe you have me up a creek without a paddle with regard to clueless but i claim defamation.....please forward £50,000 to appease my feelings, my Nigerian friend will be along soon to send you a carefully worded email regarding where to send the money - western union preferred or paypal gift.

Googles *Stoner* & *McMoonter* to see if I might be a love child of either

DrJ YGM

Who's nicked all the kettle chips?

I think that searching out a forum users real identity and trying to make mischief for them at their work is very odd. Although maybe for the OP using his e-mail in his profile isn't the best option? Two clicks and you could probably get plenty of personal details.

Googles *Stoner* & *McMoonter* to see if I might be a love child of either

Googling is pretty amateurish, I normally go through their bins and drawers if I want to find out more about them....

As for Stoner's choice of socks, let me tell you.....

If you thought you were "Mr Invincible Anonymous", trolled for England, offended at leisure, admitted to being called Alice at the weekend and riding a [s]Fat Bike[/s] Spesh....and then got identified and outed.....*sucks teeth*

*Wonders who Stoner could possibly be referring to

Did you win the argument though ? Thats the important point.

I would not use same email for work stuff as forums. Your CV makes interesting reading.

Get a 'proper' email addy, that you use for work, never online or for accounts online of any kind.

Then get a (couple) of emails - one for forums etc, one for buying accounts.

There are some right slimey little cowards all over the Internet. Including Here too. I've had someone go out of their way to pull a right devious little stunt on me that impacted on me, pretty seriously, in the real world. All anonymously of course, like the weasel they are. I've a pretty good idea who it was. Maybe one day our paths will cross. I do hope so.

I've also had emailed death threats. Seriously. I shit you not! obviously I was really really scared! Someone hates me that much, they were prepared to go to the drastic length of sending a threatening email!!!! Eek!!! They must really mean business!! 😆

Yeah, maybe I'm a bit naive, but in many years of using internet forums I've never encountered this before, including when arguing with the Zionist nutjobs from Jerusalem Post, so I'm a bit surprised that people do stuff like this.

EDIT Just to be clear, I'm not talking about STW.

[i]including when arguing with the Zionist nutjobs from Jerusalem Post[/i]

they probably just pass your name on to Mossad who put you on *a list*.

should I feel disappointed I've never upset anyone enough to receive death threats. Even a 'I'll come and give you a wedgie if you don't shut up' email would have been something.

Years ago there was a individual that trolled numerous car forums, generally upsetting all and sundry. As soon as he posted on a thread, it went ballistic. He just insulted everyone, although he did seem to know his stuff. Long and short of it, after year of winding people up pictures of started to appear on aforementioned forums. Then people started posting his IP address. Finally his home address appeared, he still carried on doing thing though. It got a bit out of hand then, people that he had upset took it personally and carried out the various threats that had been bandied around. Kinda brought on himself, one of his post claimed that he was some über soldier and if he showed his id card to police after an incident no charges would be brought against him.

A couple of years ago I used to post fairly regularly on a certain car related forum.

The forum had lots of problems with the forum software, and it went down for an extended period for a refit.

Some (loads) of the members decided to start an alternative forum and invited many users over. So I went.

A few weeks in, a member was asking for help with an IT problem. They had to find a way to keep a Windows 98 install around, and as they were fairly tech-savvy I suggested using VirtualBox.

I made the mistake of remarking that it was 'free'- it is. But a certain know-it-all forum member decided that I was advocating software piracy- he'd misunderstood that I was referring to Virtualbox, not the '98 discs.

Well, things took an unexpected twist when he contacted the forum mods/owners and explained how important he was :), and how he could have them shut down at any point for openly advocating piracy. Despite their efforts to show him he'd made a mistake, he continued in this vein for some time- threatening, basically.

A very cursory Google for his username showed him on some cable telly forum a couple of years before, asking where he could buy dodgy boxes and how to break their encryption....needless to say, I passed this info onto the forum mods, who passed it onto him.

He posted a very public apology on the forum very shortly afterwards. Oddly enough, despite massive humiliation, he continued to post incessantly and still does.

Public notice

It is the Internet.

It is not real life.

Arguing on the Internet? WTF.

[i]It is not real life.[/i]

but it is real people and they tend to have the same sort of communication problems on the internet that they have in real life.

It's just more tricky to punch the bloke you're pee'd off with so they get more inventive.

slowmart - Member

Public notice

It is the Internet.

It is not real life.

Arguing on the Internet? WTF.

So which other part of real life 'isn't real life'?

Munqe-chick - Member

Oh don't worry a particular bike company did something similar, although they didn't use it on the forum they tried to use it as a threat in an e-mail, with a "look what info I have about your I'm on the phone to your employer as yuo've commtited X offence" boy oh boy that certainly back fired on them I had committed no offences and I certainly resent people threatening me. It's wrong.

You were threatened by a bike company?!?
Why?
That's the most bizarre thing I've heard in ages.

Please tell us who. I'd love to know.

binners - Member

There are some right slimey little cowards all over the Internet. Including Here too. I've had someone go out of their way to pull a right devious little stunt on me that impacted on me, pretty seriously, in the real world. All anonymously of course, like the weasel they are. I've a pretty good idea who it was. Maybe one day our paths will cross. I do hope so.

I've also had emailed death threats. Seriously. I shit you not! obviously I was really really scared! Someone hates me that much, they were prepared to go to the drastic length of sending a threatening email!!!! Eek!!! They must really mean business!!

Jesus.
I'm really not trying hard enough, am I?

I know two forum users who have stored / sought information about me for aggressive use. One had used incorrect info, the other had threatened to use said info.

One if them posts on here. AFAIK the other one doesnt.

I had someone tell me that what I did was "a bit shit" after I mistakingly sold something to the wrong person. I was horrified. 🙁

I've had sexually charged emails from:

binners
TeeJ
Junkyard
hora
Stoner
geoffj

It was a bit shocking at first, but I got used to it after a while. If I'm honest, I even started to enjoy it.

Someone figured out who I was on here by the way I wrote. 😯

I've been threatened twice with physical violence. Not really a problem as its a cycling forum. If it was a MMA forum though I'd shit myself 😆

Surfmat has threatened to beat me up on another forum 😆 this was a regular occurrence and was a case of mistaken identity. Sadly he has got a weird internet stalker who lives in west Wales, his behavior on web sites brings it on himself thoug.

I recently overheard a prominent stw'er is also a member of a dogging website. NO I wont name names but I want to know how this person...found out..

So few Bravisimo? I presumed I was one of a long list of swooning admirers? Which, to be honest, I'd reconciled myself with.

*flutters eyelashes and scratches arse*

Surfmat has threatened to beat me up on another forum this was a regular occurrence and was a case of mistaken identity. Sadly he has got a weird internet stalker who lives in west Wales

I bet he has the most awesome stalker on the net though 😉

I received abusive messages / threats from someone who used to post on here. Bothered me at the time, but now I just think he was a bit of a sad cockweasel.

Next time I'm up there binbins, you're top of my list. 😀

but now I just think he was a bit of a sad cockweasel

The internet is full of them.....

i wonder if they have an Off Topic section of the dogging websites, where they bicker incessantly about trivia, while pedantically correcting each others punctuation? Hora?

Yes I agree footflaps,but they generally don't bother e-mailing you to wish you get a terminal illness

binners - Member
i wonder if they have an Off Topic section of the dogging websites, where they bicker incessantly about trivia, while pedantically correcting each others punctuation?

Yes, they do.

Oh. Erm. 😳

Name 'n shame Mitch. Go on. Go on. Go on.

I recently overheard a prominent stw'er is also a member of a dogging website. NO I wont name names but I want to know how this person...found out..

This is definitely not me.... I'm not prominent.

DD - it wasn't one of the usual suspects, but other than that, I don't want to risk opening up that particular can of worms again. For what it's worth, I think he had previous.

Ok, fairy Nuff Mitch.

As for outing people, I think a more justifiable outing is of plastiques on sports threads. 🙂

Mitch Fred?

God no, Fred was a mate of mine.

I've had the random emails sent from folks on here having a go. I too know the identity of the mysterious dogger.

Munqe-chick - Member
Cougar that's acceptable,

POSTED 3 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

You think, I'm not sure thats legal.

binners - Member

There are some right slimey little cowards all over the Internet. Including Here too. I've had someone go out of their way to pull a right devious little stunt on me that impacted on me, pretty seriously, in the real world. All anonymously of course, like the weasel they are. I've a pretty good idea who it was. Maybe one day our paths will cross. I do hope so.

I've also had emailed death threats. Seriously. I shit you not! obviously I was really really scared! Someone hates me that much, they were prepared to go to the drastic length of sending a threatening email!!!! Eek!!! They must really mean business!!

I have only had nasty emails from three forum dwellers so far, smurfmatt, the great Fred & some tune who still post's so I wont mention his name as last time he reported me & I got banned.

You need to choose your mates carefully binners 😉

I met up with Hora once in a car park with a view to assasinating him, but bought a nearly new frame instead. 😉

I feel so impotent. Nobody ever threatens me 🙁

All the (many) emails I get are to tell me just how splendid they think I am. Admittedly, most of those are from Mrs Darcy, but.....

richpips - Member

I met up with Hora once in a car park with a view to assasinating him, but bought a nearly new frame instead.

A nearly new frame from Hora, well I never...

Find it a little bit bonkers that folk would take a forum argument so seriously.

I find it more bonkers that someone would make the effort to email someone directly....

It is the Internet.

It is not real life.

I couldn't disagree more.

This tired old argument gets trotted out regularly, and it implies that the people you're interacting with are nothing more than NPCs in a computer game. It's a fallacy.

The medium is irrelevant. You're still dealing with real people. If I rang you up and gave you a load of abuse, would it be ok because it's "just a telephone, it's not real life"? Of course not. You should treat people with the same degree of respect whether you're face to face, on the Internet, or using any other medium. Even if you decide that that respect is "none at all", the medium shouldn't change that.

Last time I looked it was not compulsory to log into an Internet forum, just sayin like.

It's not compulsory to answer your phone - does that mean if I ring you and launch a tirade of abuse it's ok, because its not real life?!

What about your front door?

No defence at all.

Just saying...

Last time I looked you can hang up on the phone, and shut your front door. There's always an answer.

Some folk need to chill out on both sides.

Last time I looked it was not compulsory to log into an Internet forum, just sayin like.

And yet, here you are.

I think I'm going to add "just saying" onto my list of weasel phrases that includes "no offence" and "I'm not racist but".

Binners if I found myself in a situation like you describe I would be having a word with myself no really
If you are attracting that sort of toss then you need to walk away from the keyboard man.

What cougar said.

Last time I looked it was not compulsory to log into an Internet forum, just sayin like.

Last time I looked you can hang up on the phone, and shut your front door. There's always an answer.

You can run away from someone trying to stab you.
So that must be ok too.

Seriously badly thought out.

Well done cougar took you less than 5 mins to start insulting. You have to laugh.

Well, that's ok, it's only the internet. It's not like it's real.

Forums. Get incensed by all means if you're some newb.

Else just see that some people (the majority) are straight up, some think they are being clever with witty one liners, and some are anti the vibe of where they've found themselves, their only consolation being that someone replies to them.

If I could just wade in uninvited in the real/not real discussion, I think that is the use of anonymous usernames that makes it a bit more like a game than real life. The very limited possibility of suffering any real consequences lets the truly odd people really go to town...

I've had sexually charged emails from:

Junkyard

His name used to conjour-up images of a sweet if not slightly argumentative (possibly senile) old man. It now has male whorehouse undertones that, TBH, I'm finding a tad disturbing...

<glitchbump> And for what its worth, the worst I've had was being signed up to some interesting new mailing lists... which to be fair made me chuckle.

I think that is the use of anonymous usernames that makes it a bit more like a game than real life.

No different if you're around for a while. You'll be found out, maybe not your real name etc, but you'll have a profile.

It now has male whorehouse undertones that, TBH, I'm finding a tad disturbing...

His were some of the most disgusting I can tell you. If you'd like a copy then email me at deadl[b][NOPE, modz][/b]

No different if you're around for a while.

People say stuff on here that they wouldn't post for example on FB, all the time, it's part of the attraction of a forum.

If the only thing that guides your moral compass is the risk of consequences, well, see the religion threads.

People say stuff on here that they wouldn't post for example on FB, all the time, it's part of the attraction of a forum.

I kinda see what you're getting at. Then again, I probably say things with my mates when we're having a beer that I wouldn't say at a wedding. It doesn't give me an excuse to be abusive to strangers (unless, lime some strangers here, they deserve it).

A quick scan and you're in Shropshire.

Sorry, but COMPLETELY disagree. If you've been around for a while, yes people on here 'know' you, but it isn't linked to real world consequences

If I was after you of course. 😉

Haha Richpips, but Shropshire's quite big, and I've absolutely no vested interest in staying covert. You may be knocking on doors for some time. I see your point, but mine stands...

Cougar, I completely agree personally, but this is the human race we are talking about...

DD; I'm not excusing the behavior, it ranges from unacceptable to abhorrent in my mind. I'm just offering an explanation for it.