If you don't mind sharing, what is your first name?

I approach the entire name-security matter in my typical schizoid way - since I use my real name mainly for writing work and publication it's already out there in a sort of alternate universe, where many people know only that name.

In this universe, the one of forums and blogs and small furry mammal video sites, I am known chiefly by my "stage" name.

Yet people in the real world more often than not call me by that stage name, and increasingly I am being known by my real name online.

:bi_polo:
 
Too funny...That

Hey everybody you can just call me Old.

I don't mind giving out my first name and my sort of location, not sure if I have actually said my town name, probably. But I think this is a pretty safe forum for sharing a bit of my life.

The one thing I have never done is named my place of employment and never will.
 
I do agree ladies, but I still feel pretty at ease here. Although the people running the forums, they have access to our IP numbers and can track us very easily.

I've done that many times on forums I have been an Admin on. It's a good way to track people and know if they are lying at least about their locations. Or if you are having people pretending to be different people on the forum. Busted!
 
I don't understand the reluctance to give your name on a forum. Before cell phones most of us spent our entire adult lives with our name, address and phone number in the phone book where anyone could look us up.
 
rkunsaw said:
I don't understand the reluctance to give your name on a forum. Before cell phones most of us spent our entire adult lives with our name, address and phone number in the phone book where anyone could look us up.
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But back then all they could do is call you and ask if you had Prince Albert in a can. ;)

Now they can wipe out your bank account and credit cards, get you fired, have your utilities turned off and generally destroy your life.
 
Old Hipster said:
I do agree ladies, but I still feel pretty at ease here. Although the people running the forums, they have access to our IP numbers and can track us very easily.

I've done that many times on forums I have been an Admin on. It's a good way to track people and know if they are lying at least about their locations. Or if you are having people pretending to be different people on the forum. Busted!
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Ive been Global moderator on two forums and yes your location is traceable in most cases by yout IP...also if you use a yahoo email address you can do a full header and see where the email originates from.
 
A lot of people seem to think that being 'nobody' means no one will be interested in 'hacking' their lives but they are precisely the people that identity thieves target. People under the radar whose financial dealings aren't likely to be noticed and are probably a bit lax in keeping an eye on their banking movements. Trusting, open people who can't quite believe that anyone would do what they wouldn't for one moment contemplate doing to someone else. Crims use them as 'drops' for drug deals, all manner of things, sometimes they don't even touch their accounts, just use their names and addresses and a few other details to cover themselves and their criminal activities.

I had 2 feds on my doorstep once asking how long a name I'd never heard of had lived at 'this' address. Our name and address and his 'residence' there for 2 years was on his paperwork. They seemed quite chuffed that this bloke was toast over the false address and I never heard another word about it. Sure he could have picked us out of the phone book, it was over 20 years go, but as Phil said, they can do a lot more damage to our lives now.

Another example was a fellow who met a girl in a bar briefly but wanted to know her better and all he had was her first name and a mention of a town she had lived in. He found her! . The first name,+ the town,+ the school yearbooks, = picture with surname and calls to her old school friends until he found one who knew where she was now and had a big mouth. His intentions were good, luckily for her, but if they hadn't been?

You're right that it's extremely unlikely that members chatting here have larcenous intents but there are thousands out there reading these posts and joining and vanishing as quickly after leaving a spammie. They know we're here, they know our demographic at the very least. Not to mean there's a panic countdown on or anything, but discretion is wise. It doesn't take many tiny facts to string things together. So no names, no pack drill. It's no problem to be friends with people we only know by their usernames, that's really what usernames are for.

PM people you want to get to know better, away from the public gaze.


It's not a bad idea to be a tiny bit paranoid these days, 'we ain't in Kansas any more.' Sadly.
 
Well it's too late for me, my name is out there.

ut I have a very good security system and a very alert and vicious dog if anybody out there thinks about coming here.

Also I have huge machete type knife under my bed and I might also have a gun.
 
Yes, I am a 'nobody' but I am also moderately paranoid; fortunately, so far, I have only been hacked once, on Facebook. If I die tomorrow, how my kids are going to work out how to access anything is beyond me, but that will be their problem!
this is my first forum ever....don't put me off too much, I may have to disappear, and take a new identity..
 
CeeCee said:
But I have a very good security system and a very alert and vicious dog if anybody out there thinks about coming here.

Also I have huge machete type knife under my bed and I might also have a gun.
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My kinda' girl - sort of a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. :rofl:
 
Interesting comments about name, address and phone numbers in phone books so I just wondered if in the US or Australia you have an ex-directory option with your phone company, I first had a land line nearly 50 years ago and have never been in the phone book as I chose to go ex-directory.
 
Bee...you must be very near me...but if you are ex-directory I may have to try a different method of finding you!
 
Bee said:
Interesting comments about name, address and phone numbers in phone books so I just wondered if in the US or Australia you have an ex-directory option with your phone company, I first had a land line nearly 50 years ago and have never been in the phone book as I chose to go ex-directory.
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Yes, you can ask to be unlisted but doesn't work perfectly...my daughter is but still gets calls.
 
Bee said:
Interesting comments about name, address and phone numbers in phone books so I just wondered if in the US or Australia you have an ex-directory option with your phone company, I first had a land line nearly 50 years ago and have never been in the phone book as I chose to go ex-directory.
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We have it here in the U.S., but it's not always what you think - you do indeed pay extra to not be listed in the phone directories, bu now with the advent of the Internet you might well find yourself listed on any of thousands of free, publicly-available databases.
 
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