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Personal Information On Threads

Yeah, I think it should really be up to the individual, possibly with some helpful warnings on the rules page or something ;) My name's all over my website without the assistance of internet message boards anyway, as I sell my own software online and have copyright notices in many places :)
 
peni,
an aside: i see your 11,000 years lost just came out this month. :) great cover and title. sounds fun!
 
Back in the pre-internet days, I used to have a lot of pen pals, and as such there were peeps who knew my real name and address, although I never gave out my phone number. I never had any problems doing so until one time I was contacted via a Star Trek fanzine that I used to write for by a "fan". My "fan" tracked down my phone number via the international operator and started phoning me up 'for a chat' whenever he felt like it. In the end I had to persuade my friend's brother to answer the phone one evening and demand to know why "fan" wanted to talk to his (friend's brother) girlfriend. Which (for the price of a packet of fags) had the desired effect. :rolleyes:
Nowadays I use the internet make sure (Yahoo email aside :rolleyes: ) that I "never" give out my real name, although there are quite probably 500 'Lobelias' living in West Cork :D
 
escargot said:
Certain pictures can give away too much if they're posted on here.

Surnames appear on medical images, for example.

Trying hard to be tactful.
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I knew that, but then my surname was part of my username anyway, so it didn't seem to matter. I'm still not sure if I could be tracked down by what I've given away though, naïve as I am!
 
Not quite on topic, but t'other day I ended up giving out my name and contact details to peeps who make gates [when phoning for quote for my parents], I nearly called myself Lobelia Overhill a couple of times :eek:
 
I somehow rarely find myself saying 'escargot here!' on the phone.
:D
 
I fear t'is a sign I spend way to much time online, and I am forgetting who I really am ...
 
Hi

people may try doing a google on their names to see what turns up. Try following a few links.

it's also possible that you've posted more info elsewhere.

don't forget any people also have UKInfo CD's which have a fine range of people's names and addresses.

anyone with an individual website address should be traceable with a whois?

Also one might be able to find someone using a surname and a location, if there's not too many of you!

Mal F
 
Indeed, a search on my name turns up plenty of hits ;) Of course, many of them are my own website, and a few of them are software download-type sites with my stuff on them. A couple are websites I consciously put my information into.

The rest are people who aren't me like lecturers at the University of Edinburgh and some sheriff in America.

And yes:
Mal Function said:
anyone with an individual website address should be traceable with a whois?
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That's what I was talking about with the administrator guy who's parents house got phoned up repeatedly in the middle of the night by an annoyed ex-user, and that's why many people get a PO box to point it to :)
 
Lobelia Overhill said:
Not quite on topic, but t'other day I ended up giving out my name and contact details to peeps who make gates [when phoning for quote for my parents], I nearly called myself Lobelia Overhill a couple of times :eek:
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I was called the Emperor in real life before the Internet so it just made sense to go with it online. If you were to phone my local and ask for The Emperor then its likely they'd know who you were asking for (I might not be ther mind but........). There are certianly dozens of people I've been introduced to in real life who only know me as The Emperor.
 
Colin said:
I don't have that problem ;)
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You're cheating!! :p

Lobelia Overhill only seems to bring up Hobbit/Tolkien related sites ...

addendum

Apparently now it's producing sites that I've posted on and my stats for my 'ligandfit' screensavers doohickey ....

My real name produces a site that I sent an email via Yahoo to :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Mal Function
Hi


anyone with an individual website address should be traceable with a whois?


Mal F [/QUOTE

With a co.uk domain you can opt out of having your full details on the Whois search - as an individual - but no opt out with .com and others.

Some hosting companies will allow you to list them as the whois registrant for an additional fee.
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Play Dead said:
peni,
an aside: i see your 11,000 years lost just came out this month. :) great cover and title. sounds fun!
Click to expand...

Yes, ma'am, and I am assured by people as unbiased as my editor and my birding guru that it's the best book I've published so far. If you send me a copy I'll sign it. If you want to book an appearance, my contact information and general terms (but I'm flexible and will do dang near anything in hopes of promoting this book) can be found here:
http://www.txdirect.net/~griffin/0school.htm

The thing about modern life is, you can't get along with advertising yourself; and yet advertising your self makes you vulnerable. I think that's why corporations rule right now - they shield the individual from the effects of publicity (and from responsibility but that's anothe rant). I'm not scared of anyone who wants to contact me - but you'll notice a dearth of internet photos of me. A children's author could actually be harmed by photoshopped goat porn. I don't *think* that picture of me with my husband on the index page is suitable for such uses...Maybe we should take it down.
 
escargot said:
Surnames appear on medical images, for example.

Trying hard to be tactful.
Click to expand...

Errr, those images were'nt me,,,,,,,,,,,they were someone with the same name,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes thats it,,,,,,,,,same name,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,*how much do you want?, cash to the usual address?*
 
Naybe I went a bit overboard, actually posting the county I live in. Theoretically, someone could have gotten my pic from the memebr pics thread, flown over here, and wandered about with said pic in hand, asking anyone they met if the pic looked famlilar. As if there's anyone that deranged lurking here. And, as Peni noted, it would take a substantial outlay of time and money. Frankly, I can't see anyone getting so wound about me or what I say that they'd go to the effort.
 
LOL Hedge, I used to worry about that too, but then I thought about someone clambering over fields and bogs trying to track me down in the wilds of West Cork ... :lol:
 
Hedge old son,

If the picture you posted was the one of you with your shotgun, I doubt if you'll get too many unwelcome visitors.
 
I think that the problem here is less individuals giving out their own contact details but giving out information that may identify others, although on an old thread i was able top track down full address and telephone number for someone based on a newspaper style, name, hometown, entry. ( the thread was the urban foxes and the tracking down was to prove the person quoted did atleast exist)
 
I've posted my full name, address and phone number on several message boards over the past few years. Had absolutely no trouble at all from it.
 
You were jolly lucky, Sil! All it takes is for one loon (and there's plenty out there) to take a shine/dislike against you for some (to us) petty reason and you're in for a major headache!

While there is some legislation against stalkers and nuisances (ASBO's, restraining orders etc.) it's an expensive, stressful and complicated route to take. It's easier to use a bit of common sense and only let on the barest info.

Phone numbers can be changed easily and cheaply. Addresses cost a damn sight more to change!
 
Damn! I've been logged out before my reply to this thread got posted! :evil:

This is down to FTMB, not Tiscali, since I'm still online.
 
I got an PM not too long ago saying I posted a lot of personal information and that I should be aware it is a public message board. I would just like to make it clear that I am very careful not to give out information that someone could track me down with. Also, I tend to be a fairly open person. I don't post anything that I don't want people to know, I just don't mind people knowing a lot of things. Yes, I have posted things such as "I suffer from depression" and "I have an iron defficiency" but I don't mind people knowing these things. Also, if somebody reads one of my posts and says, "hey I know who RainyOcean is. She's soandso." That's fine. I don't post anything at all that I mind anyone knowing.
 
They'll get you some way or another...!
Woman seeks arresting bachelors

A woman has come up with a novel use of the Freedom of Information Act - to find out how many eligible bachelors belong to her local police force.

The woman made an anonymous inquiry to Hampshire Constabulary to find out the current number of single officers.

She also asked to know their email and home addresses and their promotion and pension prospects.

The force declined to give out personal details but revealed there were 2,000 single officers in the county.

It also told her that there were 266 police bachelors in the specific area she was inquiring about, 201 of whom were in uniform.

A spokeswoman for the force told the BBC News website: "It caused a few smiles here.

"We have a dedicated team to deal with the Freedom of Information Act and they gave all the information they could give.

"Basically she does not have a right to know those details. We do not give out personal details of officers and we do not have to give them out under the Freedom of Information Act."
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Huh?

I don't quite get the arguments here.

While there are certainly Internet boards where I wouldn't trust people knowing the State in which I live (and I don't publish there often for that reason), why should I be reluctant to share my given name with felloew Fortean researchers? Most list-Forteans know that my real name is George Wagner and that I live in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mike Mott and Dr. T. Peter Park not only have my home address but also my private "family" email address (as do a few members of this board). Mike mailed me a very nice present for my 60th birthday and Dr. Park sends me a Christmas card every year.

What's the big deal?
 
Re: Huh?

OldTimeRadio said:
What's the big deal?
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Because you never know if there's an obsessive psycho out there who'll take an unhealthy interest in what you say. Although that may be more difficult now that the message board is difficult to access by non-members.

I think we've been lucky with this board for the most part, it's pretty friendly.
 
Re: Huh?

gncxx said:
"Because you never know if there's an obsessive psycho out there who'll take an unhealthy interest in what you say."
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Hey, be careful there how you fling that word "obsessive" about. I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder myself (a neurosis, NOT a psychosis) and lead the main OCD support group for a metropolitan area drawing members from parts of three states. <g>

I have used my given name (George Wagner) through THOUSANDS of posts on [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] and have never experienced one single problem. And the FT forum, with its insistence on ISP-provided email addresses, would seem to be much more membership-selective than those groups.

Old Time Radio
 
It kills me to say this, but I do think sometimes women do have to be a bit more careful than men.
 
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