[Anonymous37919]

Some people who go online and mess things up for others really ought to be sectioned. Sometimes, I wish the Internet had never even been invented because there are a lot of crazy folk out there.

Personally, I've been using message boards since 2003 and I decided (after years of awful abuse) just to retire from pretty much most of the forums I registered with, either because they got so inactive, their affiliates were shut down eventually, or they were populated by nasty trolls. Somehow, if I used a new nickname to try to blend in, they figured out who I was anyway. I'm also not really a fan of Facebook, Twitter and all that nonsense either.

Examples of abuse:

Forums

Not all message boards are friendly and relaxed; I think a lot of people that inhabit them just aren't happy with themselves, and decide to take their angst out on strangers behind a screen, because these lowlifes don't always get any backlash over it. Some forums I've been on also have cliques. They're the worst type of online community, because the admins and moderators often take the side of any long term members that love acting like big bullies in a schoolyard, even if they knowingly get out of line more than the newcomers, and I've also seen some forums in the past that allowed "flame forums" for the users to argue in, and stuff like that. That's not nice.

Dating

Most relationship-seeking websites are like holding a carrot out to a donkey. The same also applies to casting agencies claiming that being an extra in the next big movie gets you recognition so you get bigger parts in other productions. Does it hell? I've never fallen for that rubbish.

Many dating websites attempt to promote themselves as being free. You join, eager to find your potential partner, only to find out you must upgrade to 'Gold' thereafter, and the selection of available users to weed through can range from downright creepy to just being your generic, immature, time zapping losers. I've also seen really stupid and gimmicky crap elsewhere, like having to pay $30 for a glowing username and special badges. They know people out there are lonely and desperate, so they just rip off the naive types. I'm lonely and desperate myself, but no dating site will cut it for me. Backpage, Craigslist, Gumtree, and all that are even worse.

Social Media

Pretty much like most message boards, social media is a waste of brainpower. Facebook is the best example of such a website that tends to attract squabbling, and people connect with others simply to get hundreds of pseudo "friends" they likely never see face to face, nor want to talk to anyway. Facebook is still good for creating or entering groups if it gets you meeting people in person, and the odd sign-in cannot hurt (much), can it? But it's not something I feel is all that productive. Twitter is so-so, but the character limit thing is kind of annoying.

Wikipedia

Oh, the horror of adding real facts to a page like any other noble contributor, only to be reverted by a fanboy or girl moderator minutes later, who just does so because they don't like your edit, if it does not meet their personal approval requirements. Biased, much?

"Oh, we can't have a true fact about my favorite pop singer or movie star on there if I do not think it belongs there at all. Oh no, no, no."

I agree. The internet used to be really good when it first started but now you really have to be careful. I do think that dating sites are just completely useless. Message boards are so horrible lately. Not this one. The quality of discussion is bad and there is ALWAYS a bossy and inappropriate person who has to take it over and run you off. No matter WHAT they say the board is about it is always just a popularity contest.
I would like to add one

Review Sites

Not only do you get the company arguing with you with faux concern but you can't even fully state what happened without concern about a law suit.

[Anonymous37919]

I've got this moron making ordinary looking threads on some other forums I go to all the time, just to get people like me to reply. The forums recently got spammed as well. Then this person probably made other accounts using a proxy IP address, because two such accounts have uploaded avatars of people I know in real life, who were in some of the same films I have been in. The moderators won't ban these accounts, because they've actually not posted any spam yet.

One person made a topic recently about autism right off the bat, when it's not even a site about autism, and the loser with that other account just posts like any other member without spamming, to appear normal. Yet I know it's the work of a troll or multiple trolls because of the avatars the profiles are using.

Of course, I replied to the autism thread, even though it looked dubious. I've already private messaged the dopey moderators on that site to point out that it's a troll bait thread, but they aren't doing anything, probably because they've never truly liked me in any case (yeah, we shared animosity a long time ago). For all I know, it could even be a regular member of that site just pulling my chain with some stupid sock puppets.

The worst case of cyber harassment I endured was to do with Resident Evil related websites. These trolls harassed me for years and never made me feel welcome. Countless profiles I created got disabled because they didn't like me. Then after so many years of being subjected to their crap, they made an article about me on this satire wiki with my pictures and real name, and there's nothing I can do about it any more, because it's hard to get it deleted - again. Yes, I did get it deleted once, then they relocated to other hosting providers when their other victims attempted to sue them for harassment. And besides the recent stuff that happened, I once had a support worker (who was probably a junkie) sending me emails about my ex-girlfriend, back when I had support from that company who also had female support workers stabbing me in the back. He admitted it was him, supposedly trying to give me friendly advice on how to move on, and I found the way he behaved and typed in his emails he sent to me, to be extremely creepy, not to mention illegal. It's been quite the ordeal.

I only wish now looking back on things that I had gotten the authorities involved, because I think people like him and those women just like to take advantage of the fact I've got social ineptitude holding me back.

Originally Posted by Peter A

I found the way he behaved and typed in his emails he sent to me, to be extremely creepy, not to mention illegal. It's been quite the ordeal.

The authorities are kind of useless. I once had a woman somehow take umbrage to me and other bloggers because of our ideas on our blogs. In her mind it was the "wrong" way to do something and she wanted to shut me up. She also didn't want me making money off a popular blog. She and her group decided to find out who I was in real life and try to embarrass me with my friends and family. Not that it would have been so bad but... it would have been embarrassing to have some nut ball bothering them. I had to delete the site.

Though she didn't find out and I was grateful I had take precautions... I am much more weary now.

Recently I signed up for some work on my house and I sent in the information under an alias. When I got the guy he gave me a side eye for doing the alias. But I told him, the internet is a scary place, and if a "home work" service is gong to require my personal information to give me leads...they are going to get fake information.

ETA: I just went down the rabbit hole and looked up one of the bullies and he passed away from cancer.

[Anonymous37919]

The past 24 hours were horrendous for me. The police came yesterday about twenty past three in the afternoon, and I got lifted. This was in relation to a breach of my non-harassment order, but this offense was committed way back in January. Why it took them so long to get me to deal with it, I've no idea. Thank Christ it wasn't a Friday either, because you can get a 3 day or 4 day lie down until court resumes, if Monday happens to be a public holiday.

I've just gotten home after being in the holding cells for hours. Court does not begin until 10 AM, and they recalled me after lunch because I froze and did not state my plea. Well, I was detained yesterday and kept in a cell in the cop shop overnight, because a suspect who breaches an order like that usually is automatically arrested.

I'm really sick and tired of this crap anyway. I didn't mean those former support workers any harm. Sure, I sent nasty messages years ago, but I was just disappointed and angry over the situation that was a joke from the start.

Hmmm, have you considered that perhaps taking a break from internet and social media relationships might be advantageous? I suggest putting your energy instead into real life socialization.

[Anonymous37919]

I don't have any friends in real life that I see much. One guy was my neighbor from before. The other is my mate from college. I still want to do acting stuff, but sooner or later, I may have to call it quits. Since when does being an extra in a film get you anywhere?