On privacy and membership here

I believe that is possible or soon will be. I just reread the subject, it's On privacy and Membership HERE... so we're still good I think on what we are all posting about. I'd think a mod would tel us if we get out of hand (they'll tell me, I'm sure if I do.)

Hasn't DocJohn even posted about staying safe here on this site, and warned about certains things just because it's the internet? Gotta go look for that...

i'm glad we're still good..........................i can go now....(actually Pearl Jam is on Dave) off topic, off topic...........xoxoxo pat, aka, fayerody

I'm seriously thinking of taking my site down. This is scary! There are time though when I do a search and can't even find my site, much less my name. I will always be confused about the Internet.

You mean your OzzieBlackCat.com site? Honestly, I wouldn't worry about that. The odds of someone targeting you (if you mean general hacking) are low. What I do recommend is keeping at least one backup (two or three is better; your host almost surely keeps a backup for you, but you should make sure you have one or more, as well) of all the files at your site. You can Google for sites that allow you to store files on their sites for a monthly fee, if you want to go that far. The real benefit to those, for the record, is that most of them use several hard drives, so they have several backups of your site. If they get hit by a virus or something--which is unlikely, because they typically have very good security--they'll almost surely have at least one intact copy of your site. But, anyway, if you keep a copy of your files, if your site gets hacked, you can just remove any bad files (or wait for your host to handle it, if the attack is on their entire server), then upload your backup files. It really does give one a sense of security.

The other thing you can do is, since you have a domain name, you can ask your host if they have a service where they allow you to use their information for the registry, instead of your private information. Just make sure you trust your host, because according to the registry information, it will show them as the owners of your site. Theoretically, if it ever came up, you might (or might not) have a hard time proving it in court (which is why it's good to keep copies of your transactions with the company). However, if you choose to allow your own information be used for the registry, anyone can WHOIS your domain name and find out that information.

Perhaps then if you want to discuss internet searches and the like you should begin a new thread.
This is about Membership and Privacy on this site.

And, just like you can do whatever you wish in your home, so can I Pat. And , I was concerned that some are so deep into searching for things that have some kind of connection to PC they may be overlooking the real reason they came to this site in the first place!

"I said It"
" I meant It"
"I am here to Represent It"

I am sorry that everyone is getting upset and offended and defensive.

We all have the right to post what we want - as long as it is within the guidelines of this site.

We are all responsible for our own privacy - sending out too much personal info in a thread is dangerous, it's like standing in front of a large gathering and spilling your guts. It's the nature of the action and reaction. I think this incident was just a reminder for everyone and perhaps that is why it happened.

W_I: no, you did not ask for it. You did nothing wrong. Your trust was broken and exploited for who knows what reason. Perhaps it you knew that, you could make more sense of it and put it to rest in your mind. No one likes to be betrayed, especially when we have personal issues or experiences with it. I know. I've been there too many times and now don't trust.

But, I want everyone to feel better, and perhaps in times, we all will. I don't want people to get upset with each other and defensive and offended.

Can't we all just be supportive friends again? Please?

Songbird

it all goes to privacy here, TS. none of the searches or the discussion would have happened, had we not had our privacy violated.

i don't see any arguing. i see some questioning of why some members were telling some of us how the site works, via the internet, and how we could google up information. and then i defended, as did others, what the literate members were doing. i, once again, am grateful to learn new things about our site/internet.

songbird, i'm sorry that you thought that an "argument" was going on. it wasn't. it was mostly statements about who and why people were doing what.

i don't think that anyone has forgotten what we come here for. that would be like forgetting what you do with a washing machine. you put something in, that needs some help, and you take it out and it helps you because it has changed. that's generally what goes on here. that is why Doc created the site. and naturally, a breach of trust and privacy is going to cause lots and lots of discussion. we did have a breach of trust and privacy last weekend.

Folks, I started this thread to discuss the recent community incident and mainly to let people "vent" about the incident. The fact that some search engines are ignoring their own rules about indexing and such seems to be more of a technical bug on their part than any larger privacy issue (we have over 275,000 posts here; if only 40 can be found, that shows something is working, but that the technology isn't 100% and nobody ever claimed it was).

While I will post some articles in the near future about comprehensive steps one can take to protect one's privacy online and maybe increase your security a bit. But the fact remains that when you interact with other humans online, some of them are going to be good people and then some of them are going to turn out not to be as good as you had thought or had hoped.

I'm going to close this thread at the end of the week because I think that while it's important to hear people's opinions on the Sleeps incident, I don't want it to become a place to let this fester.

DocJohn

Absolutely agree! Thank you Doc!

I agree DJ...time for thread to close.

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Twisted_Soul said:
Three words:

World Wide Web

This means this site can be accessed by any one.
Could be Bin Laden is posting about how upset he is with his sister....you just never know.
And, this isn't to spook anyone.
But, if you are going to bare it on a site that can be seen from "Asia to New Zealand and beyond" then you have to believe anyone, at any time can log on and read.

Isn't that right Mr. Bush??
[image]http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_32.gif" alt="Earth" border="0[/image]

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TS.....So true and I got a chuckle out of what you wrote about Bin Laden and Bush.....LOL....TY

Always good to try to add humor in every situation!

Thanks CheryBery!!

sometimes you just have too!...TY again (((((TS)))))

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Could be Bin Laden is posting about how upset he is with his sister....you just never know.

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i think that closing it is a good idea. what sleeps did is "old" news. i don't think the "education" of how the internet works hurt anything. but, we must move on and upwards. xoxox ethel

I agree with DocJohn and fayerody. The information I have posted here is only to educate, not to upset anyone or stir up trouble. I believe it's better to be aware than uninformed.

If I might interject here, I think there's one more aspect to keeping ourselves safe that no one has brought up yet, and that's taking responsibility for ourselves.

Many of us have an inner voice or a sixth sense that we tend to ignore. A few of us had "a feeling" about Sleeps from the very beginning. I was one of those. Sometimes I listen to that inner voice or whatever you want to call and and sometimes I don't. Luckily, I did this time and althought I responded to Sleeps on the board and also PMed with her, I kept it on the surface. It was mostly about my search for the right dog. Even then, I didn't listen to her advice 100% although it would have been really easy to do it. I know I can be impulsive and have regretted it. Sleep struck me as Very Impulsive; not too much thought to her actions. So be it...

Another thing to keep in mind is how much personal information we give out in our bios as well as the board. I've seen several "savvy" people post their email address on the board for everybody and their uncle to see!!

Before this happened, my bio gave my general location. It doesn't anymore! I've also given out my phone number and lived to regret it. It takes time to get to know someone and you NEVER will get to know them really well on the Internet. You get to know who they allow you to know.

So let's not expect Doc John to do the impossible here. He can only do so much with a public medium. Let's help him and OURSELVES by thinking things through before we act on the spur of the moment or because "it feels good/right." Remember, feelings are not facts!

Wishing everybody here a much safer Internet experience!

Ok, I'll be the one to elaborate about safety and donating. This has been the elephant in the room, something that is difficult to address here at PC.

It can happen to any of us. The hype, the need, the desire to be part of a group, the desire to help someone, the hope for change for someone (even though it might not be held for oneself.) It is so easy to become caught up in the excitement, or the urgency... and then when we see someone else..or another who is also contributing, we feel safer in doing so, too.

For me, I didn't really know sleeps at all. I tried PMing her for even a little bit more of information, and was summarily dismissed. I decided not to give what I was able, but only a token contribution. Even that, due to my life events (IRL) was not formulated.

Do I feel "glad" I didn't contribute monetarily? No. I felt bad at the time, but that still small voice inside had prevented me. Wasn't anything personal... not with sleeps... but I have made decisions about things.. and when I don't have enough information, and am unable to obtain enough information to make an educated decision changing the status quo, then I don't do it.

I hope each person will take time before jumping on the bandwagon. If you feel you are making a good decision, that's all you can do, imo. (No matter which way you decide, in the future.) Make sure it's an educated one.

It would be nice, and much easier to allow for "compassion" for sleeps if she were to return the money to PC, so it may be used for other members who are so needy, also. IDK her circumstances, as I said, but I do agree that it was not the usual way to show appreciation ... and gives a knot in the stomach on top of the one for the poor actions she took, imo.

I came up with what I feel is a good response for this thread when I was in the shower. Let's see if I can remember it.

I see a lot of people saying things like "PC is on the WWW. You should expect people to find your info. Be careful what you say."

But the reason that this thread started was because this particular information WASN'T found through a search engine. Someone from inside gave out the information. We have a rule in the community guidelines, and I'm paraphrasing here:

Things discussed between members in PMs are to STAY in PMs. You are not to bring up privately revealed information on the boards.

The way I see it, all of the posts in PC's public forums are one giant PM between all of the members. If it's said in here, it stays in here. You don't cut and paste text and mail it to non-members and you don't tell non-members "Hey, come check this out."

That's how I see it.

Nice shower result

I completely agree wi!!

boy, you sure nailed the truth, W1.......i am in awe. your shower was one of the best things thats happened around here in a very long time. thanks for that one.

SeptMorn and Sky...you both made a lot of sense. i had a sense about Sleeps when she first came here. i didn't contribute to her "fund".

i am still wondering if some of the money came out of the PC fund? if it did, i feel it should be returned.

SeptemberMorn is right. You can't know anyone you meet on the Internet. Even in real life, you can't. People can lie, and some are very good at it. On the Internet, it's even easier to lie. Just be careful, and do the best you can. Don't beat yourself up if someone betrays your trust. Maybe you trusted too easily or believed something you shouldn't have, but it's the person who broke your trust who is wrong. Just because you walk down a dark alley, which we all know isn't smart, doesn't mean somebody has the right to harm you. Blame the one who intentionally causes harm, not the one who made a mistake trusting.

I am feeling uncomfortable with this whole thing and the flavor veering away from being a supportive environment for all. Doc John, can you add your thoughts please?

How are the last few posts NOT supportive, WW?