Is posting on fora using an alias cowardly?

[Gibbo]

From 2008 -

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,347212,00.html

 

I don't think that counts really. It's just a different way of connecting together the same computers and nodes.

[Guest]

No doubt, but what the hell will replace it?

Well Gibbo, if we could work that out, we could be extremely rich men It is hard to imagine at the moment, but as the old saying goes, "Nothing is for ever." I argue this frequently with the blokes I work with, and they are convinced computers, the internet and suchlike are here forever. I say they are wrong. Communication and control by thought is one possibility

 

semaphore?

[Guest]

semaphore?

 

Gawd no.... some of the spats that go on in here would last for weeks not just a few hours or days.....

[Gibbo]

Well Gibbo, if we could work that out, we could be extremely rich men It is hard to imagine at the moment, but as the old saying goes, "Nothing is for ever." I argue this frequently with the blokes I work with, and they are convinced computers, the internet and suchlike are here forever. I say they are wrong. Communication and control by thought is one possibility

 

But how long for? Violins and guns seem to have been around for quite a while.

[Ex- Member]

 

Well it's not so easy to open a bank account without proof of who one is (yes I know it can be done but it's not actually easy). So we know ID can be useful.

 

Each person should be allowed one (and only one) "Internet Passport" and you have to use it for everything. Forums would simply not be allowed to allow anyone to use anything else.

 

I think it's doable with some thought. Not that it will ever happen.

 

Actually I think that's a brilliant idea "Internet Passport" but I would only use any passport for things like on line transactions so to help protect from fraud.

 

 

I think using it for everything is going a bit too far, mainly with regard to basic freedoms of rights. Having a passport that could track your every move on the internet wouldn't be any different than having to wear a device that tracked your every move in the real world. I know forums can have their problems, but in a way that's what makes them so popular. If you were in a position where you had to watch your every word in case of offending someone I think forums would become quite boring. It also worries me that such devices could be utilised by the state, that's why I've never subscribed to the idea of ID cards.

 

 

I still think you should register with a real name and ID on a forum though, it would help deter certain people who use forums for underhand purposes. I have changed my mind about having to use your real name in the open forum though, having read some of the reasonable arguments against, stalking etc

Edited September 4, 2011 by Julynian

[Yellowback]

Communication and control by thought is one possibility

 

 

 

What a scary thought, don't fancy having some of the posters I've met on forums in my head!!

[Gibbo]

Having a passport that could track your every move on the internet wouldn't be any different than having to wear a device that tracked your every move in the real world.

 

Not quite, though if it did mean that then it needs looking at. In the real world we already have a device that identifies us everytime we walk into a pub or somewhere and shout at the top of our voice so everyone can hear it: "That garage over there ripped me off" (the equivalent of doing it on a forum). It's called a face, and is liable to get thumped if you try that sort of behaviour in the real world.

[Guest]

But how long for? Violins and guns seem to have been around for quite a while.

In human lifetime terms yes. In real terms not even the blink of an eye. Fire in various forms has been popular for quite some time. I think technology such as the internet is deliberately held back thus enabling profit from investment. It is my guess that the successor is already undergoing trials. I wonder if we will have to still click the "start" button to stop it?

Edited September 4, 2011 by Guest

[lewisericeric]

 

 

I'm comfortable with semi-anonymity. I would wonder at the motivation of anyone who wants to know more about me.

 

 

Absolutely with you on that one - there are SO many psychos on the internet and so I'll never divulge any more information than my username on here, not even my boat name, simply because you just don't know what people are capable of. Scary.

[Gibbo]

I think technology such as the internet is deliberately held back thus enabling investment to profit.

 

This thought crosses my mind at least 10 times a day. I still can't make my mind up. A monopoly could profit from such a process. Anyone else simply gets left behind the competition.

[Windfola]

I don't use my real name because I want to maintain my privacy, for the time being anyway. I am a female on my own and I'd rather people didn't know where to find me.

 

When I move on to my boat (October, fingers crossed), I may decide to post my boat name.

 

No subterfuge. Just being careful.

[Gibbo]

there are SO many psychos on the internet and

 

Are there any more on the internet than in the real world? Surely there can't be. Who would be the people that are psychos on the internet but not in the real world? Perhaps only people who can hide behind a made up name?

 

Just a thought.

 

I am a female on my own...

 

You look quite masculine

[Athy]

Er, shurely "medium", CW?

Gibbo, isn't that part of the interest and enjoyment? Sometimes a thread runs as straight and logically as the New bedford River, other times it develops a mind of its own and goes all brindley-wiggly.

[lewisericeric]

Are there any more on the internet than in the real world? Surely there can't be. Who would be the people that are psychos on the internet but not in the real world? Perhaps only people who can hide behind a made up name?

 

Just a thought.

 

 

 

You look quite masculine

 

 

true gibbo - except people online seem to get so much more openly aggravated than they do in the real world. Some of the threads I've read on here for example(!), where things are said that those people wouldn't dare say to a fella in the real world for risk of getting their faces smacked in (and rightly so!)

 

Its known that there is no tone of voice online or in text and therefore things can get misconstrued and that could cause some people to turn nasty and perhaps carry out a revenge in the real world.

 

I would therefore personally prefer to stay anonymous online (and as much as I can in the real world as well) to avoid such characters and behaviours and I have very good reason to especially when a friend of mine had a cross word with someone via an internet forum (they had all their details there, boat name included) and then a few days later their boat was firebombed....Coincidence? Maybe. Would rather not take my chances

[Gibbo]

true gibbo - except people online seem to get so much more openly aggravated than they do in the real world.

 

And what do you mean by that? Is that aimed at me? You wanna try saying that to my face?...

 

Oh right yeah, I see what you mean

 

Anyway...

 

But is that because people are hiding behind a made up name? Would they still be the same if everyonme knew who everyone else was? I don't know what the answer is, just thinking out loud.

[sociable_hermit]

Not quite, though if it did mean that then it needs looking at. In the real world we already have a device that identifies us everytime we walk into a pub or somewhere and shout at the top of our voice so everyone can hear it: "That garage over there ripped me off" (the equivalent of doing it on a forum). It's called a face, and is liable to get thumped if you try that sort of behaviour in the real world.

Only if you're lying. It's likely to find agreement if what is said mirrors what has happened to others.

[Gibbo]

Only if you're lying. It's likely to find agreement if what is said mirrors what has happened to others.

 

Indeed, so if you're telling the truth, why the need to hide?

[Pretty Funked Up]

When the internet began everyone did openly use real names and real info etc. over time this became an obviously stupid thing to do as people out there started using the www info out their to do 'bad' things.

Over time people have learnt how to use the internet and still protect themselves from these kind of numbskulls.

Unless those numbskulls no longer exist its STILL not intelligent to use real info. and I'm pretty sure those numbskulls are still about now just as they were 20yrs ago.

 

eg. If you trawl about on this site enough you could build up lists of equipment people have on their boats, their boat names and also locations.... A light fingered numbskull might put this info to 'bad' use.

just an example.

[lewisericeric]

And what do you mean by that? Is that aimed at me? You wanna try saying that to my face?...

 

Oh right yeah, I see what you mean

 

Anyway...

 

But is that because people are hiding behind a made up name? Would they still be the same if everyonme knew who everyone else was? I don't know what the answer is, just thinking out loud.

 

 

Ah ah!! It wasn't actually aimed at you! Your other point is also true about them doing it because they hide behind a made up name........... I think maybe its just different people's preference and tolerance to things?

[sociable_hermit]

Indeed, so if you're telling the truth, why the need to hide?

Because you're talking about conversation with a 3rd party in a pub, which is EXACTLY the same as a conversation with a 3rd party on here, except:

 

1. The pub wouldn't necessarily be full of people active in the same leisure pursuit, who might benefit from knowing what was going on, and take their business elsewhere if they heard something worrying.

 

2. The conversation wouldn't be written down and pinned to the wall for all to see for ever more.

 

3. The business owner wouldn't normally threaten to shut the pub down just because it hosted the conversation.

 

4. Business people normally understand that good word-of-mouth is essential, and accept that what's said away from their ears cannot be controlled. So they wouldn't try to censor a pub, for example. Punching someone in the face doesn't do much for customer confidence either, does it, which is why it rarely happens, despite the tack you're adopting.

 

5. The pub can't normally be used as a means of tracing someone in order to harm them or their property, in anything but the very short term. Memories fade fast, particularly when booze is involved. The internet doesn't.

[Guest]

I would therefore personally prefer to stay anonymous online

 

Then I'm guessing your user name is in no way related to or connected in any way to your real name??

[Higgs]

Since reading this post I have deleted several bits of information, on my profile. Because this is an open forum, I've decided that the argument in favour of more information is outweighed by the need to keep information limited, and hidden from outsiders and opportunists.

[Gibbo]

Memories fade fast, particularly when booze is involved. The internet doesn't.

 

Which is a perfect reason why people on the internet should not be able to hide behind a made up name while they slag a company/individual off.

[Gollywobbler]

Ahh Gill

 

You appear to be a lumpy water boater ? You may have not noticed this is a CANAL discussion forum and we Canal users all know what Doms surname is, I for one however have never heard of Bruce Fraser ? It takes all kinds tho does it not

 

Hi Mrs M

 

Yes, I am a "lumpy water boater" as you call it. I am also very well aware that this forum is about the canals - the name of the forum tends to give it away!

 

I joined this forum partly because I would like to know more than I do about the canals and inland waterways generally - I'd love to have a go on a narrow boat but I've never had the chance to do so. Also, I know very little about the inland waterways beyond strolling along towpaths occasionally.

 

My other reason for joining Canal World is because of the Government's recent utterings that more people should be encouraged to live on boats on the inland waterways.

 

So far, there doesn't seem to be a suggestion that they should be encouraged to do so in Harbours as well. Most Harbour Masters would tell the Government to bunk off if they tried to interfere with how to run a Harbour, so I suspect that the Government imagines that the Inland Waterways are the "soft underbelly" in the piece.

 

Also, I think it is probably the case that more people live near a canal than near a Harbour - I'm merely someone who has lived near the coast all my life and as far as I know, there aren't many (if any) canals near Southampton.

 

This forum is very interesting for me because I'm learning the Inland Waterways jargon etc for the first time.

 

Bruce Fraser was a journalist on the Daily Telegraph. He was friendly with Uffa Fox, who designed sailing dinghies. The marine companies used to send Bruce all manner of navigational widgets to try out (most of them far too complicated to bother with.) Bruce would turn up on a yacht armed with all these gadgets. He used to get terribly seasick,so he didn't really try out these gadgets anyway. They just cluttered up the chart table until they fell off that into the bilges and then at the end of the trip, Bruce would say crossly, "Where's my XYZ [gadget]? SOMEONE HAS STOLEN IT!!!!" Which was always complete nonsense because the useless article was always swimming in the boat's bilges somewhere!

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[alan_fincher]

In all seriousness I would be perfectly happy to give my details to the site owner, but would not want to make them public. I am a private person (as much as one can be.) I have met a few members of this forum and they had no idea who I was, with one exception. He guessed.

I think you may have given away more than you think. Without re-checking, I'm pretty certain I know your real name, (anyone who replied to posts you had your own special avatars in got to see it, at one stage I think?), even though I might not recognise you out boating. (Unless of course the name that popped up was NOT your real name either!.....)

 

In response to the title of this thread, wait till you get stalked by a mental case on this forum. Then using your real name loses its appeal.

But you have openly published your real name, links to personal web-sites containing your name, and pictures of yourself and boat, even if you have not used your real name as a forum identity.

 

To the extent that, though I have never been introduced to you, when I see you walking along the tow-path, you are clearly the person who has published pictures of them-self.

 

I guess what you are saying now, (as you imply it has led to trouble at some stage), is I wish I exercised more caution.

 

Actually I do sympathise. With hindsight I would no longer use my own name, and I suspect a difficulty or two we are now having is because I am very visible on the internet as a boater with that name. (I'll not go into details).

 

Probably I was naive when I first did, but I realise it is too late to regain any anonymity now, so am stuck with my actions.