How revealing

[Perry Winkle]

How much do you reveal to the internets in places where you don't have control of the delete button (like the cellar)? Where do you draw the line?

I feel I've revealed too much at times...

I found that if you type random facts about me and my name into google, you're likely to get a thread here. Regrettably, I have to say that there are certain things I've said here that I'd rather not have certain people know about quite yet.

[Cloud]

yeah, see the "you need an online professional persona" thread. This stuff Never Goes Away, either.

If you've never Googled your user name, people, you are likely in for a very nasty surprise.

[glatt]

If you know me online and want to stalk me, you can find out my real name without too much trouble. But if you know my name in real life, it would be difficult to find my thousands of posts here. That's the way I would prefer it.

[bluecuracao]

If someone really wanted to, I think they'd be able to figure out who I am, if they didn't know already (there are quite a few people who do from another forum). I draw the line at posting very personal stuff--things a casual friend has no business knowing, or would want to know, for that matter. I don't want to run into someone on the street, and have them look at me and think, "Oh...I know what she REALLY keeps in her nightstand!"

[Perry Winkle]

Picking a username that's the same as your real name is A Bad Idea. When I registered here I never thought I'd actually post. I have dozens of forum accounts around the net that have maybe two posts from them.

I wonder if it's possible to change my username...I guess I could ask UT...That way, at least, you'd have to know a lot about me, including some things basically nobody knows.

[piercehawkeye45]

I am the same way as glatt. I don't have as much info on here as I do some other forums (messaging stuff, not more specific locations) that have my real name on it but they would have a fun time actually finding me.

If you knew my real name there is no way you would know who I was on this board except if you were really clever.

I feel safe enough but I try not to push it. I will post pics of me and a basic location but nothing more than that.

I searched my name in google and I personally do not show up in the first five pages, didn't look after that. Supposedly there is an insurance agency and an author by the same name as me.

[TheMercenary]

Two things that can get you into big trouble in places like this. Posting a real picture of yourself. Posting any information that someone could use to narrow down your general location. The longer you are on a forum, the more easily data can be mined. Some people don't care and see no threat. On every forum there are people who are not going to like you and some will do what ever they can to get info about you. The fastest way to obtain pinpoint data about you is your IP address, which most moderators can see. If this data is shared and you have a static IP your ID is out there for anyone to pinpoint your location. non-static IPs need more cooperation from others to pin point you. MySpace info is some of the worst. It is amazing how quickly people can amass personal info about you if they are really determined.

[duck_duck]

How is posting a photo dangerous? Strange people see my face all of the time when I go to the mall so how is the internet different?

[Perry Winkle]

I'm not worried about moderators or random internet people tracking me down to do me harm. What I'm worried about is someone from real life doing a google search and finding unflattering posts by me. Posts from a couple months ago where I was pretty well at the end of my rope.

If the name didn't line up the details would be foggy enough for plausible deniability.

The particular person I'm worried might find this stuff now would probably take it all for what it is, but you never know.

P.S. love the sig, duck_duck

[richlevy]

I posted a few times in the past why I decided to use my real name. As for finding out peoples real names, many people have given clues as to their real names.

It's possible to match a few Cellarites with real names just by reading the information they post about themselves on the Cellar or on their websites. I haven't done an exhaustive study, but I have done it about 3 times just to see if I could, twice from something in a photo, and once from combining 3 pieces of information.

Heres a couple of Richard Levy's. One of them might be me. (Hint: It's not the one listed in Forbes).

As for future employers, I'd like to know from the start how much a company intends to interfere with my personal life. I make it a point not to mention my employers online, since I want to draw a line between my work and personal life. If a prospective employer told me that employment was conditional on using an alias, this would give me valuable information on what our future relationship would be like.

[breakingnews]

I probably reveal too much about myself online, particularly here. But I don't really care - all of it is information that anyonne, online or IRL, with a little digging, can find out.

Actually, the people on this forum - "strangers on the Internet" - are no different than the thousands of people I've met in person. I often link to my photos and old blog, where you can easily figure out my real name. But I've also had my name and photo shown publically enough times that you might consider the Cellar population a pretty limited audience, in regard to privacy.

Cellar is just the tip of the iceberg. With my name and some medium-duty Googling you can pretty much track my movements for the past 10 years. Where I went to high school, my eagle scout project, my college, sports tournaments, media outlets I've worked for, explicit details about a particularly rowdy weekend in Dallas not too long ago. And most of that (save the Dallas weekend) was not my choice.

Watchdogs caution about posting personal info on public Web forums, but nobody flinches when a school or organization wants to display photos or personal info.

[ravenranter]

I say what I want to say online without too much worry. I've kept a public online journal for about three years now, in addition to my forum activities. I try to keep a certain amount of anonymity: I don't use my real name. I never mention my username, in real life, under any circumstances. I don't post photos of myself. I never mention the real names of others in any of my posts. It seems to have kept my online persona separate from my real life...so far.

[elSicomoro]

I've posted my name here before, as well as on the Bosque. If people want to find me, come find me. My name is Terry Blastenbrei and I live in St. Louis, MO. My father has the same name though, and neither of us is listed in the phonebook. But I think I've revealed what street I live on on the Bosque...fuck it. Like I said, come find me if you want.

[Shawnee123]

I'm an open book, pretty much. It wouldn't be too hard to figure out who and where I am but:

1) I'm fearless.
2) I am who I am, nothing more, nothing less, and I don't hide behind a wall of phony in real life so I won't here.
3) Go ahead, steal my identity...I'm not using it (and you 'd quickly throw it back).
4) Someday when I'm famous this will all be worth a lot of money.

[Ibby]

I prettymuch throw myself out there completely. I know how to be safe, I dont give any info thats TOO personal, nothing you could find me in a city of a few million with, but other than that... I tell more on here than I do in person, I think.

Ah, the wonders of a nameless faceless threatless audience...