Yesterday, Someone Wrote That They Didn't Know DU Profiles Had Info on Location

[MineralMan]

What does your profile say? Just click My DU on the tab line at the top of your screen. Then click Profile in the next screen. You can edit your profile and then save it.

If you're worried about giving away too much information about yourself, ask yourself why saying what state you live in is too much information. People's profiles help us understand who we're talking to on DU.

[ret5hd]

1. maybe so you won't chastise them...

for commenting on candidates from other states.

[MineralMan]

2. Whatever you say, then...

I don't really care if you include your location. I was just telling people that if they want to, they can, and how to do it.

I don't see the problem, really.

[Lifeafter70]

5. I remember when mm first started posting at du

And he hasn't changed much.
Sometimes I agree with him sometimes I don't.
But he has always been condescending when his views differ from others.

[MineralMan]

14. You were here in November of 2008?

Hmm...

[Lifeafter70]

17. Yes

Started reading in 2002 with a link from bartcop. First joined in early 2008. When du crashed I continued reading for years but didn't feel the need to rejoin.
I rejoined mainly to post in the one forum nobody wants to join.

So yes I remember when you first started posting here and some of those very controversial threads regarding your post on another site.

So yes hmm

[MineralMan]

18. Ah, I see.

And here I am, with the same screen name, 18 years later.

[Lifeafter70]

19. Like I said sometimes I agree with you and sometimes I don't

But when someone disagrees you can be condescending. We all can at times.
I will say I'm glad some of your veiws have changed since you first started posting here.

[ret5hd]

22. if you would like to voir dire me...

i’m up for it.

[MineralMan]

23. Why would I want to do that?

Look again at the OP of this thread. Someone wrote that they didn't know there was location information in profiles. So, I explained how to edit a profile.

What are you talking about? Weird.

[madinmaryland]

37. For what it's worth, I remember the discussions you had with trumad . Not that matters one bit at all.

[MineralMan]

40. So do I.

He's gone. I'm not.

[rzemanfl]

28. Lots of weird things can be gleaned from profiles.

That's why I read then if I don't know the poster.

[MineralMan]

29. Yeah. I look at profiles, too

If I'm not familiar with the poster. Often, though, there's no information. I have a little bio in mine.

[rzemanfl]

36. I've read yours.

A profile will at least tell how long a person or bot has been here and how many posts they have made. If there are 200 posts in ten years, I get suspicious.

[MineralMan]

41. True.

That can be useful info.

[Bluestocking]

33. I have always been a big fan of Mineral Man

He will be missed when he is gone.

[MineralMan]

42. You're kind to say so.

Thanks.

[ColoringFool]

20. THAT'S A BINGO! MM TRIED TO HIDE HIS POINT, HAHA!

[MineralMan]

30. Again, what are you talking about?

[Celerity]

35. Members of the US House and US Senate affect us all. They are fair game for people in other States and other nations.

[crud]

3. It's become kinda humorous to me when someone posts the weather

with no location. Happens a lot on DU. Like "Rainy night in ???" seems like it's raining all over the world...

[Retrograde]

7. Or the price of gas/groceries without location

“gas is $4/gal!” from someone in Texas isn’t going to get much sympathy from Californian who wish it were that low.

(Is anyone else old enough to remember “slightly higher west of the Rockies”?)

[LudwigPastorius]

11. "...it's raining all over the world..."

[MineralMan]

15. My favorite is when someone posts news

From Springfield, but leaves out the state. There are Springfields all over the country.

[MustLoveBeagles]

24. I live in one!

[Bluestocking]

31. So do the Simpsons

Do you know them?

[MustLoveBeagles]

32. Nope!

[Bluestocking]

34. The name of the town I live in is the only one in the US

There is also one in Canada. Our sister city. If I listed my town as location you would know exactly where I live so long as I put USA. There is also one in the UK. I am guessing that is how it got it’s name.

[Scrivener7]

4. Seriously, WTF.

[haele]

12. It was an option when I signed up in 2002, not an automatic feature.

If you didn't fill it out when you signed up, it's not there. Unless your IP is recorded in the back end, there's no way to automatically register a physical address.
Of course, there are phone apps that will backtrack to IP addresses, which can always be used as a tracker unless you're going through a VPN.

[Prairie Gates]

6. Very meta

[intheflow]

8. I live on planet Earth.

It says so in my profile.

[ms liberty]

9. My region and state are enough, because Andy Stephenson.

[MineralMan]

10. It's all up to you, really.

I gave up all pretense of being anonymous on the Internet. It's rarely difficult to identify someone who is very active in posting about things. I've been doxxed on several right-wing sites, and have received a range of threats over the past 20 or so years. I have a method for dealing with those who threaten. I find out who they are, using my own skills, and an attorney friend notifies them by Certified Mail that they should stop threatening me. Works a treat.

Anyhow, if you want to remain completely anonymous, you can try. That's your choice. This thread came about because someone wrote that they had no idea that people had information about where the lived in their profiles. So, I explained how to add that information. And that led to whatever has happened in this thread.

It would take someone good at tracking down people about 10 minutes to find out who I am, where I live, what my phone number is, etc. I don't care. My attorney friend has not had to send out one of those Certified letters for over a year.

Anyhow, I'm not telling anyone what to do,. I was telling people how they can do something if they want to.

[MustLoveBeagles]

25. I didn't feel you were talking down to people

[MineralMan]

26. Thanks.

There is nothing in the OP that suggests anything like that. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I don't even understand a couple of the replies.

Weird stuff.

[Disaffected]

38. Hmmm, let's test that thesis (anonymity on the Internet).

See if you can find out who I am (and post results, if successful, with a PM).

Seriously, I would be v interested in knowing if it is possible.

[MineralMan]

39. No, thank you.

I don't do that. The only time I do is if I or someone close to me has been abused in that way. I would never do it for any other reason. That would be a serious invasion of privacy.

Sorry, but absolutely not.

[Disaffected]

43. I see-e-e-e...

BTW, how would it be an invasion of privacy when I gave you permission to do so?

[MineralMan]

44. Violates my ethics.

It's a hard no. I've been asked before. I won't do it.

There are people who do that professionally. I don't.

Please don't ask again.i

[Disaffected]

45. Oh well, it made a good story.

[MineralMan]

46. I do not jump through hoops

to satisfy your sarcasm. What you want me to do is irrelevant.

Think about it. I suppose I could prove it by posting what I found right here. How does that sound?

Think before you mock.

[Disaffected]

47. Thinking.....

OK, Sounds good. I look forward to seeing what you "found".

[MineralMan]

48. Look! I already told you I wouldn't do that.

It's a very time-consuming process and I have no reason to do it as an exercise to satisfy your curiosity and skepticism.

You don't think I can do it? OK, I don't give a damn. I've done it for myself when attacked and for a couple of other people who had the same thing happen to them. I protected myself and people I knew. I never even contact them. An attorney did. I do not recommend that others try to do the same. Unless you are very good at using boolean logic on search engines and have an intuitive mind, you'll get it wrong.

I don't know you. As far as I know, you have not been attacked in that way, so I'm not in the least interested. You appear to expect me to prove something to you. Why would you expect that? I owe you nothing. I don't know who you are, and am not really interested in knowing who you are. I do not care.

And now, I am done interacting with you in this thread. Please go bother someone else.

[Disaffected]

49. As I said,

makes (made) a good story.

[Brother Buzz]

13. There is a cryptic clue in my sign line

The R Crumb image of a harmonica player walking down a lane is four blocks away from my house.

[MineralMan]

16. Too cool!

And sometimes a year passes like nothing...

[marble falls]

50. There's a hint in my handle, too. Believe it or not, I actually live in the heart of Marble Falls.

[ColoringFool]

21. Some People Get Confused, Even Baffled! The Horror. THE HORROR.

🙄

[MineralMan]

27. I'm sorry, but what are you talking about,

please? I can't make any sense out of your reply. Thanks.

[Cirsium]

51. The issue

Perhaps you are unaware of the Trump DOJ threats against DailyKos as they demanded information about a poster there. One of the issues there for Kos was how much information he had about members, with the less the better being the benchmark.

People have a right to stay as anonymous as possible online if they so wish, for some very good reasons.

Saying that you want more information about people to help you understand who you're talking to on DU is creepy. You should be addressing what the person has to say, not who you imagine them to be.

First you tell us what we can and can't post, now you tell us how much information we should reveal about ourselves.

[MineralMan]

52. I said nothing of the sort.

The DU profile's contents is up to each user. That's how it should be. I include information about myself, but I'm not bothered by people who don't.

Up to the individual user. I don't look further, but I do look at profiles sometimes.

I also mentioned in this thread that I have had occasion to search for and find posters on various sites who doxxed me and threatened me. Not here. Elsewhere. I am pretty good at finding out who people are, even if they try to hide their identities. Most people are not very smart about that, and use the same screen names on multiple sites. They often give personal information without thinking about it. Sometimes, they even reveal their real names on forums and social media sites. It's surprising. Then, too, people tend to talk about hobbies and other subjects, wherever they post.

When I have been threatened by someone in some way, I change my approach and am willing to spend the time needed to find out who that person is. It's not easy, by any means, and it's crucial to make sure you have the right person. Then, I handed that information to an attorney I know, with all documentation, and let the attorney do the contacting and informing of that person. Every time, that has put an end to the threats and attacks.

But, I'm all for anonymity. I don't bother too much with it. Like I said, anyone with a little talent can find out who MineralMan is and more. Even that can be confusing, because there is more than one MineralMan out there. One of them is even in the same business I used to be in. Unfortunate for him, but we have been in contact and he's aware and OK with the issue.

I don't care who Cirsium is. To me, you're just a screen name on DU. That's just fine. I'm not interested beyond that.

[Cirsium]

53. What?

You don't care who I am?



Thanks for the clarification.

[MineralMan]

54. Nope. Sorry.

I did look at your profile, though. I learned nothing, as you intended. Good job.

[Cirsium]

55. Yep

I've been stalked and threatened, too.