Who REALLY needs to stay anonymous on DU?

[wellstone_democrat]

I mean in terms of DU username vs. real name on the forum. For instance, I have a job that absolutely requires I not get "caught" on this sort of "scary radical left" forum even on my own time and computer. I changed my username once and now only use my own laptop to log on and browse or post. I also use an ISP dial up that isn't in my name. Considering my job, its just much wiser.

I'm curious as to who else needs the anonymity of the username to protect themselves from retribution in the workplace (or elsewhere in life)?

[shatoga]

1. contributed to DU with my credit card & got death threats afterward

I now read daily:

"The best way to handle the opposition is to control it ourselves," VI Lenin
Russian Republican

Never giving my card info to any website...lest the RNC get an immediate forward (of personal info) from that website




Paranoid?

You aren't paranoid if they are really out to get you.
You are a realist!

[Gato Moteado]

37. WHOA!......

how did people find out your personal info from a credit card transaction with DU? this is very scary. was it freepers?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. I do

I have done a lot of policy work on labor issues. The admin at Du has my real name and I'm not paranoid but in terms of posting in forums such as the lounge, I'd really hate to walk into a meeting with advocacy orgs on the latest bills before the industrial relations committee and have someone ask about the hood of my car...but I want the freedom to have fun too!

[Aristus]

13. Are you kidding, NSMA?

The hood incident might give them a whole new respect for you. :-)

[Terwilliger]

17. They're like.."she's tough, she's caring and compassionate, she gets laid"

big deal :)

I understand ya, though. Puritannical America!

[GOPisEvil]

18. Don't you think this bill looks better on the hood of your car?

Yikes - a horror story to be sure. :scared:

I would rather keep my full name out of the public domain because I am a government employee, and I choose not to have problems created for me simply by my employer knowing my political ideology. Plus, I'd rather avoid harrassment by the freepazoids.

[VelmaD]

19. this is getting weird Dude

I'm a government employee too. Were we separated at birth or something? :D

I'm a little different though. Everyone in my office knows my political leanings (and about some of the weird fandom shit I do that frankly could get me in more trouble than the political stuff).

I don't care about having my screen name associated with the "real" me. I figure you're never really anonymous anyway so might as well just let it all hang out. :-)

Darth Velma

[GOPisEvil]

21. Let's just say...consolidation is in my immediate future...

There might be some, um, loss of positions (although not likely right away). My eventual new boss will be nominated by Gov. Goodhair, so...

I work for a "liberal" agency, but in the most conservative division.

And, we could be separated at birth - I was adopted. :P

[VelmaD]

23. poor baby...

my agency managed to avoid being consolidated.

I'm gonna be really wigged out if you tell me you're working right across the street from me in the Winters Building.

[GOPisEvil]

27. You work in the Winters Building?

:scared: This is freaking me out!! We ARE separated at birth! :D

For now, I work at The Exchange. But after the consolidation, we're off to new space.

[VelmaD]

28. nope...

across the street in the Brown-Heatley building.

[GOPisEvil]

29. For the Evil Empire?

:scared:

[VelmaD]

30. sorta...

for Texas Youth Commission. A subsidiary of the Evil Empire.

[GOPisEvil]

32. Oh, ok...whew!

Soon I will be an employee of The Evil Empire directly. My division was mentioned, by name, in HB2292. Yikes! Save me!

[VelmaD]

33. we can commiserate...

on Saturday. If you're cute maybe we'll run away to Mexico and the Evil Empire can go take a flying leap.

[GOPisEvil]

34. Sounds good!

But now, 4:00 has arrived - time for me to fly! :hi:

[VelmaD]

35. slacker...

getting off at 4:00. Some of us have to stay til 5:30 and work. :-P

[GOPisEvil]

42. I was in at 7:00 this morning.

And every morning.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. My lord...

What kind of job and what kind of concern feels that it can control your thoughts and your off time?

A major service organisation wanted to do that. They could not: It's illegal.

[JanMichael]

14. Not necessarily "control thoughts" but damage work environment.

Certain professions are political and something like DU could spark unwanted attention.

[Shanty Oilish]

4. Anonymity

If I told you why, I wouldn't be anonymous. But secondary reasons---if people I know in real life were aware of my opinions, I'd get into lots of arguments. Too many conservative thinkers around me. Also, I donate to political causes anonymously, because once they know you give, they want you to get more involved, and I'm too tired to climb the ramparts anymore.

[TSIAS]

5. Maybe I should be more cautious

I had my name listed in my profile when that feature was active. My real name and my screen name do not differ that much.

I'm starting to get a little more nervous. I post at another message board with the screen name. Some guy IM'd me and starting asking all sorts of weird personal questions (blood type, relationship with parents, sexual experience just to name a few). Really kind of creeped me out. And to find out that he lives only an hour away from me.

It's definitely something that I'll consider when choosing future screen names.

[bluestateguy]

6. As for me

I write every post with the assumption that John Ashcroft or one of his agents is monitoring everything I write. I figure if they really want to find out who I am it's not hard for them to do, but I'll keep my name anonymous for any of the many Freeper lurkers who frequent this board and take names.

[Kamika]

7. question

Does your boss check DU etc or what? i mean i dont want to call you paranoid but just how can someone from your workplace see if you been here apart from cookies etc on your own computer

[WoodrowFan]

8. Easy

If it goes through draft's office's firewall or through a server it will mark every single site they visit and the time they visited!

[Kamika]

9. ok

Thanks im a computer illiterate

[newyawker99]

22. Congrats WoodrowFan!! 300 posts

:toast:

[Robb]

10. Clearly I'm not too worried

My online life is an open book; I work under the assumption I'm already a known quantity in the acronym-agency world. If they really want ya, they'll find ya. I'm just a tad inconvenient here in the CO hinterland. :)

[Catshrink]

11. I wanna keep my job

I'm a new teacher in a conservative community. Can you hear it? Teacher influences children with wild out whacky ideas, etc? Besides, I can't say the F-word in school.

[cmd]

12. Valid concerns

Isn't it strange that a wild, wacky idea such as peace could upset a community so much? Hang in there, Catshrink. Be sure to keep your NEA dues up to date. Have a great year. cmd, retired teacher

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. That's kind of scary territory for you. I could see them coming up

with much worse than wacky ideas if they had the notion to.

[Catshrink]

45. That said....

Today was the first day I really got to work in my room. I drew a small "No W" circle thing in one corner of the board. Just a little subversive reminder to myself.

Thanks for the good wishes. I can't wait for the kids to start!

[Loonman]

16. I don't care, so long as nobody knows what I look like

I don't want to get accosted on the street.

[Aristus]

20. ME!

I'M GOD!

THE REPUKES THINK I'M ONE OF THEM!

HELL-BOUND IDJITS!

O8)

TO ALL DU-ERS: THANK YOU FOR PASSING ALONG MY MESSAGE OF LOVE AND BROTHERHOOD. SEE YOU ALL IN HEAVEN!

[LuLu550]

24. Maybe I should be more careful

I have a high-profile job in a small school district in a small, mostly Republican town. Most of us who work here are Dems and left, but we keep it to ourselves for fear the "townies" would get back at us for our political beliefs by voting down the next school budget.
LuLu :tinfoilhat:

[clyrc]

25. I probably should have tried to be more anonymous

here, especially back when my husband was campaigning. At the website where I used to post regularly, before I found this place, I was completely and totally indiscreet, using my real name. I don't admit nearly as much here, and it feels more prudent.

[TrogL]

26. my employer would not be pleased

and neither is the religious right (there's a certain amount of overlap).

I keep my net life and personal life as separate as I can.

[sangha]

31. I prefer to remain anonymous

I've been posting on the Internet for over a decade, and as a result, I've been stalked twice.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

36. I already have Freeper Stalkers

everytime I post on a Boston.com message board (under my real first name), some freeper posts an ignorant rebuttal and uses my DU moniker! It's funny, as long as they don't find out where I live.

Warning: we own guns and know how to use them.

[Plaid Adder]

38. IMHO, Everyone

There are a lot of people out there with evil intentions and not enough to do with their time. Besides, in general, it's just never a good idea to release ANY personal information on the internet that people might be able to use to track down your address, phone #, SSN, etc. If you've got someone's full name, you can pay 17 bucks to a skip trace agency and get a whole bunch of home addresses to choose from. Even people who wouldn't face any repercussions at work or at home if their Secret Internet Lives were revealed oughta keep their real names under wraps when posting in a gigantic public forum accessible to anybody with Google.

I've had my identity stolen; it's an awful experience. And a couple years ago some asshole rigged up something that mail-bombed my email address with thousands of disgusting homophobic/misogynistic/obscene messages every day. I was able to get that stopped, although I don't know whether they ever caught the guy who did it.

The web is a dangerous place, kids. Play safe.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[Character Assassin]

39. Sort of. Helped to put a lot of scum away at one point in my life.

But I don't think they're really the type to read a board like this.

[JackDragna]

40. I do.

I run a minor organized crime ring selling automatic weapons to the militant, anti-rightist nuns known as the "Sisters of No Mercy." They go kill members of right-wing death squads in Central America that like to bully around missionaries, teachers and other enemies of the state.

[annonymous]

41. I have small children.

I do not want to subject my family to harassment. I also wish to protect my privacy. My name is rather unusual and it would be easy to find me if someone is determined. This is why I hide behind a username.

[librechik]

43. Hmm. me

It's a media kinda thing. You'd be surprised who gets to hear some of the stuff I pick up here, tho!

Don't worry, I'm nobody important. I work for somewhat important people, that's all.

[thermodynamic]

44. Technically, it shouldn't matter what one does on one's own time

But this is America, the Hypocracy. :-(

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

46. I do, my old username was the same as my email addy

which I have had for more than 10 years. Needles to say, it is all over search engines, my old resumes keep popping up here and there, panels I was on have my home address...
anyway, I got a creepy phone call which upset my wife a great deal which mentioned not supporting * and being a pinko on a "damn democrat chat room"
since the only thing remotely like that I do online is DU, I changed my name su chay.
I like it better this way, too.

[Hubert Flottz]

47. Joe Lieberman!!!!!

Bush!