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Post by kenja on Jul 16, 2009 22:30:05 GMT
Hi all
I notice that on this like many other forums, many people hide their e-mail address.
There may be good reasons for this, such as fear of spam, but it is easy to create a dedicated e-mail so that if it does get compromised it can be ditched.
I am in favour of the showing of e-mail addresses. After all if you join a forum like this you must expect to get messages otherwise why bother?
On some forums I know it probably won't apply but on this site in particular I think it is important as we send files to one another regularly.
It's a bit daft requesting a midi file if your e-mail is not available don't you think?
Cheers....KenJA
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Post by Emerald Midi on Jul 17, 2009 8:06:23 GMT
It's a bit daft requesting a midi file if your e-mail is not available don't you think?Cheers....KenJA Not really. The right to privacy is extended to all members of the forum and it is up to each individually as to what personal details they place on public display, and while it might seem paradoxical to be requesting files and not showing an email address it will always remain their choice. Usually things are sorted via a PM sent to the requester who then can decide whether or not to supply their contact details. But some do use alternative email addresses, which is not a bad idea for forums such as this  |
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Post by kenja on Jul 17, 2009 9:51:03 GMT
Fair enough I suppose, although putting up suitably anonymous e-mail address does not really compromise privacy - or am I wrong on that one?
I know one forum, which I am a member of, which now insists that all members put their real names up. This has been because there was a lot of flaming and abusive messages going on from people hiding behind their forum handle.
Not a polite site like this one!
Cheers...Ken
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Post by Emerald Midi on Jul 17, 2009 9:57:35 GMT
Some forums have "strange" policies, to be sure; on one I also run it seems everyone is very secretive, but I suppose Freemasons can be like that at times ;d
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Post by JC on Jul 19, 2009 7:45:09 GMT
Setting up a new web based email address such as Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail is the best way to go if you intend on showing your email address on a forum, As you pointed out Kenja if the email addy gets compromised simply ditch it and create a new one  |
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Post by shyamwestwind on Jul 28, 2009 9:55:09 GMT
Yeah I totally agree with kenJA . We have a very upright polite forum here and I'm sure there's plenty of trust between us, so without any compulsions, why dont we put in our e-mail addresses so we can mail each other if we need to ?
Many members dont reveal their age, sex or place of residence and I find that really silly. Its nice to know each other and interact.
If you're new and getting to know the rest of us, take your time but when you do find that we are a trustworthy lot , do open up and tell us more about yourselves. We need to be good friends and we need to share our love, our experiences, our expertise, our thoughts , so open your hearts, good people !!!!!!!!!
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cptkay0s
Full Member
The only reason I get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory......
Posts: 607
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Post by cptkay0s on Jul 28, 2009 11:09:42 GMT
Here Here Shyam :!!!!!
regards
Warren
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Post by oliver101 on Jul 28, 2009 15:08:52 GMT
When I joined this forum 1 1/2 years ago I had never been involved in any forums at all and joined with a certain amount of trepidation. To date this is still the only forum I am a member of and it is only now that I can see what a friendly bunch everyone is. It was this trepidation that led me to refer to myself as Oliver101, not wanting to reveal my real name as I did not want anyone and everyone knowing my business.
So I apologise to everyone who thought my name was Oliver, but it is infact Ian. Some on the forum know this allready.
You are all a great bunch of helpful people. I was just trying to protect my identity just in case there were unscrupulous people prepared to miss-use my details.
Ian ( Formally known as Oliver101 ) Now coming out of the closet. lol
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cptkay0s
Full Member
The only reason I get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory......
Posts: 607
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Post by cptkay0s on Jul 29, 2009 6:14:12 GMT
No need to apologise Ian - I too did exactly the same as you, obscuring my details from "that bunch of strangers" in that "new fandangled forum thingy". But I too, quickly discovered (to my great delight), that there's a great bunch of people out there (but I'm still too nervous about posting to the members stage Old Sage!!!!- still haven't gotten around to getting a microphone to computer adapter to record - an excuse I know, but I'm happy to hide behind it and my relative ignorance about all things recorded.... )Feel free to call me a Wuss (lol). As Shyam rightly points out this forum continuously demonstrates the benefits and purpose of a well-run and well-supported forum. A caveat I'll add is that this isnt't the case with all forums I've joined since whetting my appetite with this one - not all forums possess positive members such as those that visit here regularly and as such, my details are not as openly divulged as here. Warren. |
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Post by JohnG on Jul 29, 2009 8:18:15 GMT
Should that be "hear, hear" I wonder, and Ian "formerly" known as Oliver101 just to throw a spanner in the works? You'd never guess that I teach English part time would you? Sorry guys! On the other side of the coin I would like to endorse all the remarks made so far about this forum. It has to be one of the friendliest I've come across after many years of "smurfing the web!" I actually got my first account from Demon (anyone remember them?) all the way back in 1993, shortly after the Internet first became available commercially in the UK. Yes, it was just at 2400 bits per second. My goodness haven't things changed? I used Windows 3.1, my PC had a 386 processor and ... wait for it ... 4MB RAM and a 40MB hard disk, if my memory serves me correctly. I had just finished working for ICL and become self-employed. My "other machine" was an Atari STe on which I learned MIDI. I bought it new in the late eighties soon after it came out, just 'cos it had MIDI! What progress after the Commodore 64. My first synth, a Yamaha TX81Z (bought new!), one of my nephews has it now, the 2nd a Cheetah MS6, still in my possession. Great old analogue engine with 6 NOTE POLYPHONY! WOW. If you'd like to hear some mp3s of the various MS6 voices trundle along to this site www.synthmania.com/ms6.htm. I just love them old synth sounds. I'm in the process of putting a new battery in it and upgrading the ROM to add extra MIDI functionality. Ah well, good old days! JohnG. |
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Post by shyamwestwind on Jul 29, 2009 17:02:08 GMT
Ian (Oliver !!!) I feel so happy to see you rise to the open. I bet you're relieved too. I wish more from our good forum would too. Oliver was a good name though !!!!
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Post by shyamwestwind on Jul 29, 2009 17:08:16 GMT
I'm a little confused . What is all this about misusing details divulged in these forums ? What is the extent of harm anyone can do to any of us ? Can anyone tell me about these "unscrupulous" acts ? What secrets do I have that can be publicised ? In short, how can anyone hurt me in this forum ?
I might be naive, but I really would like some answers with examples.
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Post by JohnG on Jul 30, 2009 6:52:35 GMT
Well Shyam,
If I think back to my first forays onto the internet and into newsgroups e.g. places like alt.music.midi, Demon my first ISP allowed access to them all, there were unscrupulous people who wrote programs to collect e-mail addresses that users unsuspectingly published on-line. They then sold those address lists on to businesses who use them to spam you. Still, more than 15 years on, I get messages from those early lists.
Other forums get trolls, people who just post controversial statements that they know will enflame people. Just so that they can cause the maximum disruption. If your address is publicly available they will post all sorts of material to you. This is why it's a good idea to use a yahoo or google mailbox rather than the one given by your ISP.
On some forums people deliberately start flame wars and so on. IMHO it's often better to start your time on any user group hiding behind a mask of anonymity until you have sussed out whether it is well moderated or not.
Just my take on it all after more than 15 years on-line.
JohnG.
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Post by shyamwestwind on Jul 30, 2009 8:18:55 GMT
Well JohnG, I guess that is something to worry about. You;ll remember the"bug" I got in my address book when I opened up a "message from Glen Humber" I was kinda eager to hear Glenn's response in defence to the controversy, but alas,....... that was just a crazy bug and it went through my entire gmail address book and sent invitations to view " messages from me".
Having said that, we can still weed out the spam cant we ? After all I will only let in stuff that I choose to let in and with a little vigilance, we can be safe to read the genuine mail from friends .
Have any of our Forum members been really hurt by these kinda guys ?
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Post by JohnG on Jul 30, 2009 10:11:58 GMT
Yep, with Yahoo it's easy to mark spam, with some regular ISPs more difficult. The problem used to be getting up to 100 spam emails a day from all sorts of places and not having effective filtering tools. Much better today.
JohnG.
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