Don't Let Him Get You!
There is a shady side to the net. It is a dark veil that some people like to hide under and it is called “Anonymous”. They use this veil to trick, scam, vent and abuse. Don’t let him get you!
Okay, so I am being somewhat dramatic. There are legitimate reasons for posting as anonymous. There are some very nice people that do not have accounts on the site where they would like to comment so they do so under “anonymous”. I have no problem with that. It is the people that like to spread their hate but are too chicken to leave their name that I take exception to.
After many years of visiting blogs and doing a little blogging myself, I noticed that the majority of nasty comments were posted by “anonymous”. I got so fed up with it that I even wrote him a letter telling him what I think about him. Presumably, he does not care what I think or even what you think. Sometimes it just feels good to get something off your chest!
“Anonymous” does not just live in the comment section of blog posts. He seems to favor sites where he can have the opportunity to directly hurt people. As an example, think about the popular classified ad site Craigslist. You do not need to have a profile to list something for sale there so the site is ripe for scams, rip-offs and crimes. It seems like every other day I hear of a new crime related to a transaction that took place there. “Anonymous” loves to exploit sites that do not require any kind of accountability.
What efforts are being made to combat “Anonymous”? :
- Many major websites are no longer letting people comment under “anonymous” and are requiring registration first.
- More bloggers are choosing the option of either comment moderation or banning anonymous comments altogether.
- Sites like Flugpo offer free classified ads but take the safety of it’s members into consideration by providing a community with the ads. Ad posters need to fill out a profile first and there is also the benefit of “testimonials” (much like eBay’s seller feedback system) which can help potential buyers get a better idea of who they are dealing with. It is a huge step in the right direction in the world of classified advertising.
- People are talking about it and the general consensus seems to be that no one likes what “Anonymous” is getting away with. Use your power on the Internet to combat his evil.
Hopefully the Internet can become a safer place one day if enough people choose to shut out “Anonymous”. There is no concrete solution to the problem but every effort that is made takes us a step closer. Do you see “Anonymous” as a safety issue or do you feel that I am just jabbing my jaw for nothing? I think we could have a great discussion about this issue.
thePuck 10:35 am on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
Another rocking post Kelly!
Mandy 10:43 am on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
I think for honest people “Anonymous” can be a safety issue, to protect yourself or your family. Take me, I personally do not have any pictures of myself on my blog. The closest thing is my yahoo avatar that looks a bit like me 20 years ago. The only personal picture that I have used on my blog is of my dog. All of this is to protect myself and my family from the nut jobs.
My view on the other types of “Anonymous” people are that they are a lot like the bullies that we all known in person. They are just blowing smoke because of how badly they feel about themselves and want to make everyone else feel as badly as they do.
As a blogger I do moderate my comments. Mainly because I get a lot of spam directing people to other sites with basically bs products. So far, I have not had any hate comments. Depending on the topic, I might be tempted to take the person on?
Ominous Shadows Lurking From The Anonymous Side Of The Net | Personal Blogger Blogging Tutorials And Tips 10:57 am on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
[...] to place more weight on those who are transparent due to the abuses that anonymity can allow.read more | digg [...]
Kelly 12:38 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
@thePuck: Thank you sir!
Kelly 12:40 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
@Mandy: Yes, anonymous can be seen in two different lights. Bully is definitely the right term for the bad anonymous people.
XIII 1:28 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
Oh god, another non-topic. How do you manage to say there are legitimate reasons to post anonymously and then go on to say the opposite and claiming it’s a big problem on the internet? A great discussion about this issue? What issue? If you don’t like anonymous comments; disable them. There, problem solved.
Seriously, The Social Media Philosophy Project sounded promising, but this is just space filler with the small group involved patting eachother on the back for a good ‘article’.
“Use your power on the Internet to combat his evil.”
Would have been nice if someone pointed out to you that all comments on this here site are anonymous…
“Do you see “Anonymous” as a safety issue or do you feel that I am just jabbing my jaw for nothing?”
Ehm… I think that’s a rhetorical question by now.
Kelly 1:54 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
@XIII: Why don’t you tell me how you really feel? At least you didn’t post your comment as anonymous. Oh, right you said:
“Would have been nice if someone pointed out to you that all comments on this here site are anonymous…”
Not sure what that means. You are the author of a blog named x111.com which began in 2001, how is that anonymous?
XIII 1:58 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
Duh, I don’t care about anonymity or about you knowing I think you’re just a longwinded spammer. But I could have just as well posted it as anonymous. Maybe you need to figure out how this WordPress stuff works first…
XIIIs last blog post..Itazura na Kiss
Kelly 2:09 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
There is no point in contributing further to your anger. Your rudeness speaks for itself.
XIII 2:15 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
Yes, it’s much better to call me rude than to actually counter anything I said in my first comment. Happy spamming Kelly. ThePuck; you may want to take that Neuromancer tagline down, it has nothing to do with the content.
thePuck 8:24 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
Disclaimer: I am a huge believer in social transparency, and it is one of the goals of the Project to keep all of our workings as transparent as possible. So this little conflict is not going to be moderated, but I am going to step in now.
@XIII
You need to cut it out, man. The goals of this site are listed in the About, the FAQ, and just everything else I say about it anywhere, and I make it clear that the method is to allow the individuals involved in the world of social media to define this branch of philosophy for themselves through discussion and debate. Debate, not insults. If you disagree, say why. Don’t just say how stupid it all is and then imply that everyone who doesn’t agree just doesn’t sit at the cool kid’s table.
Kelly posted about something important to her, an issue she saw as salient. Considering the keywords “problem anonymous poster” gets a SERP of over 600,000, apparently other people see the issue as salient, too.
This is not entertainment, this is philosophy, which while it can be entertaining is not meant for that. Go read some Heidegger. Martin Heidegger’s work changed my life, but it wasn’t exactly the most exciting read. You want to be entertained, there are a number of sites available. That is not our primary goal here.
Not everyone is going to be interested in every topic. That doesn’t mean you get to insult my people or try to condescendingly order me around on my own site. If you don’t know the difference between philosophical debate (here’s a hint, you don’t call people names or throw insults, and the words ‘epic fail’ or ‘pwned’ will seldom appear) and typical forum flaming, there are many places where you will be far more comfortable online.
If you continue to interact here, I have to ask you to be respectful to everyone and try to stay in the spirit of the overall Project. Otherwise your interaction here will cease.
Here is a helpful little rundown of how to debate without getting things nasty http://www.truthtree.com/debates.shtml.
Igor The Troll 8:25 pm on August 8, 2008 Permalink |
XIII did you come here to engage in Eugenics?
Igor The Trolls last blog post..The Jewish People
modelmotion 4:21 am on August 9, 2008 Permalink |
Some of our best comments come from anonymous. Yes there are hurtful comments as well, but perhaps that is the price of free and open communication.
modelmotions last blog post..ATTENTION ALL RECRUITS