hanalways Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I was wondering how private most of you feel like you need to be to protect your identity online? I realize that this is probably a really stalkerish question xD but I grew up online. I first internet access when I was eight years old - and some of my really good friends I met through the internet. We have phone conversations, text, snail mail and even meet in real life. That being said I am not at all private with my information - if anyone wants to know I definitely give out my full name and address and whatever. My facebook profile is left public despite everyone yelling at me to privatize it, and lead a rather ordinary, boring life xD But I was just wondering how other people regard this, and how private people are with their own identities. :D I also just want to say, you do not have disclose ANYTHING about your personal self that you don't want to! I also understand that we are an under-13 board, so especially if you are under 13 years old, PLEASE don't reveal anything personal about yourself xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icedragonair Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I reveal nothing. I don't have a face book account, or anything like that. I always use the same gamertag though, so that's pretty much my online "identity", but there's really only one place on the internet where it can be connected to my real name. Its not that I'm paranoid, its just i grew up in a computer profession family, and I was very aware of online safety, I guess it just stuck. I also feel much more comfortable knowing I can control who knows who I am. No reason really, just easier this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Xandria Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Oh, wow. I am rather public with my information. I never give out my last name to anyone though and definitley never my address! I have a facebook but I take a lot of precautions to make it to where only my facebook friends can see my info. (Wouldn't want to have a potential employer lurking on there. ;)) I've never actually met up with anyone I've met on the internet. I do have some penpals though. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ysera Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Much like icedragonair, I have an online "identity" that I keep. Even when I fill up first name and last name on many online sites, I don't use my real name. My username is almost always constant in most games I play and forums I frequent. As for facebook, yeah, I have it and yes, it does display my real name. Otherwise, how on earth would my friends find me? But it's private. And I don't add just anyone who friends me. In fact, I have a lot of pending friend requests which I ignore if I don't personally know them. As much as possible, I try to keep my online self separate from my real life. In my country, a lot of drama has come up about people posting their opinions in facebook and getting cyber bullied when their POV clashes with mainstream thinking. I'd like to avoid that if possible. I hate attention. hanalways and The Bandit 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bandit Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I think keeping yourself private online is very important. If you're under 18, I'd say it was vitally important. I have Facebook, but my privacy setting are locked down as far as they'll go. For everything else I use a nickname. Whether it's to protect yourself against perverts, scammers, or just nosey employers or work colleagues, privacy has to be the way to go :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jurassicshark Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I have a Facebook that's on private. I'd never give out my address.. I don't have a problem with telling people what state I live in but pretty much just share my hobbies and age. Maybe that's bad? I don't know. :shiftyeyes_anim: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icedragonair Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Even when I fill up first name and last name on many online sites, I don't use my real name. Hahaha I do the same thing, I actually have a name that I picked and use it every time for fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ysera Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Hahaha I do the same thing, I actually have a name that I picked and use it every time for fun. Actually, that's what I do too. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I'm generally private unless I get to know someone. I have lots of online friends on Skype, and a couple with whom we speak on voice chat a few times a week. But unless I know someone, they don't get access to my full name. I have a real life facebook, and a separate one that I made for my writing friends. That's the one I have no problem giving out to others. My Skype is available to everyone basically, but I'm still careful about what I say on there. I have two online friends whom I'm closer to than any real life friends. One of them, he and I speak on voice chat for a few hours every day. I take my online relationships just as seriously as real life ones. I hope this doesn't make me super strange... Meh, who am I kidding? I don't care how strange I appear. :D Rebecca~ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca~ Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 How private I am depends on the website. I have a FaceBook account, but it is devoid of most information because I'm grossed out about how it's sold. :/ I am pretty open about my life on here, because I trust a lot of your guys, but I don't post any pictures on here, nor anything that could identify me because there isn't a friend's lock feature. Which is totally okay. :) I used to be incredibly open about everything on my LiveJournal, because I could completely control who saw everything I posted. I ended up meeting a girl I was friends with on there when I went to London, which was pretty cool, but I have since lost touch with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
complicatedwishes Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I'm private in regards to Facebook. Everything I physically can set to private, is. On forums, I try not to give like my full name. I give my age, but not the year I was born. I use my own picture as my avatar on most forums. And for example on WoW, my real ID is my full name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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