Community Chat

[Moonchilde]

Thanks, @silentgirl. I don't start many threads, but the ones I do start, it's because I'm interested enough to contribute & read.

[dooBdoo]

          I do know QVC tries to block IP addresses, to some extent, but it's not as effective as it once was.   As mentioned, not everyone has a static IP address.    Particularly if we use a cellular connection, the IP address is going to change from time to time and the geographic location of the IP could be anywhere -- your signal is coming from cell towers.    So, unfortunately, blocking these addresses is a hit-or-miss proposition for any site.

[Moonchilde]

@dooBdoo, I've always assumed that those who are offended that others are offended was more than a bit o' snark and eye rolling ;-)

[dooBdoo]

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Moonchilde wrote:

Thanks, @silentgirl. I don't start many threads, but the ones I do start, it's because I'm interested enough to contribute & read.

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          I agree with @silentgirl.    I appreciate your interaction when you start a thread.    I understand not everyone can do so, and sometimes we have our own reasons for abandoning a thread that goes its own way (I think that's happened to most of us😉), but kudos to you and other posters who follow up and acknowledge those who contribute to your threads!

[Moonchilde]

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@dooBdoo wrote:

          I do know QVC tries to block IP addresses, to some extent, but it's not as effective as it once was.   As mentioned, not everyone has a static IP address.    Particularly if we use a cellular connection, the IP address is going to change from time to time and the geographic location of the IP could be anywhere -- your signal is coming from cell towers.    So, unfortunately, blocking these addresses is a hit-or-miss proposition for any site.

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It's not simple one-and-done any more. The internet is crawling with VPNs and proxy servers, free and paid alike. They can be used for good purpose (keeping a low internet profile), gray purpose (watching BBC and other UK TV), or bad purpose (trolling).

But they're all over the place. If someone uses one and requests an IP address in Lithuania, they could spam the board for hours. The moderators would soon deduce what was going on and block some sequential IPs, but the person could come back the next day from Bahrain or Vietnam and it would go on all over again. (Just examples.)

[Moonchilde]

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@dooBdoo wrote:

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@Moonchilde wrote:

Thanks, @silentgirl. I don't start many threads, but the ones I do start, it's because I'm interested enough to contribute & read.

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          I agree with @silentgirl.    I appreciate your interaction when you start a thread.    I understand not everyone can do so, and sometimes we have our own reasons for abandoning a thread that goes its own way (I think that's happened to most of us😉), but kudos to you and other posters who follow up and acknowledge those who contribute to your threads!

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Thank you, @dooBdoo :-) I appreciate that!

And yah, there are always those threads where you can tell who is loaded for bear on any given day, and you just leave them to it. No point in responding ;-)

[silentgirl]

@dooBdoo 

I do agree with you and Moonchilde; overused words, especially those meant to trigger something in someone lose their value. At least, for most. But, after so much time, it would seem that the usage is so blatantly obvious, the reader might just scroll on by without engaging-

[silentgirl]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

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@dooBdoo wrote:

          I do know QVC tries to block IP addresses, to some extent, but it's not as effective as it once was.   As mentioned, not everyone has a static IP address.    Particularly if we use a cellular connection, the IP address is going to change from time to time and the geographic location of the IP could be anywhere -- your signal is coming from cell towers.    So, unfortunately, blocking these addresses is a hit-or-miss proposition for any site.

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It's not simple one-and-done any more. The internet is crawling with VPNs and proxy servers, free and paid alike. They can be used for good purpose (keeping a low internet profile), gray purpose (watching BBC and other UK TV), or bad purpose (trolling).

But they're all over the place. If someone uses one and requests an IP address in Lithuania, they could spam the board for hours. The moderators would soon deduce what was going on and block some sequential IPs, but the person could come back the next day from Bahrain or Vietnam and it would go on all over again. (Just examples.)

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You just reminded me of the nightmare that used to be my life!  We would ban entire country's-

They'd hack into our panel and leave us a message from another country-LOL-They'd change our code so when we blogged, everything we wrote deleted itself-They'd change titles on articles. The worst was the night they made the site completely disappear off the web-China was relentless-

We'd check our logs and see they had literally spent hours attempting to break code-to get back in-

Yes, you are right, but if it's what you are doing on a daily basis (and we were)  have a good tech team, one becomes pretty familiar with all of that stuff - the proxy's, etc., and it is important to note that all of them at some point in time fail, Ip's aren't in a constant state of flux as some believe, mobile phones can be completely followed through entire states-For us it was our job and the tech people who worked with us had a responsibility to attempt to keep some semblance of safety for posters and preserved the work on the site-

How much of that is done on a site like this, I'm not certain-I think the administrators and tech team probably deal with a good bit of it.  The moderators appear to have other responsibilities as well, so they aren't solely focused on a panel, its traffic and information or technology.

Glad those days are gone.

[IMissSuperPoke]

I did one of those background checks that they give you a little info on whoever and you can later pay to get their records. I put in myself and it wasn't correct. I was married young and it only lasted a year but all my relatives were listed as my X and his third wife!! (He was a jerk so no surprise he's on 3 or 4 by now) 

[PinkSunset]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

This is not to single out anyone who may have started any of these threads, or similar threads. It's just to point out what many do unwittingly that reveals personally identifiable things about themselves that could, in the wrong hands for the wrong reasons be setting themselves up for identity theft, social media hacking and other schemes to part you from your privacy, your money or your identity.

We all see first hand, and hear about, phishing and other email scams with people trying to get our info. We say I'll never do this or that online, I'll never give out MY info.

Within the first few pages of a couple of forums are threads titled:

- What color are your eyes
- Do you have a birthmark
- What age group do you fall into
- Do you pay bills online or write a check
- Does anyone file with H&R Block online
- What do you like to collect
- How many RR Xings on your commute
- Right-handed or left-handed
- What time do you eat dinner

Individually, not much. Silly to worry about some of these, right? But if a data miner wanted to (some people earn a living or a 'bounty' doing it) - People post where they live, when they go on vacation, many other bits of info, and the threads above plus many others. These were just 3-4 days worth. "You" could be deciphered between what's public record searchable knowledge and what's posted here.

I'm not paranoid. I do much more online than many people posting here say they would ever do. I'm not saying all the people who start such threads have nefarious purposes. I'm just saying - without even thinking about it, look what WE put "out there" that we can't blame on "bad internet", "bad FB", "Bad Twitter", etc. WE did it. We shold own that up, and maybe think twice about what we say online. Many won't care - I don't care that much - but I'm beginning to see that many maybe should notice and start to care.

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I dont' know why a data miner would look for information on a shopping forum and what the could gain from it. With FB, Instagram and Twitter much more personal including one's identify, what could they want from anonymous posters here?

If people don't want to answer any personal questions, fine. But really why bother chatting? already many topics are off limits. but if someone says what color is your hair? Do you really think that there are people who spend the time to gather data from each and every poster on all the questions they've answered and putting them altogether, find out that person's identify and use it against them? How? The hosts here actually do post personal information and we know who they are. so one said she was stalked, yet she's still on Fb posting everything about her life.

There is a well known poster here who reveals every detail of her medical issues, financial issues, landlord issues, family issues, and even posts a real life picture. Okay I get it. That's too much. But even knowing all that, and if I lived in the same town, would what I do with it?

I think identify theft is much more pervasive through credit card hacks or bank breaches, things like that. I guess I just don't see the point of using a chat forum that I restrict all my answers to. 

I have seen almost every poster here talk about what college degree they possess, what city they live in, who their famous neighbor was, how many children they have, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Knowing all that, what am I going to do with it?

yes, there are evil people out there looking to harm us but I don't live my life in fear that it will happen to me. I take precautions in many instances but answering some questions on forums is not one I worry about. If there is a profiler out there gathering my information as to what size clothing I wear and the color of my hair, how are you going to use that? 

Not putting anyone down for their own thoughts and feelings on this, just saying, I don't worry about things like that.  

BTW, I am sure every poster here buys things from online retailers and for that you give them credit card information. My bills are all paid online so each of those businesses has my banking information. It would be much more likely that some wicked clerk working in one of those businesses would steal my financial information than anonymous posters on this forum. Yet, buying and paying online are becoming the norm. I can't even remember the last time I wrote a check and mailed it. If something happens, I'll be mad as heck, but I'm not going to change my buying habits. There's always some person, some way, with some means of steaing from us.