Internet anonymity.

[Pete]

There is a lot of people on this site using what appears to be their actual names and even photographs of themselves.
I am obviously one of those that don't, I decided as usual on forums to remain anonymous, this time going by the name Alias in homage to Bob Dylan's character in 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'. My photo is a movie still that is equally unrelated.

The reason I did this is twofold. First I have had an internet stalker previously, a nasty troll that followed me from a small forum he managed to close down with his disruptions to another larger one that he managed to make so messy for me (lied to my friends in that community) that I in the end I left. I don't know how he managed to find me, maybe it was a fluke but he did and it was not something I want to repeat too soon. I had an alias in the second forum but I posted pictures of myself.

The second reason, and more specifically to this site, is that we are dealing with RKBA here. I don't want a neighbor or even a stranger to see my picture/name/location and react negatively to me. Or get a visit from the break and enter boys.

Not trying to stir the paranoia pot, I'm sure you all have thought of all this. But if you haven't then give it a few moments and play out the scenarios. If you look around you'll notice that the more senior members here (from Bumper on down) are almost entirely incognito.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[P95Carry]

Opinions vary and in fact true anonimity is pretty hard to maintain. There are many ways folks can be tracked down altho I can see your point re not inviting internet stalkers.

The problems seem more advanced with younger folks possibly and as I get older I am less concerned about trying to keep things buttoned up real tight. If my last name was less unusual I'd possibly not to be too bothered by having a real name showing but then I have been stuck with my monika now for too long to change anyways! Heck, gave up P95 as carry platform a few years ago!

I don't worry so much now about pics but certainly reasonable control on personal info is a good idea so as not to make it easy for tracking. The web is a huge place and to a degree we are part of a big crowd so in part that can help let us merge in fairly discretely.

[Ben Hennessy]

I use my real name and location because I feel I have nothing to hide. I say nothing on here that I fear might be against the law. I use this forum to learn an hopefully to teach others that want to hear from me. We all have reasons and standards for why we do things and like I stated I have nothing to hide and I am a proud person.

If you are in fear of stalkers, neighbors, who might see your picture,name or location. If you are in fear of people reacting negatively to you, these are all thing you stated in your thread, then you have already let others to control and cage your life. I refuse to let this to happen to me. I show my name proudly and if you want to know where I live, well its there too.

[SIXTO]

It would be easy for a fairly intelligent person to figure out who I am, but I really dont care if they do. BTW, thats my real photo in my avatar.

[Pete]

Yep, it is hard to be fully anonymous but I no longer post pictures with my face on, my location is at best merely implied and I don't use my name.
All together a far better state of affairs than when I had that stalker approach me with my name, location, picture and even age. All information I hadn't posted where he had knew me previously.

Anyway, I think my main concern in relation to this site is remaining incognito for the cover it provides in real life. The last thing I want is someone to see me in Target and slap me on the back and say, "Hey you're that jerk off the CombatCarry forum aren't you, I recognize you from your picture... No I'm not a member there, I just read the posts and keep notes. HEY EVERYBODY, THIS GUY HAS A GUN!!!"

Or maybe that was just a bad dream I had.

Ben, nobody is caging my life. You may have read me wrong, that is all too common when communicating via text rather than speech. Which is central to my theme here, people get angry about the wrong things on the internet, I have no control over that other than to remain off the radar.
Good luck with your method, mine works for me.

[MJZZZ]

It would be easy for a fairly intelligent person to figure out who I am, but I really dont care if they do. BTW, thats my real photo in my avatar.

Has anyone ever told you that you look funny and have big ears?

[lowflyer]

I use my real photo.

[SixBravo]

I've had a similar experience, Alias. It really sucks. I've changed net-names five or six times in the 15-16 years I've been surfin the net. I will even use three or four different names at a time. I, like Ben, feel I have nothing to hide from anyone - but I do not feel I should post pictures of myself on public forums such as this.

For this reason, I did not post my class graduation photo from Gunsite.

[mech1369dlw]

This is what I really look like, really.

[purple88yj]

I don't have anything to hide per se, but I have just become accustomed to this screen name since I started using it five or six years ago. The "name" is derived from one of my vehicles: a purple, 1988, Jeep YJ. There is only one site that I use my real name. The irony of it is that the site that I use my real name is a Jeep board.

As far as pictures go, I try to keep my mug off of the internet more because I just don't want it there, than because I feel someone can use it against me in some way.

There are few pictures of me anyhow, simply because I hate cameras. My wife makes me get pictures done every year, and that is more than enough.

[havegunjoe]

As an instructor it's pretty hard to not have people know I own and carry guns. Kind of goes with the territory of being an instructor. If someone reacts negatively to knowing I own and carry I take it as an opportunity to convert an anti. It is still good to not put too much information out there on the net if you can avoid it.

By the way, the good looking gal whoes picture I use is my best friend, (other than my wife), burglar alarm, and hunting companion Kona. Her new little brother Tucker is starting to learn all her tricks.

[artz]

Yes siree...I had my pic posted for the longest....and most folks were scared to death on how to approach me ! LOL....

[Ben Hennessy]

artz you always have something good to say. lol

[dr_cmg]

Yes siree...I had my pic posted for the longest....and most folks were scared to death on how to approach me ! LOL....

You ought to bring it back, Arthur. I liked it, especially after I met you and found out you really look like that.

[QKShooter]

Well, you're not going to get a visit from any of the Break & Enter Boys because some of them are members here also & they ain't out to get ya.

This is the most responsible & well behaved forum on the Internet except for maybe Sesame Street.

Don't worry so much.

If you don't want to use your own name or post a photo of yourself then don't. Problem solved.

Really even if a person uses an actual name as their forum name you don't really know if that is their true legal name.

I just don't want any of my old girlfriends Google searching my legal name since I only have one girlfriend now & that's my Wife.