View Full Version : How much do you trust the internet??
I stay wary, but recently discovered that I've given out a fair bit of info about myself to people *coughs debs coughs* :rotfl: but also think I'm 30 and don't give out my address or anything like that unless I've been speaking to people for a long time, and I'm very conscious of protecting my eldest when hes online (have security measures in place so he can't go in chatrooms etc) so was just wondering how everyone felt about the internet, MSN and forums as a whole.
I think they are great places for people to meet and chat and find MSN a bit like pen palling in a way, just instant etc, and I've made some really good friends (you know who you are guys :D).
I stay wary, but recently discovered that I've given out a fair bit of info about myself to people *coughs debs coughs* :rotfl: but also think I'm 30 and don't give out my address or anything like that unless I've been speaking to people for a long time, and I'm very conscious of protecting my eldest when hes online (have security measures in place so he can't go in chatrooms etc) so was just wondering how everyone felt about the internet, MSN and forums as a whole.
I think they are great places for people to meet and chat and find MSN a bit like pen palling in a way, just instant etc, and I've made some really good friends (you know who you are guys :D).
I agree it's not really til i read this thread that i started thinking about it - how much info have i actually told you guys about myself? no matter what age you are you still need to be careful.
Although there are a few people who on here like to keep things to themselfs i sometime think maybe i should have done that. This is the only site i have every let so much about me out and although most of us have been here from the start doesnt mean that its safe. Just think about what happened this time last year.......
I'm always cautious. Not many people on this site know the real NB and I intend to keep it that way! :D
Obviously, there are people that you tell more to than others, but I wouldn't do stupid things like publish my details on webpages like MySpace. Going by some of the idiots we have posting on this site, its wouldn't take a perv long to manipulate them.
The good and bad thing about the internet is the fact you can be anonymous. People will say/do things that are totally out of character for them IRL. Multiple personality disorder I think :)
This is the only site I have given information out about myself.. If I want additional information I usually pm the person and not post it... I don't trust many sites and I am always wary when someone send me a link to there site and I have to log in.. I just don't do it unless it is someone I trust. This is the only site I used my real name on as I came over from the Eastenders site and I kinda trusted that as they seem professional. For the likes of Beebo or bloggs I never ever sign up to them
It can be a great place and also a very bad one - with groomers etc online, but then with people who don't go out much, a bit like myself, its nice to be able to come online and chat to people and not suffer from the shyness that you would probably have if you were face to face.
People forget how easy it is to be someone you aren't, and I think I am definitely too trusting sometimes, and hope that I have judged someone correctly, but then sometimes you just never know....
Its great if you have little or no confidence and are unable to go out and meet people, but it can also prevent you from going out in a sense too.
Xx-Vicky-xX
21-07-2006, 13:57
Internet for me is a god send, without the internet i wouldnt have mates as i have no mates around her except one and as much as i love her and love seeing her its so difficult because she has a daughter, but yeh my 4 closest net mates are great id be lost without them, then there are my mates on here without the internet i wouldnt have them either but if you use places like chat rooms and stuff then you do have to be careful, they are fine if you are careful and talk to the people you meet on them for a long time before giving out numbers, addresses etc, i never give my phone number out to Layne for about 6 months maybe more so yeh they are fine but i think you just need to tell kids that want to use places like that the things that can happen, you dont necicerily wanna scare them but make sure they understand the risks and tell them to be careful and if they arent sure about something or someone then they should tell an adult.
diamond1
21-07-2006, 13:58
I cant understand why people put their hotmail address on their profile because anyone could add it you dont know whos who really.
The most anyone should know about me is my name and location if they know more ill be very worried:eek: EDIT reading it back that sounded bad about my location bit all ive ever said is the name of the town lol
faceparty is perhaps the worst.....people give out so much detail on that website its scary
myspace is also bad for people lying about identitys...people are pretending on that all the time
and it took me a good year to start talking to people normally on here,I was always just reading the posts before
I know what you mean.. but it was a least 6 months before I chatted on anyone on here on a personal level... and there is only a few people's msn I have..
Chat rooms are good for shy people who can't talk face to face but you do have to be careful.. Like you Em, I am far too trusting and think "how can anyone be bad or not who they are"...
I cant understand why people put their hotmail address on their profile because anyone could add it you dont know whos who really.
Although anyone can add it, you can always not allow them to add you, there fore they wouldn't see you online etc. I always make sure that I know who is adding me, and have a couple of MSN addresses so only people that I know properly and have chatted to for a long time have them.
I know what you mean.. but it was a least 6 months before I chatted on anyone on here on a personal level... and there is only a few people's msn I have..
Chat rooms are good for shy people who can't talk face to face but you do have to be careful.. Like you Em, I am far too trusting and think "how can anyone be bad or not who they are"... I think I was about the same as you Siobhan - about 6 months or maybe even longer before I chatted more personally with people. And I think it took me about 2 months before I posted anything on here (I was too scared! :rotfl: ) I think I am far more reserved now about certain information, depending on who I am talking to though.
Diamond, this site is good as personal information cannot be disclosed.. if it is then it is immediately removed and the person gets a warning... NB has set this up to be safe.. Outside this site he can't control what happens but this is probably the best site for personal conduct
diamond1
21-07-2006, 14:15
Diamond, this site is good as personal information cannot be disclosed.. if it is then it is immediately removed and the person gets a warning... NB has set this up to be safe.. Outside this site he can't control what happens but this is probably the best site for personal conduct
OH no dont get me wrong I wasnt running down the safety of this site at all please dont get me wrong
all I meant was ive seen a few hotmail addresses on here and if people accept random people thats their fault
sorry If it seemed I was running the site down...I wasnt at all
Although anyone can add it, you can always not allow them to add you, there fore they wouldn't see you online etc. I always make sure that I know who is adding me, and have a couple of MSN addresses so only people that I know properly and have chatted to for a long time have them.
yeah I do that aswell when people say to me they have 114 contacts but they only know 30 the rest are from chat rooms it annoys me all my contacts are good friends not strangers :)
i dont use a lot of sites, i sign up on forums but i very rarely stcik to them! i know this place, im still wary of some people, but all the peeps i hvae on my msn list i trust. Ive blocked a few who i found out werent so nice!
I have given out lots of info about me to a few od my msn chums! ( espically ems) but i trust her and all the others i regualarly chat to completely. This site and another one i regualrly use are the only sites i have msn contacts from!
yeah I do that aswell when people say to me they have 114 contacts but they only know 30 the rest are from chat rooms it annoys me all my contacts are good friends not strangers :) I'm the same - I'm very choosy about who is added to my list, except for the MSN quiz night group, but that group is made up of people that I generally chat to a lot anyway.
i dont use a lot of sites, i sign up on forums but i very rarely stcik to them! i know this place, im still wary of some people, but all the peeps i hvae on my msn list i trust. Ive blocked a few who i found out werent so nice!
I have given out lots of info about me to a few od my msn chums! ( espically ems) but i trust her and all the others i regualarly chat to completely. This site and another one i regualrly use are the only sites i have msn contacts from!This is really the only forum I'm on (apart from a couple, but dont really post on those ones), but I'm like you debs, I've blocked a couple of people that I have discovered aren't as great as originally thought. We've been chatting for ages now haven't we, so if we were fibbing, we would have to have brill memories to know what we had and hadn't said to each other.
I also regularly go through my contact list and block and delete people that I haven't spoken to for a long time to make sure its kept up to date etc.
OH no dont get me wrong I wasnt running down the safety of this site at all please dont get me wrong
all I meant was ive seen a few hotmail addresses on here and if people accept random people thats their fault
sorry If it seemed I was running the site down...I wasnt at all
No wasn't think that at all.. I was just saying it is one of the few sites that do stomp down on people give too much info away and keep all the bitchiness under check.. there are some sites I would never join because of they way posters talk to each other..
This is really the only forum I'm on (apart from a couple, but dont really post on those ones), but I'm like you debs, I've blocked a couple of people that I have discovered aren't as great as originally thought. We've been chatting for ages now haven't we, so if we were fibbing, we would have to have brill memories to know what we had and hadn't said to each other.
.
god yeah and ater chatting this long you should no my memory is pants anyway :rotfl:
diamond1
21-07-2006, 14:41
I'm the same - I'm very choosy about who is added to my list, except for the MSN quiz night group, but that group is made up of people that I generally chat to a lot anyway.
This is really the only forum I'm on (apart from a couple, but dont really post on those ones), but I'm like you debs, I've blocked a couple of people that I have discovered aren't as great as originally thought. We've been chatting for ages now haven't we, so if we were fibbing, we would have to have brill memories to know what we had and hadn't said to each other.
I also regularly go through my contact list and block and delete people that I haven't spoken to for a long time to make sure its kept up to date etc. Yeah thats the best way to do it ....some people are really immature about the internet just adding random people that theyve met online etc....and then telling them their life storys.theres a agirl whos about 14 who lives next door to me who did it I heard her bragging one night about a boy she met on the internet who she is meeting the next so I dropped it in the conversation to her mum luckily she caught her and stopped her.Bit out of order getting involved but who knows if the bloke was telling the truth who he was
No wasn't think that at all.. I was just saying it is one of the few sites that do stomp down on people give too much info away and keep all the bitchiness under check.. there are some sites I would never join because of they way posters talk to each other..yeah there is a nice atmosphere here which is nice...on the bbc eastenders site all that time ago alot of the time people would actually just go on to start on people which was quite sad
god yeah and ater chatting this long you should no my memory is pants anyway :rotfl: :rotfl: who are you again?! :rotfl:
In the same sense though, as much as people have said the internet is dangerous etc, in some respects its no different to the old days of snail mail pen pals really. I know its more instant, and its easier for less desirable people to look through and find people they may wish to groom and speak to for all the wrong reasons, but as long as people keep their wits about them and keep an eye on their children and talk to them about the risks (although I know in school my eldest has been told about the dangers and risks of the internet) then you should be ok. Being sensible is the key I think.
Yeah thats the best way to do it ....some people are really immature about the internet just adding random people that theyve met online etc....and then telling them their life storys.theres a agirl whos about 14 who lives next door to me who did it I heard her bragging one night about a boy she met on the internet who she is meeting the next so I dropped it in the conversation to her mum luckily she caught her and stopped her.Bit out of order getting involved but who knows if the bloke was telling the truth who he wasI think its good that you did get involved, as imagine if he wasn't who he said he was, and something had happened to her.
well ive only ever met a few people off the internet and only because io took the time to get to know them and we were meeting in a public place.
One was a friend i got talking to one night and turned out he lives two streets away from me and the other would be meeting Shari, Kath and NB from here.
diamond1
21-07-2006, 14:49
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I think its good that you did get involved, as imagine if he wasn't who he said he was, and something had happened to her. oh yeah agreed,maybe soaps should bring the issue up again
corrie did it...didnt they but I think since them more and more kids have grown up and now they are using it like sarah platt and getting in those sort of troubles maybe hollyoaks- a teenage based soap should cover it?:searchme:
then again theyve had enough rapists on there recentley
.:SpIcYsPy:.
21-07-2006, 15:09
I'm always vary about what information I give on the internet.
I also trust a few people on here.. I think I only trust.. yep 3 people on here!! I never give my name out and where I live.. obviously. I'm very cautious about who I tell about myself too and everything.
I've never been to a chatroom and I'm quite happy with that. A few years ago when MSN chatrooms closed I was dissapointed and even then I didn't even think about creating a fake account to see how it's like.
My parents don't have any safety things on my computer and don't plan to put any on because they know and they trust me that I am fully aware on what goes on in this world..
As for the MSN on my profile.. I have two accounts and the one on my profile isn't my main. This way I keep the people I don't know one one account and all my mates and family on my other. I rarely don't go on my SB like account because when you get into a proper conversation people will want to no more about you.. besides I can talk to you all safely on here lol. I think forums are quite reliable.
You just have to be safe in the way you tell people about yourself and you have to be aware of things.
Cornishbabe
21-07-2006, 15:40
I admit Im probably a bit to trusting over the internet. But Ive made some great mates over the interent. and if i didnt have msn i probably wouldnt keep in touch with my mates from school. I have 2000 contacts but i hardly ever talk to the majority of them.
I try not to give away as much as possible, and I would never meet anyone that I met on the internet, simply because it's not safe. I only have 2 at most people from here on MSN, and I trust one of them a lot. By that I mean I talk to her about stuff going on, but I wouldn't give her very personal info like mobile number etc. I already knew her on here for quite a bit, so it wasn't as if we were talking right from scratch.
My parents haven;t got any protection for me, as I'm the techy and deals with everything! Although I do have a MySpace, it's set to friends only, so only people I have added to friends can see all the stuff. I used to have a blog, and when I was writing stuff with personal information in, it'd be set to private, so again it'd only be friends who could see it.
I think this forum is very safe, and I don't really feel the need to talk to most of you off here, as there is the Shoutbox!
I don't really need to use the internet to make friends, so I don't, because there's no fun being in front of a computer all day talking to someone who you will probably never meet.
i think that as long as your really careful about how much stuff you gice out about you then thats fine. I tell people my location is Manchester as its a big City. As for Msn i only have about 30 contacts and i dont usually use it that often. Personally i dont think that anything dangerous can happen unless i let it and i not going to let it so i feel pretty safe.
Cornishbabe
21-07-2006, 15:59
Ive only ever given one person ive met off the internert personal deatils and wed beentalking for about a year and we exchanged mob numbers. then aftre about two years addresses so we could send cards to each other. I feel reallly safe about the fact i did that because wed been talking with webcams for so long i felt like i could really trust her. now five years down the line. we still talk and are hoping to meet very soon.
I find forums and things a much better than Chat rooms i would trust a chatroom as they are so easy to make a fake identity, where as on a forum it could still happen but it would be a lot harder as you would have to keep up an act for so long and theres only so long a person can be a fake before they crack.
I am quite cautious i think. I waited for a while until i gave out my phone number to vicky and em, but i had been talking to them for ages and i trusted them, but i was still cautious about doing it. I tend not to give out personal info out, I mean close friends (em vicky etc) have my address and stuff but apart from that no one does. Everyone or most people know my name and my age but that is about it.
Yeh same here people know my name age and that i live Manchester somewhere. Not a great deal but enough to let people know about you without getting too persoanl.
I admit Im probably a bit to trusting over the internet. yer i think me to but i do try to be careful but forget alot, but i mean nothing bad has happened with the internet so far.
yer i think me to but i do try to be careful but forget alot, but i mean nothing bad has happened with the internet so far.
Its weird its like you've been talking to someone for what feels like ever and you think you know them so you just talk and talk letting information slip. You just have to be careful.
CrazyLea
21-07-2006, 19:22
I'm fairly cautious on the net, but admit that I probably could be a bit more cautious. But I do have to really trust someone before I give really personal information out. And I do like to either see someone on webcam, or possibly hear them, before I give too much away, as before then I feel as they could be anyone really. And even after I've seen/heard them, I'm aware that they could still not be who they say they are, but I just use my initiative really. Now I'm rambling and have no Idea what I'm saying :rotfl: I think you get my point though.
Its weird its like you've been talking to someone for what feels like ever and you think you know them so you just talk and talk letting information slip. You just have to be careful. well when i have spoke to people i havent given away personal deatils and stuff so i am fairly careful
I totally trust the internet, in regards to my own personal safety. As its down to the inidvidual, anyone who publically displays thier personal information or gives it out to people they dont know are fools and deserve the consequences. I only add sbs members when I really have got to know them on the boards and have made some superb mates on the internet that have really changed my life (ems and abs being the main two).
Emma-Lou
21-07-2006, 19:52
I am quite cautious when i am talking to people on the internet i try and avoid chatrooms and stick to forms like this.I have never given out any more information than my first name,age and a general location, never my address.If i did ever give out information i would need to have spoken to some for at least a year and really trust them.I think i have made one good friend over the internet but you just have to be careful and on your guard.
I trust the internet, because i'm not stupid, and i dont go around telling everyone really personal things about me. I chat to sb's people on msn a lot, but only properly if i get to know them very well on here. I dont give away too much about myself on here, i dont think. 90% of you know i'm not actually called Abi, but thats a nickname i've used by my friends and family for years now, so its as good as really. You know my age, and that i live somewhere in London, but thats about it. Only 3 people on here know the area of London where i live, and thats because one of them (Hazey) lives really close to me, another person knows the area, and i trust the other one to bits anyway.
I've got some amazing friends on the net, who i'm a lot more open with on msn, and couldn't do without. I know they could be lying about the odd thing, but to be honest, most people do that face-to-face with they're mates every now and again anyway!! I trust them whether i should or not, and thats that really!
di marco
21-07-2006, 21:28
i dont completely trust the internet cos of how easy it is for people to lie, but i think im quite careful on the internet so i make sure that i feel safe. although ive got my msn on my profile and i talk to people from here on msn, i made that msn account specifically for sb people, i dont use the same msn as i use for people i know, that way i dont have to fear things overlapping and people i dont know finding out things about me. i havent told anyone from here my real name, ive told my age but i dont think thats really that unsafe and i talk to people about things that have happened in the day or whatever, but again i dont give out too much information, just general stuff
true.moon
21-07-2006, 21:52
I am kind of half and half i do have my cautions. I know i can't really trust anyone and that these boards are a risk but im glad i took that risk beaucse of all the great friends i have made. I try not to give out many personal details but on here is the only place where i have given them some. I would never go into a chatroom because i know how sucked up people can get to them and there can be a nyone out there on chatrooms as you have probably heard all the stories. On msn i know everyone on my comntact list and if there is some random person on there i will ask who they are and if i don't know them block and delete them. On the other hand i know that we are kind of protected so split decision really.
DaVeyWaVey
22-07-2006, 21:53
I trust the internet because i am very cautious. I don't give out any personal details and i find this forum 100% safe as well as msn. I wouldn't really join another chat room or forum though as i am very cautious and would be really unsure if it's safe or not.
I only add people who i know/my friends on msn...and i have 3 people from sb on my contact list at the most...and that's because i have got to know them really well. :)
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