now understand why so many people use nicknames. It is SO wrong to come and spy ona private forum..

the other day in class someone reffered to the words "munchaussens by internet"... I was intrigued so looked it up --> apparently there are some very very sad and pathetic people out there who pretend to have illnesses, join a support group and then tell you that they have it. I can't believe someone could do that though - it ruins all the trust between people. I understand that this also means WC people etc as well - which is just as bad... it's almost a form of emotional rape - feeling that someone is spying on you whilst you try to gain support.

The aim of this forum, I believe, is that none of us have to be shy about discussing our emotions, fears, symptoms or good things! we shouldn't have to be so careful to protect everyones identities - but it now makes sense!!!

on that note - I'm becoming Frogga!!!

lol

leave spies - we don't want you!

Froggsy xxxxxxxxxxx

Dear Frogga,

Has anything else happened recently to pique your interest in this matter?

Mike

Yes, this is something that goes on for sure. Whatever they are, spies, munchies, troublemakers for the fun of it, or the sickness of it, they're all trolls. We had one here recently (still posting on BT1, I notice).

Trust is everything on a forum like this; we have some very experienced forum-goers on this one, one or two can spot a troll a mile away; some don't post very often, but you develop an instinct for it and I always trust their judgement. Inconsistency is the key to spotting them...and a continual assertion of facts which are basically wrong.

I'm afraid I am very severe when it comes to this; I would prefer to chuck off someone who's innocent than run the risk of leaving them loose in the group - it does considerable damage to all the other members' self-esteem.

BTW, this is also why new members are encouraged to post their story or at least say "hi, I'm new here"; the trolls often just barge into a post with no nod to the fact that no one here knows them from Adam. Also, look at the number of posts they've made, occasionally you get "hit and run" trolls. And look at the profile and previous posts of anyone you are worried about.

Some forums have a code word to alert people and warn them not to encourage the troll by responding to their post (only to be used if you're pretty certain, you understand). Perhaps we should too, it could be PMd to everyone here as of, say end of January, and renewed every 3 months - if we have any here now then they'll know it too, but you've got to start somewhere. Just a thought,

all the best

to hear that there seems to be spies again.......
i am one who rarely posts, as i can't keep up with all the new people.........but i do read, and try to say hi once in awhile..........

flippinout, it is terrible that someone whom you trusted, and probably confided in has shattered that trust.............some people just have too much time on their hands, and need to find other hobbies instead of coming to forums like this and causing trouble........

we usually were able to 'weed ' out the trolls, and hopefully it will be safe one day soon again........

this is for support, not head games.............we need our groups here, and it just really p***** me off that some feel they can just invade our space.............................there are so many things out there in cyber space, hopefully these trolls will find something else.............or just drop off the computer world...but i doubt it..........

i for one have made several friends from this group.......have met with several in person, and speak with them on the phone a lot...........without this group, i don't know what i would have done.................

I would like to add that if you suspect anyone please PM me or any mod and let us know of the user name - or report the post- it will alert us to keep an eye on them.

The forums that move fast are hard to keep up on all posts - so we can really use your help in keeping this a safe place.

And for general internet safety please be cautious of posting detailed personal information. meaning - real names, city, email addresses etc.

Same for PMs to be sure to feel like you know the person before giving out detailed information to them.

Oh my sorry flippnout it is me Lilly but I can see what you are saying my pastor and neigbors told me not to respond to people on the computer too, they said you never know who your talking to. I will just listen to you all and chime in every once in a while. I do love reading and learning from you all I cannot understand alot of the medical things but I try to read it, and I give my support to you all in our fight with this RSD.
You all are so bright and know so much I will keep on reading, thank you all. lilly

Lilly, that's not right, hon! This is what I was afraid was going to happen! That new people were going to be scared and stop posting!

I believe your pastor and friends were talking about instant messages and such. Trust me sweetie, there is no viable reason to suspect anyone here of being a "spy!" If there were, the evidence would have been turned over and the spy would have been banished already!

Nobody wants you to be afraid of posting, sweetie! You need support, and you need to be able to talk to people. Don't be afraid to! TALK, open up to us. Don't just sit back and read. You need to be able to talk, too! Just don't give out your full name, address, phone number, social security number, etc. No personal info like that, and you'll be fine. Nobody here is going to do anything to you hon.

This is what overactive imaginations do. They make people who NEED SUPPORT stop posting...and that's not what we're all about. We're about SUPPORT.

Lilly, based on your past posts, that's exactly what you need is SUPPORT. And that's why we are here. So please...pay no attention to that comment, and just practice the common online safety rules, and everything will be just fine hon. K? Now...what is going on with you sweetie?

just wanted have this part mentioned again-
going back and reading the posts by a member is a good way to tell if you suspect anything.
Generally a troll or spy will not stay long on any forum they will do the "post and run" and not really offer any real info, help or caring.

I hope we can get past any of these issues soon.

And also just to add - if you see a post that is unquestionably a spammer or a troll - could be an obvious advert or something like that -
just hit that small icon of an exclamation point in a red and white triangle in the left corner bottom of their post.
This immediately alerts the mods who can remove it almost instantly. So far we've been lucky....got a great bunch of people here, but it could happen.

all the best!

If someone suspects that another is misusing their account, please contact an administrator so that it can be looked into.

In the meantime, threads of this nature can do more harm than good in several areas.

You can contact an administrator, or moderator, in several ways...PM, email, or reporting a post as artist explained then adding your concerns as a comment.

I agree that there are always things to keep in mind with internet safety.

From here I'm going to close this thread.

Again, if you have concerns regarding a member, please contact a moderator or administrator.

We value you, our members, and want to be sure to protect you at all times as well as preserve the peace of your forum.


KD