Category: Zone BBS Suggestions and Feedback
I won't deny that the ability to post anonymously on some graffiti categories is one of the best things the Zone has to offer. It's really the perfect haven. You can seek help with your addictions, find out if you have anything odd or unusual in common with anybody, and, oh yeah. of course, you can post rumors about anyone you want without anyone but the staff knowing who you are. While I can completely understand the first two, the third is really quite disturbing, in my opinion. Why should you be able to hide behind your precious anonymous status and post whatever you want about whomever you want, true or not, when most of these people don't have the guts to start a rumor in the open? I know some of you are probably thinking: Why should you care who posts what about you? this is the internet. Ignore it, or walk away. You're right, and I'm certainly not suggesting that the gossip category be removed. I myself have read and posted to it on numerous occasions, and while I may have my opinions of starting rumors in general, I can at least have some respect for those who are brave enough to show their faces and have no shame in what they're saying. all I'm saying is, speaking about your addictions online may have harmful consequences for any potential future you may have, but speaking about someone else's personal mishaps, through no choice of their's by the way, basically gives you a free pass, while damaging their reputation, very personally, and very publicly. Think about it: If you make a public speech and decide to slam someone during your speech, your rep for saying what you did is just as much on the chopping block is their's, so, though it may not be pleasant, it's at least fair. Even if you tell a friend a rumor about someone, there's always the chance that said friend is going to let slip who told them the rumor. But the staff can almost never reveal who posted anonymously on graffiti, so you've basically sparked the fire, burned someone's rep to the ground, and sat there to watch it burn, all this from a safe place where the flames couldn't touch you. Can anyone dare tell me with a straight face that should be allowed?
By the way, I know this turned into more of a rant than a suggestion, so my appologies if this is better suited to "the Rant Board". I just figured it belonged here since it's directly related to a Zone BBS feature.
Personally, I don't understand what purpose the gossip board serves. This site already has more than enough drama and negativity as it is, why the hell does there need to be another place just for folks to spread hateful rumors and gossip? But, if it's going to exist, why should people be allowed to post anonymously, especially if it's meant to hurt someone? I almost guarantee if that feature was removed, there would be a considerable decline in the amount of nasty posts on that board. Just my opinion though.
I read the gossip board occasionally and usually don't find anything I consider real gossip. It seems like silliness to me most of the time. And since I don't bother to get to know people on here, I don't even know who the supposed gossip is about most of the time. But having said that, I do get your point about harming people's reputations. However, I'm not sure why anyone should care what people they'll never meet think about them.
Posting anonymously is only good if you are fooling around. If you are posting seriously its a waste, because you see the staff can see who post, so it isn't actual.
Want to keep a secret, don't post it.
First of all, this is the internet. No one should ever take the opinion of someone behind a keyboard as seriously as one might take the opinion of a real-life person. Their opinions of you are hardly relevant since they obviously have never met you face-to-face 70% of the time.
Now, with regards to anonymous posts, while I myself don't usually post anonymously (that I can recall) unless I was joking with Scott or one of the other CL's theoretically it is possible to spread gossip without using a computer about a person and remain anonymous. People use to leave all kind of lame stuff on bathroom walls, lockers, you name it back in school. This is theoretically also possible to do in public bathrooms and even gyms.
As I said, I personally am not overly fond of the feature. However, if people can get away with it in real life, I can't see why they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it on the zone, provided they don't do anything moronic like releasing a person's contact info. While that does also happen in real life, a community like the zone would strike it down, and rightfully so.
yes, but the difference between posting anonymously on gossip boards and writing on the bathroom walls is that should you be identified, especially in school type settings, you could face consequences. And nobody who manages these buildings is actually saying to anyone: sure, go write on the walls if you want to. it's your life. Just don't let anyone see you. Try it some time. go find the manager at McDonalds, and ask if you can go write something on the bathroom wall. O, but it's OK. it's not like I'm putting anyone in grave danger. there's just this bitch I hate, and I want to write on the wall that she's a whore. that's all. what do you think they'll say to you? O, and while you're at it, ask them to keep your confidence. I can just about guarantee you, at best, you'll get a "no". and hopefully they leave it at that. If you want to make sure you don't get caught writing these messages, you need to be careful; have a little common sense; think it through; ask yourself questions: Is anyone in the bathroom? is it busy? is someone going to figure out who wrote the message and report it? You can't just walk into the bathroom with a pen, write the message, walk out with it, and then act all innocent when suddenly, there's a message on the wall of the cubicle you were just in. I've known people in my school days to get suspended for weeks when they were discovered to have been writing messages on the walls. But the anonymous feature on the gossip category is kind of saying this sort of behavior is perfectly acceptable, really. Unlike the bathroom wall cinario, there are very few precautions you need to take. Anyone could call you out and personally attack you. so just check that little box, and it all goes away unless you've seriously threatened someone or handed out their personal information. Meanwhile, the person you speak of certainly doesn't get the chance to remain anonymous. It's not like you can post anonymously everywhere on graffiti. You can't post your opinion of the NFB or ACB on that category without everyone knowing who you are. You can't post your own deep thoughts, and/or poetry without showing your face. You can't give your take on screen readers in the designated category without putting your name on that post. While I completely understand all of that, I don't understand how you have to show your face for all of that, yet you can post your opinion of other people behind the curtain? Plenty of things in life are not fair, yet still happen. that doesn't mean that an easy to use feature should make that possible.
Well said, OceanDream. And, as I said earlier, I don't understand the purpose of having a gossip board anyway, obviously some people never mentally left middle school. But if it absolutely needs to exist for some reason, then why should people be allowed to post rumors and gossip about others anonymously. You can't do it on the majority of the other boards, so what makes that particular board so special?
Do what I do online: Assume anyone who doesn't know you in real life might consider you a giant turd and leave it at that.
Seriously though, if the gossip is anonymous, and you are not explicitly identified as the subject, never let on that it was anything remotely about you. How hard is that? And if someone anonymously posts, and deliberately points at you, who's the fool who believes them? Consider what tons of fools on Fakebook do. I'd say this site's probably pretty calm compared to some of that, though I haven't yet read the gossip column graffiti. Again, I can't be bothered with gossip columns or Lifetime TV in real life, so why would I think the Zone be any different? It's like all them who got all upset over Tiger Woods, like it was them he was cheating on. Serious yawnage goin' on over here during that one.
Ah, Leo, but people do mention specific people. it hasn't happened in recent weeks, but it certainly has happened on the category several times.
i think if you're gonna say something, then at least have the deecency to just post and not hide your name.
if people really don't like what someone says, then they don't have to read it
hiding your identity is stupid, unless of course as someone said above, you're messing around
those that hide their identity obviously can't take critisism or what ever else people might say about them.
You can write things on walls without getting caught. I knew people who did it in high school who never got caught or were turned in for doing so. Unless people are going to put cameras in their bathrooms, it's not absolutely imposible to get caught unless someone recognizes your handwriting, and even that could be faked if one was sufficiently determined. Furthermore, you run the risk of a pretty major lawsuit if it was indeed discovered you had cameras in your bathrooms.
Now, with regards to anonymous posts on gossip or the other grafiti boards that allow them, if you've talked to a person enough, there are things that could potentially give them away. Their typing, the way they say or write out things. It's not completely impossible to figure out an anonymous poster even if one was not a CL. If I spent more time on the zone and talked to most of the users, I would bet quite a lot I'd be able to figure out if not half, then a fair few of the anonymous posts on any grafiti board.
Post 6, I'm in no way condoning the use of the anonymous feature as you seem to think. I'm just pointing out that it is possible to remain anonymous with the spread of gossip in real life. Is it easier to get caught in real life? Perhaps, but it's also quite possible that you can live until you're 500 years old and never be caught saying that this person did this or slept with that other person.
I'm not saying you're supporting the feature, per say. I'm saying the fact that it's there, and so easy to use is basically willingly giving people another way not to be discovered. Of course there's a chance you won't get caught writing messages on the bathroom walls, but that doesn't mean the manager of the building is going to not only give you the go ahead, but keep your confidence as well.
I'm sorry, but people, we're on the fucking internet! Anyone anywhere can be anonymous. Just because you think you know who someone is, doesn't mean you do, and anyone can hide behind a user name. Are we seriously kicking and screaming about the ability to be anonymous?
Firstly, nobody is technically completely anonymous online. Granted, unless you're doing something illegal, nobody is going to bother attempting to get passed your hidden IP, and what other suttle clues you may have left behind. But they can if they want to. and that leads me to my second point:
Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. If you're smart enough and play your cards right, you have the potential to get away with a lot of things, legally and illegally. Do you honestly think every hacker has been caught? Even if people wanted them to? Hey, maybe you've been hacked before without even knowing it. After all, any smart hacker is going to try to make sure you don't find out what they're doing until it's too late to do anything about it, or until it no longer matters. Do you think every thief has ben caught? Every scam artist? Every child abuser? Every cheater? O, but anyone can technically get away with any one of these things if they have the brains, and, maybe the luck. So, why should we do anything to try to stop it. hell, since it happens so much, let's just add a feature to make that even easier.
If this is what you call, and I quote, "kicking and screaming" about gossipping anonymously, then you know what? Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.
I just don't see the purpose of crying about it. People will gossip whether we like it or not, and so what does it matter if they are able to do it anonymously here?
Also, if the anonymous feature is taken away from the gossip column, what's keeping the anonymous feature for the other graffiti discussions?
Concerning posting gossip, you're absolutely right that, if the anonymous feature was removed, many people would shy away from making such posts. but then so might the people defending those being gossiped about, and so might people who need help with problems on other boards, but are too embarrass to put a face to the words, so to speak.
surprisingly, I agree with Raven here. very good point in your last post.
Paranormal anonymous, addicts anonymous, sex addicts anonymous, ETC. are about posting about issues regarding yourself. these generally are not light hearted topics, though people will troll them anyway, on occasion. Gossip is the exception. Just look at the description: "rumors? we love them". that doesn't have anything to do with self weakness, unless you're posting or defending a rumor about yourself. the only self weakness on that category is those that feel too scared to tie their name to a rumor they've made.
I doubt anyone seeking serious help or advice would do so on a site like this, but anyway, why is the gossip board allowed to have an anonymous feature and most of the others are not? If it's allowed for that board then it should be allowed for all of the other boards as well. Thus, what I'm saying is either remove the anonymous feature from the gossip board, or enable the feature for all of the other boards. Just my opinion though.
First world problems
I had to laugh at that one, though it's true.
I do, however, agree with Kind and Creative Lady. the anonymous feature isn't consistent, in my opinion. You can post your deep thoughts about someone else anonymously, but you can't post your own deep thoughts without your name being tied to it? Well, at least, not without going to "anonymous sound off". I suppose that's kind of the all anonymous category, if you will. I can live with that. it's the idea of, here. come post all your juicy gossip here. O, and the best part? You can do it without anyone knowing who did it.