In article <4h9dm1htj84hj7u32k5ke6ojaeke1l81jl@4ax.com>, go||um
<sdf@ertgm.sdtoh> wrote:
> I thought you might find this interesting:
>
> -g
""warned' by him"... Who is him? Yardbird? Does he promote the posting
of encrypted movies?
What "secret corner"?
Which "bad security' horror stories", and can we include then in our
security posts?
The AOL user is speaking through his own selfishness. He wants people
to violate their security for HIM.
Is this going on in the girl groups?
I spent the day trying to get Virtual PC (a program that lets Windows
and Linux run in it) to update and run on the Mac. The old versions
won't work correctly in the current OS, and the newer versions of VPC
have been "messed with" by their new owner, Micro$haft, so that it's
not compatible with any other operating system to run, but Win2000 and
XP. I still haven't gotten it to run right, but I gave up on it for
today.
I need some Windows available to test some security software, including
anonymous remailing programs. A Fort person has been sending me lots of
information, and I want to learn it and try to USE it.
KH would be horrified! I can't use Win98 on the Mac any more. I was
planning on doing that. It's been more than a year since I last did it.
Too bad I can't now.
Take care,
Y Not
> On 29 Oct 2005, Hyt@aol.com (Hyt) wrote:
> >Youre right. Most posters who have been "warned" by him rarely make third
> >appearances...theyre too busy sharing via PGP after he gets through with
> >them.
> >He lures them into his secret corner, scares them with "bad security" horror
> >stories, and theyre never seen again. Happened in several groups over the
> >years. Security is one thing. Paranoia and selfishness is another.
>
> I had some advice to give Cypher so that he could *continue* posting.
> You may not be aware of what can be done to post safely, but
> Cypher can't afford such ignorance.
>
> It's been a week since Cypher posted, so it may be too late for my
> advice anyway.
>
> You have no idea why posters quit posting, so let me clue you in.
>
> I suppose this should actually start with why posters start posting.
> Let me list a few reasons:
>
> 1. They have something to share and they are generous people
> 2. They would like recognition or acceptance
> 3. They want to start a trend - they post and *hope* others post
> 4. They are testing their security - Are they truly anonymous and
> untraceable? (rather daring way to do it)
> 5. They have no clue about what the dangers are, and are just doing
> what they think they see others doing
> 6. They are posting and request (or demand) tit-for-tat. "I'll post
> if others will post equal amounts of the same material or a particular
> set of files" (similar to #3, but more explicit)
> 7. They may feel guilty about seeing others post when they haven't
> been posting
> 8. They may be responding in kind. Someone has posted something they
> like, and they reciprocate.
> 9. They may object to a web site's policies and make the web site's
> pictures available to the world, or they may wish to protest a
> government's laws or policies regarding the material posted.
>
> Quitting posting has even more possible reasons, some of which overlap
> or may coexist. The cessation of posting may be temporary or
> permanent. Some posters just need a break, or get disgusted, and then
> may resume. Others may feel these reasons so deeply that they will
> never post again.
>
> 1. They realize that they are both traceable and insecure
> 2. They run out of material and have no new sources
> 3. They are disappointed that they didn't receive the praise they
> were expecting
> 4. Others did not respond in kind. They suddenly feel alone and
> exposed.
> 5. They were posting up a storm, but found other interests and lost
> the "need" to post
> 6. They get arrested, investigated, or have a close call.
> 7. They become paranoid after some perceived exposure (accidentally
> posting their name, or they find a trojan on their computer, or their
> firewall reports hits from Washington, D.C.)
> 8. The trolls wear them out (being critical of the method of posting,
> material posted, or people with server problems that blame their lousy
> completion on the poster - among other common complaints)
> 9. They find friends that they know will be receptive, uncritical,
> and share their interests and decide to confine themselves to
> "friendly" exchange
> 10. They find a new source that requires time and bandwidth - like
> p2p, BBSs, or image boards
> 11. They lose their internet access and/or computer (by crash, for
> example)
> 12. They have financial or personal problems that cause them to
> abandon their "hobbies."
> 13. They have a crisis of conscience, religous conversion, or see
> something so horrible that affects them so deeply that they cannot
> continue to upload, or perhaps even download, the material.
> 14. Medical conditions arise that prevent them from continuing
> (cancer, drug addiction, stroke, death, etc.)
> 15. After posting for some time, they have an epiphany and think
> their time may be up. "Quit while you're ahead."
> 16. They change jobs or location, and are under more scrutiny.
> Perhaps a poster becomes President of the United States and can't
> afford to risk getting caught.
> 17. They achieved whatever they set out to do (became recognized, got
> the file they had been requesting, satisfied the need to share, etc.)
> and may simply return to lurking.
> 18. They become self-absorbed and selfish, and then exclaim "I've got
> tons of stuff, and it's all mine! You can't have it!" (Yes, this has
> happened - remember PrivateMM?)
> 19. They decide to enter the marketplace and sell what they have over
> the internet (like boyfan - different genre, perhaps but a possible
> motive in any field of collection)
> 20. They get hacked, or download a virus, and all is lost
> 21. Natural disaster, fire, or arrest (for crimes that have nothing
> to do with the material or at least with the internet)
> 22. They receive pressure from a significant other to spend less time
> (or no time) with their computer (even if the significant other is
> unaware of the nature of the hobby)
> 23. They lose interest in the topic (hard to imagine, but possible.
> They may need to have their testosterone levels checked.)
> 24. Someone they know and admire disappears, and they fear that they
> may be the next target
> 25. They are threatened, and take the threats seriously
> 26. They move to an area that doesn't have internet access, or
> doesn't have broadband internet access.
>
> One more thing. When a poster is "forced" to post a certain way, or
> certain material, and begins to feel that posting is only work that
> he/she is obligated to do rather than an enjoyable pasttime, then it
> is simply less appealing. Oh, they may "comply" with the demands of
> the mob for a while, but it soon dissolves into frustration and
> ultimately apathy. Winning the battle does not win the war, and
> fighting is irreconcilable with posting.
>
> Posting is, regardless of the rewards, hard work. It requires
> preparation and there is always some uncertainty: Did I put the right
> nick, right group, right file, right subject header? Moving the file,
> splitting it, putting the
> files into the posting program, selecting the options and then
> deciding to send is anxiety provoking, made worse by the fact that
> there are also security concerns: Did I remember to load the program
> right (and will it post via proxies), are my proxies working, is it a
> honey pot, have I compromised my anonymity with this or other posts,
> have I really covered my tracks well? On top of all that, there is
> some anxiety about how it will be received: Will they like it, will I
> be reported and lose my account?
>
> I've known a lot of posters, and many have confided in me or I have
> heard through others why they stopped posting. I didn't pull these
> "reasons" out of thin air. I have simply written down what I already
> knew from the chit-chat. There may be hundreds of reasons, and I only
> remember (or know of) a few, but if there is anything certain it is
> that there is no single individual responsible for all of the posters
> that have stopped posting over they years. I don't have a hoard of
> posters that I now have absolute control over, and if
> I've given any advice, it has always been how to post safely and avoid
> reasons #1, 6, 7, and 20.
>
> Here's a quote:
>
> "I USED TO POST.... I had things to share... I gave freely... I
> let
> people have what I had... I stopped posting in '97 or '98... I
> quit
> because people discouraged me.... I am now embarassed to admit
> that...
>
> Just like I am embarassed to read all of the hurtful, hateful
> messages
> directed to the people that are GIVING YOU SHIT FOR FREE!!!!
>
> Former poster, now a lurker."
>
> Pretend that you were once a major poster. Now think about why you
> aren't posting now. I'm not stopping you, am I?
>
> Neither is anyone else.
>
> It seems to me that there is a cycle of posting, both for individuals
> and groups. It is a life unto itself, and it comes to an end
> eventually. Carpe
> diem.
>
> Posting on-topic material is dangerous, difficult, strictly voluntary,
> and when it goes unappreciated (or seems that way), the poster has the
> right to reconsider.
>
> Uncertainty alone can cause many to hesitate about posting even when
> they are as anonymous as is currently possible. These people may wish
> to insulate themselves in several layers of protection. Others will
> simply continue to lurk.
>
> How many potential posters haven't posted after they have seen the way
> posters are treated?
>
> We will never know.
>
> Yardbird.
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