The Wonders and Weirdos of the WWW
To my readers: Understand that being so transparent on the Internet has its consequences evidenced by this article by Maureen McCabe of Columbus, OH. Interesting reading!
Personal
A couple of days ago I got a contact message via ActiveRain from a hotmail address about someone I "Associate with" on ActiveRain. I have the individual named in the email on my ActiveRain Associate list. I believe she put me on her ActiveRain Associate's list. I believe the hotmail address (using someone else's name) found me on her Associate list. I am NOT linking to her Associate list for obvious reasons but I am on a number of ActiveRainers Associates lists.
The email I got from the hotmail address via ActiveRain:
"I wouldn't let people know that you are friends with ___ ________ She has a very bad rep in ______, __.
She is living with a married man, she is a lier and a nast y person. This link you have to her on Active Rain, I would make her take it off.
Just thought you should know."Associates don't worry if you did not get an email from me... I forwarded the email to the Associate who it is about.
Social Networking
In this day of Linkedin, Naymz.com, and blogs in general etc. if someone from your personal life a rival, a former relationship, a disgruntled former client, or just some weirdo who crossed your path is approaching "Associates" or leaving comments on the WWW that you are NOT
"Clean in thought, word and deed" (I think that's the Girl Scout Motto? It's been a few years.)
Or otherwise deficient in their eyes, imperfect, got the guy (or gal), made a mistake... is this sort of thing we just have to expect in this day and age. Put up with character assasination. I am not sure if it is libel. I know it is not from the person whose name it was sent in. Is this the scarlet A in the day of WWW? Plain old garden variety personal stalking?
Was that mom who approached a teenager via MySpace.com with a false identity just having a little fun. Mischief?
Professional
The company I work with made the local newspaper a few years ago because of anonymous emails to the agents at our company and a website. This is business not personal. The real estate story of using anonymous emails made Inman News too.
I emailed an absent ActiveRain member when an anonymous commenter left some disparaging words about the member's husband who was the commenters former landlord... I delete crazy local comments trying to disparage Columbusites all the time. Not people I know. Not people that are in the public eye. I had a weirdo commenting on both ColumbusBestBlog and my RealTown blog about someone with a local school district, over and over and over.
Bob Stewart wrote about two members of ActiveRain, one leaving anonymous comments about the other, Don't let your fingers get your butt in hot water The anonymous comments / emails were found to be criminal libel in the state of Wisconsin. The libel occured on ActiveRain and via email the newspaper article says:
"He was accused of posting the comments about ____ ____ on a real estate networking Web site using the names of other real estate agents and sending letters to ______ clients telling them they were funding Russian terrorism."
Personal or Professional
The _____@hotmail.com emailer may have started out personal but it's not personal when someone is disparaging an individual, stalking them via the internet to people within their industry thousands of miles away via email with the message:
"She has a very bad rep in ______, __."
and
"This link you have to her on Active Rain, I would make her take it off."
Most people are going to NOT take the anonymous emails and comments seriously, especially with misspelling. I always wonder if bad spelling is camouflage?
Speaking of camouflage thanks to all the women on ActiveRain I "Associated with" this morning... I should have " Associated with" you long ago...
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