We Secret Ukers

I'm well past the age of being searched for by potential employers, but I too am a private person in real life and online, as well as rejecting or resisting some modernities (have had no TV since 2002, and never got a smartphone). But I've had computers since the mid '80s and remember when the Internet was a new thing for us ordinary folks, back when ISPs offered you a "free web page", and since it was still a friendly place mostly, I let it all hang out. Big mistake. It left me open to personal harassment by someone who picked a beef with me and found out my phone number, and other nice little annoyances involving people in high places that I won't go into here. Lesson learned. Now I want my digital footprint to be as small as I can make it.

bratsche
 
IMHO it's a matter of personal choice as to whether to use your real name or an alias, my own preference is the later as I feel it gives me more liberty to ask questions and make comment. Unfortunately there are always some folk who just seem unable to behave themselves on line. This forum is particularly friendly but hey, why take a chance that some member or casual user might take a dislike to you and later cause problems? Why leave any digital footprint that can be traced back to you and interpreted in a way that you didn't want?

Yeah, I suppose you're correct. I'm not very internet savvy. I 'spose a lot goes on that I don't know about. Seems a shame that we can't just be ourselves anymore.

I guess, again, I'm outta step. Perhaps, mountain goat, was correct too. Ahhh, well . . . :eek:ld:
 
I don't post my whole name because it isn't just our uke community that can read this. Anyone on the net can read what we write. I don't write anything that others shouldn't read, but I don't want people who are just surfing the net to know more about me.

I am pretty private and very cautious.
 
Since you've put me on your ignore list Dick,
I'm doubly anonymous to you.
Personally, I think you could be a psycho killer.
My name is Jonathon. I could also be a psycho killer.
That's why I won't tell you my last name.

Bah! You don't scare me. :- D
 
Dick,
you might find this hard to believe,
but there is a world that exists outside your asshole.

Take a couple of days off. When you come back, be a little less trollish.

Thanks.
 
Well, thanks to all who posted on this thread including, mountain goat. My UU saavy has been improved.

I guess, sadly, my Uke Talk will remain safer now but even less friendly. My life path continues downhill . . . :eek:ld:
 
I'm well past the age of being searched for by potential employers, but I too am a private person in real life and online, as well as rejecting or resisting some modernities (have had no TV since 2002, and never got a smartphone). But I've had computers since the mid '80s and remember when the Internet was a new thing for us ordinary folks, back when ISPs offered you a "free web page", and since it was still a friendly place mostly, I let it all hang out. Big mistake. It left me open to personal harassment by someone who picked a beef with me and found out my phone number, and other nice little annoyances involving people in high places that I won't go into here. Lesson learned. Now I want my digital footprint to be as small as I can make it.

bratsche

With you all the way on so much of this - I began working on computers in the early 1980s but reject much technology. I've never owned a television and only begrudgingly adopted a smartphone when I got sick of getting texted on my dumbphone and having to use T9 to reply! Choosing my battles and all :)

The thing about being searched by potential employers though - I'd like to think I am well past that age as well (north of 50), but as I learned during a recent and thoroughly-enjoyed unemployed period, if you have zero online presence it's potentially even more detrimental than having a social media trail of youthful escapades. I suppose it depends on one's industry, but in tech, the folks doing the hiring now are primarily millennials, and they are pretty suspicious of anyone with no online presence at all. Hence my professional website.
 
Previous text has been deleted due to multiple disappointments in this conversation.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I suppose you're correct. I'm not very internet savvy. I 'spose a lot goes on that I don't know about. Seems a shame that we can't just be ourselves anymore.

I guess, again, I'm outta step. Perhaps, mountain goat, was correct too. Ahhh, well . . . :eek:ld:

Perhaps I'm correct, but if I'm not then I will still have erred on the side of caution and maybe safety too. I don't believe that you're out of step, we'll certainly not for this place, but some comments have given you pause for thought and maybe that will be a help to you.

In my experience forums, like public houses, attract both similar minded folk plus a few others who are either passing through or just 'troubled' folk - to my mind that situation has been the same for centuries and folk have had to be careful. I don't visit public houses much but when I do I'm always cautious regardless of how nice a place it is.
 
Last edited:
Perhaps I'm correct, but if I'm not then I will still have erred on the side of caution and maybe safety too. I don't believe that you're out of step, we'll certainly not for this place, but some comments have given you pause for thought and maybe that will be a help to you.

In my experience forums, like public houses, attract both similar minded folk plus a few others who are either passing through or just 'troubled' folk - to my mind that situation has been the same for centuries and folk have had to be careful. I don't visit public houses much but when I do I'm always cautious regardless of how nice a place it is.
I am always mindful of identity theft, but when it comes to privacy, I grew up in rural Iowa when party lines were our means of communication with the outside world. Privacy just isn't much of an issue with me. I'm not a private person.
 
Sorry folks, but after I post this note, I'm unsubbed and leaving this thread, and have already removed my previous post.

Mahalo.
 
Well, thanks to all who posted on this thread including, mountain goat. My UU saavy has been improved.

I guess, sadly, my Uke Talk will remain safer now but even less friendly. My life path continues downhill . . . :eek:ld:
Don't let 'em get you down. It should be fun here. It's ukulele. It is always sad when things go south, but not everybody is like that.

Aloha, Down Up Dick.
 
I wonder why most of us are anonymous. I even wonder why I'M anonymous. I just used an alias because everyone else had one.

Do we think someone will come after us if we say something negative? Do we think everyone will realize how stupid we really are? Are we worried that someone will find us and steal our ukes?

I usta belong to a flute forum, using my real name and nobody came to do me any harm, and nobody stold my flutes.

I think using our real names would make us a lot more careful about what we say.

Well, I just wondered why uke playing has to be so secret--shhhh . . . :eek:ld:

I use my real name - First initial of first name, entire last name - as my name online, just about anywhere it isn't already taken.

And when I sign, I use my real first name.

My videos can be found on YouTube under my full name, but I don't use Facebook or Twitter, as neither ever appealed to me.

As for using an alias, well... that reminds me of my CB days, back in the 1970s, in West Virginia. I thnk I'd like to forget the CB radio, thank you...

The only other name I really use on any fora other than my real one, is on Ravelry, Social Media for us Fiber Geeks. There, I'm "Nancyshusband", because that's what they used to call me in the yarn shop, before I started spinning, and they decided that they needed to know my real name...


-Kurt​
 
I am always mindful of identity theft, but when it comes to privacy, I grew up in rural Iowa when party lines were our means of communication with the outside world. Privacy just isn't much of an issue with me. I'm not a private person.

I think that that is an interesting and helpful way to look at things. I've been fortunate enough not to shared a party line - a degree of mutual trust and respect is required for their harmonious use - but as a young person I did have to use public telephone (call) boxs that were far from private. There are those things that are necessarily private and you are mindful of how and where they are discussed, there are identity theft issues to be aware of, there are things that you are happy to share within a close group of friends within notinally private spaces (someone's home or some rented space) and there are things you are happy to share with friends in public places.

This is a public place to share with friends, so long as you're mindful of that then I don't believe that there are any likely hazards; unlikely hazards exist, and just have to be managed, in all the groups and in all places that we might converse in. Of course there are occasionally downsides of conversation in public places but there are, IMHO, vastly more upsides to be enjoyed, cherished and informed by.
 
Last edited:
I use my real name on all my social media. I'm still alive. I also give my away my age.

I'm glad that that has been your experience and wouldn't be at all surprised if it was typical of most others too, but I'm unsure of what point you're making.

As far as I know there is no dispute that some people do get stalked, do get trolled, do get various forms of on-line abuse, do get threatened and do suffer from identity theft. I'm glad not to have suffered from such attacks so far and hope that you and other UU members will not suffer from then to. I might not be correct but to me it seems best to be aware of those hazards and take avoiding action rather than have to deal with them as and if they occur.
 
Last edited:
Hi, everybody on the entire internet, my name is Crabmueller J. Fondant. I live in the greater Pittsburgh area. I won't type my exact street address here, but you can find it in a matter of moments.

Is anyone else attending the Scranton Uke Scrumble on September 15-19th? I can't wait! I'll be spending that whole week in Scranton. I'm bringing my Ohana soprano.

In my sigline you'll see a list of all my nice instruments, most of which I will be leaving at my empty home while I am away. See you in Scranton!

-------------
Blackbird Farallon
Kamaka Soprano
Mya-Moe Tenor resonator
Ohana Soprano
Martin D28 guitar
Wouldn't you bet I have a good stereo and a nice tv, too?
:biglaugh:

Yeah, sure, chances are you can get away with posts like this once or twice, but does it really strike you as a good idea? I can drive around with no seat belt and most of the time it's ok!
 
I didn't notice this thread at first but tuned in to figure out what Jon did to get banned. :eek: Hope he's feeling better shortly as I generally like to read his posts.

As far as this thread goes, I use my real name on all music related sites on the off chance that someone who wants to hear my music can easily find me.
 
I didn't notice this thread at first but tuned in to figure out what Jon did to get banned. :eek: Hope he's feeling better shortly as I generally like to read his posts.

Life happens, stress happens and reactions happen - show me someone who never does anything wrong and I'll show you someone who never does anything. Having been alerted to the name I watched his latest video (different thread) plus a few more of his. I thought my time well spent and hope that he'll be back after a short 'rest' from here.
 
Last edited:
I think that that is an interesting and helpful way to look at things. I've been fortunate enough not to shared a party line - a degree of mutual trust and respect is required for their harmonious use - but as a young person I did have to use public telephone (call) boxs that were far from private. There are those things that are necessarily private and you are mindful of how and where they are discussed, there are identity theft issues to be aware of, there are things that you are happy to share within a close group of friends within notinally private spaces (someone's home or some rented space) and there are things you are happy to share with friends in public places.
Haha, in an alternate world maybe. On our party line there were four families and each one had a separate ring. We were two longs and a short. But our neighbor up the road was three longs. Listening in on my neighbor up the road talk to her boyfriend was my nightly entertainment. There was no respect when it came to party lines.
 
Top Bottom