...in personal security and safety of the net, and GC in particular.

I have my own opinions on these issues: personally it is foolish to trust people with large sums of money when those people do NOT have money of their own...or a job...or a home. This is why *I* agreed to be the treasurer for this site, I have a good teaching job and a stable home life. I also put *MY* ass on the line for GC, by choosing to perform this important responsibility. In addition, I am a college math professor and am a financial expert. Not everyone is as good at handling money...especially when that money is donated anonymously.

What do you do when money you donated anonymously is stolen? Unfortunately there isn't a damn thing you can do...which is why TRUST is so important. After over 2 years as treasurer...people know they can trust me and GC, and that their money will arrive safe and sound and be used FOR GC. I would have donated to Lindsays charity drive...but to be blunt...I do not trust people who need money and don't have any of their own (talking about Todd here, not lindsay). It's simply stupid to trust someone who is poor and jobless with hundreds of dollars.

My other personal opinion is to never share ANY REAL personal info with someone unless you are willing to meet that person in RL. Too many foolish posters go into chat and post pics of themselves and/or pics of their young friends. Too many posters link to PERSONAL websites...Too many posters give out their real names, phone numbers or the state they live in...maybe even their home addy. Why on earth would they do this? People tend to feel "too" safe in chat...but that safety is an illusion.

A good friend on GC once told me something YEARS ago: Assume that anything you say or link to is being recorded by an FBI agent. If you don't want an FBI agent reading what you say or looking at pics of you (or a yf)...then don't post about it on GC, or in chat...or via email. Several people on this board know MY real name and where I live. Those people wrote to me when I was "gone". I trust those people with my life...and they have shared who they are with me as well. I will take that info to my GRAVE....but not everyone is like me.

The internet is a dangerous tool...you can NEVER be sure anyone is who they say they are. Even after YEARS of posting on GC, some people STILL give me the creeps, and make me suspicious. I am very particular with whom I share ANY personal info with. This horrible situation should serve as a constant reminder to posters that they should be 100% sure before they share ANY RL info with another GC poster. Ask yourself if that is someone you'd MEET in RL if you could...if you don't feel THAT kind of connection and trust, then don't tell them a damn thing about your Real Life.

Some people on GC are such obvious "fakes", you can spot them a mile away...but others are alot more crafty, and personal info in THEIR hands can be very dangerous and destroy lives. I sincerely hope that Todd is NOT harvesting personal RL info on posters here at GC, as I've heard. Keeping a list of phone numbers and real names of GC posters is about the worst thing someone can do...and threatening to use it...it goes beyond words how bad that is.

These are my own personal opinions, btw...which is why I have not used my Admin siggie here. These are my own thoughts and feelings on this issue...so please do not take anything I said in this post as an "official" GC stance. *disclaimer over*

Please be safe my friends. I know how much fun chat can seem, but do you REALLY know the people in there? Do you REALLY know for a fact they are who they say they are? Would you trust EACH of those people in chat with your life and your future? NOTHING can destroy a persons life faster than being "out" as a pedo. Please keep this in mind.

Infinity