Getting Old(er) & Grumpy(ier)

[Dibs-h]

My Mrs has said in the past - "Victor Meldrew ain't got nothing on you."

On the whole - I think I'm easy going, just low tolerance for idiots\plant pots and the wee takers.

I tried to join a forum yesterday (a wood working one) purely as Google had coughed up a post about a router jig that looked interesting and I wanted to see the full size pictures as opposed to the postage stamp sized ones.

So registered as you do, using my email address (that's for the non-important stuff) and got an email saying an admin had to approve. Only to get one a few hours later saying - denied as I hadn't used my real forename and surname.

I had to turn the air blue quietly as the wife\kids were asleep upstairs.

There's monetization of websites\forums but there's taking the wee as well.

 

[MARK.B.]

My question would be- how did they know you did not give your real name

 

[Against_The_Grain]

My question would be- how did they know you did not give your real name

Yes, that would be my question too, how could you tell Lord Wibble of County Wobble wasn't a real person?

Was it the SawmillCreek forum? I never understood why the need for real names.

 

[Dibs-h]

My question would be- how did they know you did not give your real name

Probably from the registration form wanting a forename and a surname and I put an initial in the surname field (along with Dibs in the forename field). LOL

 

[Dibs-h]

Yes, that would be my question too, how could you tell Lord Wibble of County Wobble wasn't a real person?

Was it the SawmillCreek forum? I never understood why the need for real names.

They'd probably insist the email came from [email protected] and I wouldn't be surprised if they rejected it if the WHOIS either didn't match or was private.

It was Familywoodworking.org - if forums want your real name, then my money is that they are selling your data as it has more value than a pseudonym (linked to an IP and other browsing data).

 

[baldkev]

You could simply use a real name.... What was jacobs last name?

 

[Sideways]

Facebook did the same to me when I used a properly anonymous email address at protonmail to make an account so I could access marketplace.
Facebook's the spawn of the devil so I won't touch it, but would be happy to browse and buy bits and pieces from marketplace sellers without FB profiling me in the process.

So I do without ...
I don't watch much news either. My blood pressure is better for it

 

[flying haggis]

bit like trying to leave a review on toolstation when they ask for your name or "nickname" and then, as I cant be bothered/see the need to use a nickname I used my christian name only to be told that "that name is already in use" SO!!! you can hardly be tracked etc with just a single name and what does it matter if twenty seven people called Dave review a product

 

[Dibs-h]

You could simply use a real name.... What was jacobs last name?

I did think about it, but then probably would have had to create an email (free) address that resembled the name somewhat and try again. In the end I just though sod this for a game of soldiers.

 

[Spectric]

There is just to much stuff that happens behind the scenes since "Data" has become monetised and we are all just treated as targets for advertising, what happened to the world where people brought what they wanted and not what they are told to buy. I think many of us really do not realise just how much some companies actually know about us from shopping habbits to places we visit and now it turns out there is chinese spyware watching us as well. Facebook is just a shopping catalogue for the criminals along with google earth and people just divulge so much information that all a crook needs to do is assemble it over a period of time so not revealing real names and such is a good thing.

 

[HamsterJam]

I bought Mrs HJ a gift online from a well known clothing retailer. Somehow they or their courier ‘lost’ the package so it was never delivered. Eventually managed to make contact and they issued a refund.
Last week I received an email inviting me to review my purchase so I set out the story above. However my review was rejected because it was about ‘delivery or fulfilment performance’, not the quality of the garment and I was invited to revise it. I gave up at that point. Bah-Humbug!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had an Amazon review rejected yesterday because I gave something I hadn't received one star.

 

[Fitzroy]

Most sites registration is automated with no one real behind the scene. Often free wifi in restaurants wants an email address and even a real address. My favourite one is using their own customer service email and mailing address in these fields, works most of the time unless they then send you an activation email request. I then find another site. I get joy from the idea of a company sending itself spam, marketing, offers, questionnaires etc.

 

[HamsterJam]

Most sites registration is automated with no one real behind the scene. Often free wifi in restaurants wants an email address and even a real address. My favourite one is using their own customer service email and mailing address in these fields, works most of the time unless they then send you an activation email request. I then find another site. I get joy from the idea of a company sending itself spam, marketing, offers, questionnaires etc.

10 Minute Mail (https://10minutemail.com/) is great for these eventualities. It gives you a fully working email address that self destructs after ten minutes including an online inbox so you can receive any verification emails .

 

[Dibs-h]

There is just to much stuff that happens behind the scenes since "Data" has become monetised and we are all just treated as targets for advertising, what happened to the world where people brought what they wanted and not what they are told to buy. I think many of us really do not realise just how much some companies actually know about us from shopping habbits to places we visit and now it turns out there is chinese spyware watching us as well. Facebook is just a shopping catalogue for the criminals along with google earth and people just divulge so much information that all a crook needs to do is assemble it over a period of time so not revealing real names and such is a good thing.

I work "in" data and am currently "manipulating (not by hand LOL - using some very powerful tools) almost 12M customer records to "sequence" correctly - so the company know exactly who there customers are, and each historical version of their record. So they can see trends like how many times "certain" types of customers moved addresses, changed phone numbers. That will be "blended" with purchases etc.

They (I) comply with the law (GDPR) and such like.

Now imagine if I didn't give 2 hoots about the law and could blend those 12M records with data from other places (browsing habits, purchases data from other places, voter rolls, credit agencies and password leaks - imagine just how complete a picture I could build of someone's life? And then what I could do with it, or sell it for?

 

[Fitzroy]

I work "in" data and am currently "manipulating (not by hand LOL - using some very powerful tools) almost 12M customer records to "sequence" correctly - so the company know exactly who there customers are, and each historical version of their record. So they can see trends like how many times "certain" types of customers moved addresses, changed phone numbers. That will be "blended" with purchases etc.

They (I) comply with the law (GDPR) and such like.

Now imagine if I didn't give 2 hoots about the law and could blend those 12M records with data from other places (browsing habits, purchases data from other places, voter rolls, credit agencies and password leaks - imagine just how complete a picture I could build of someone's life? And then what I could do with it, or sell it for?

Thanks for that, just as I’m off to bed, something new to worry about