..........

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FSWer

FSWer, this is an awful lot of personal information. I don't think many people are going to want to post this stuff on a message board.

Yeah, really. Why, did you set a new 500-thread goal now?

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Please don't answer this, everyone. I don't care how old you are, the internet can be a dangerous place for ANYONE and no one is immune from stalkers. This is way too much information to give out on a public forum, where *anyone* could read it.

FSWER, you often ask extremely personal questions both on this board and especially on FSU, and I really think that you should refrain from doing it because you encourage people to post personal information about themselves that could make them targets and put them in danger. You often ask people what club they are from, where they skate, which competitions they do, and especially over at FSU where there are a lot of skaters 18 and under, it's just not appropriate to be inquiring about that stuff. Please respect people's privacy and try to be a little less specific in your polls, if you must have them. The wrong person is going to innocently answer one of these one day and it is not going to turn out well.

Yeah, and it almost seems they are forcing people to become their best friend or something.... I had to reply to that, since I noticed the same thing on another forum.

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Take it easy, folks. FSWer has been around here a long time and a few board members have met him at competitions and shows. He absolutely means no harm. Actually, I've been noticing the number of threads also, and I think it's pretty cool that we have a fan who is so interested in skaters and has thought enough about it to ask those questions. As far as calling us "friends", well, isn't that what our SkatingForums community is? A group of online friends?

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I agree with you, DBNY. I don't think FSWer is intentionally trying to glean information, he's just very friendly and has a ton of questions.

I'd just like to take this opportunity to mention that personal info should be disclosed with discretion. For example, I've noticed a number of people posting their email addresses asking for more info about a thread. That allows the spammers 'bots to pick up a new email account. Your best bet, if you need to contact someone via email, is to send a personal message disclosing that information.

This is a public board so you should be careful what you post. You wouldn't want a creep to find out that you're a teenager who skates the Wednesday evening freestyle at the SuperbIce complex or an adult who's going to Tahiti for six weeks. (Thereby leaving your house unattended.)

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Ummmm... I think I already beaten that record... I think the only people who comes close to how much I post on skatingforums is Mrs Redboots, ISk8NYC and dbny!!!

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Wow! I didn't realize I had that many posts...and I've been lurking (fairly) quietly lately. LOL
(Then again, I'm still on my first ID; some members have old IDs that they no longer use.)

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Well said, Isk8NYC. I would like to add something for those participating on this forum "On Ice - Skaters" but are not themselves skaters or coaches. One of the great things about this forum is that we skaters and coaches can come here and vent our troubles without worrying about offending anyone or causing anyone problems. For that reason, most posters here try to keep their real identity and the club they are in, and the rinks they skate at as secret as possible. I myself had a big problem with my old coach and could not talk openly about it here because I knew that at least one of her students comes to this board. I feel that I get a lot of support here, and was very sad that I could not talk about what had happened openly with my friends here. Skaters and coaches always have to be careful in public because they cannot risk trouble where they skate or work.

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Well, post numbers do mount up. I've been on this board for several years, with the same identity, and even posting maybe one or two posts a day (which is all I do), it adds up very quickly! I'm probably not that much more prolific than most people - I've just been here longer.

And although my coach's name is no secret - you can find it out pretty easily just by looking on my home rink's website - I don't use his name, or his wife's name, on-line as it does protect their privacy a bit. At that, I don't use Husband's name or our family surname, although most of you know it, for similar reasons.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Just to clarify- I absolutely know FSWER means no harm. I wasn't talking about them, so much as any random psychos obsessed with figure skaters who could come on here looking for information on people to stalk and/or harm. I know it's a little far fetched, but sometimes it's easier to harrass "common folk" than it would an elite athlete and I don't see something like that as an impossibility. I just think everyone should be careful of what they post, not for those of us who come to these baords regularly, but for others who might be seeking the information out.

I pointed this out because I know FSWER asks things innocently, and people want to share and answer because it's great to have people interested in our sport, however sometimes it could be a bad idea. Just my thoughts anyhow.