Just to let you all know that something that I posted on this forum about our rink got back to the manager and he knew it was me (I had been very critical about something). I was so surprised but then I had been pretty specific about details in it so it had not been to difficult to summise who the culprit had been. But gee I would not have thought anyone who had anything to do with our rink would have been using this forum, particularly where I come from. Big surprise for me.

Oh well what can I say - I will careful what I post in future now that I know a mob is out to check out my every move. But then the forums are open to discuss issues abut rinks, skating, help us to vent and give an opportunity to canvass opinions from others outside your home rink. So maybe the rink has to accept that it can be discussed in these types of forums. So what do others think?

BTW - has this happened to anyone else?

__________________
Check out Cool Cat Skating Products - Australian Owned and Produced Skating Stuff.
www.geocities.com/aussiecoolcat/index

Several skaters and parents from my rink are on these boards all the time (also true of other skaters I know from other rinks). I am somewhat careful about what I say but as long as it isn't personal information (something a skater has told me about themself, etc.) I don't worry too much. However, I do try to be fair in what I write, not to post information unless I am sure and have both sides of the story and I try to be positive (when I write competition reports for example, I always write at least one thing that can be improved on and several things which a skater has done well). Also, if I know that specific skaters read this board and I have written a report about their performance, I usually ask them if they thought it was fair. I have actually been thanked by parents for writing positive and supportive things about their children without getting into gossip. In other words, yes, I feel free to post on pretty much every topic but I also try to keep in mind that anyone I'm writing about or their parents could be reading it. Post what you want but do it in a respectful way.

I'm extremely careful, and that is probably not careful enough. I don't have too many places to skate and can't afford to lose any. I do actually know someone who was barred from a rink for expressing her opinion publicly. There were rights and wrongs on both sides, but the skater was the one who got hurt in the end.

__________________

I have a friend who posted some comments about a client from work that he'd been frustrated with. Somehow, his comments were FAXED to the client, and he ended up losing his job over what he'd said.

As a result, I am EXTREMELY careful with what I say on the net.

__________________
I've got mad salchow disease!

Wow, I honestly don't worry about any of that stuff. My concerns are with upsetting skaters, parents or coaches. What ever happened to freedom of expression/speech anyway? I am careful about what I say but my concerns seem to be a little different.

Not exactly the way you described it, but YEAP! It happened to me! I lost one secondary coach over this (and not necessarily negative comments either.) I don't want to bring up the story again b/c I don't think neither me or this coach wants to reopen old wounds again.

__________________
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!!!

I am always careful. I try to be reticent about any personal conversations I may have had. When I do post about any particular person I never say anything that I think they might be uncomfortable with. Of course I have only my own feelings about comfort to go by, but I do my best.

It has proven to be a good thing. I have come to know too many skaters, coaches, parents, judges, and officials. Several times I have found out later that they frequent these boards and know who I am. They have all known, somehow, when I have posted about them in particular. So far I haven't made a mistake in being discreet, anyway I don't think so. My rule of thumb - When it comes to personal conversations - if in doubt, don't post it. If it's negative - post only sympathetic feelings. If it's positive - praise them.

Thanks A.H. Black, that is exactly what I was trying to say! I have posted a few things that I am later uncomfortable with but I have gotten better about this as I have gone (and I have never posted anything that I really regret). I find that a good way to judge wether I should say something is to think about how I will feel if the people involved read it. I also agree that when in doubt it is better not to post (and when I forget this rule is when I sometimes wish that I hadn't posted something later).

I train at two training centers with several elite skaters, and while I'm sure there are people at my rink who lurk here and know who I am, I try to stay fairly anonymous. It's hard, because I really like to "talk" and there have been times when questions have come up about skaters' personal lives, music choices, etc. that I did know the answer to. However, my rule for myself is that if it hasn't been in the media, I don't share it. This just came up for me in the thread about elite skaters and their skates in the General Chat forum. I could go in there and post several things about who's having trouble with their Jacksons, who likes them, who's ditched them already, etc. Among the skaters who got free ones at Nationals are two of my best friends, both of whom have stories about them already. But I don't think it's my place to report their experiences. I also don't like to pester my rinkmates to share things with me for me to put online. I've been asked, "well, can you ask so-and-so what she thinks about this?" I don't like to do that, because I don't want my friends to get the idea that when they talk to me, they're talking to the whole world. I would never repeat anything any skater from my rink told me without their permission, and it would have to be something pretty pressing for me to even do that. My friends are way too important to me.

I'm not sure that's always the case. In the case of the secondary coach I lost, I had nothing but positive things to say. However I also have mentioned what was going on during our lesson... THAT was what got me in trouble!!! There are some coaches out there who are very competitive and they do not wish to have what happened during your lesson with them to be posted. (I've checked with my primary coach and he doesn't have a problem with me posting about him.)

So please, PLEASE check with your coach before you post anything about your lesson with them! (Of course, if it's one of those priceless and funny insults that coaches love to throw at students... THEN it's fair game!)

__________________
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!!!

Simple axiom to follow:

Never post something on line that you would never say you would say to them face to face.

__________________
Keeping School Figures Alive!!

Thanks for all your feedback.

I think in this case the manager was quite upset that I had complained on this forum instead of going directly to him and complaining about the problem I had, which I actually can understand. However I think even if I had complained to him directly I still would have posted something on this forum because I do like to canvass the opinions of others and this is a great place to do it. But also what I said was exactly what I had been saying to friends at the rink - however this time it was in writing and documented. I have sent him an email to apologise for what I said, but I did say I probably would have discussed the issue on the forum anyway.

I have always felt I could say things anonymously because I did not think that anyone I knew at our rink looked at these types of things because of the location and the general lack of interest in skating here. As I said I will be more careful in future.

__________________
Check out Cool Cat Skating Products - Australian Owned and Produced Skating Stuff.
www.geocities.com/aussiecoolcat/index

How is it that parents and coaches and (or) parents can be on boards all the time? For that matter there are zillons and zillons of boards about everything on-line. I don't see how unless you tell your coach what board(s) your a member of how they could even find out your posting. It's 1 in a zillon almost impossible for even them to do so. The only way I can see it done is if you raninto a problem like I had. That is with possible trolls forming a gang on the boards and saying bad things about you.Though even they can't be in a zillon places at a time.

__________________
FSWer

This is a pretty popular board. I have had several people I know approach me about posts I have made regarding them or thier children (usually in a positive way) and I haven't told anyone that I post here (at least I hadn't then, I have since told one competitive skater).

True,but how do people know this is a board skaters are on? Remember not even coaches are cycic.

__________________
FSWer

Well, skaters have approached me about what I have said on this forum, so I would assume that they were on it...

The rink I train at, whereas it dosen't have "elite" skaters anymore, they still send kids to Jr Nationals & Nationals yearly, and I agree with CanAm's policies. I don't post anything online that isn't already general knowledge about these skaters. I also like to stay pretty anonymous, people at the rink knew my old FSW name, but they don't know this one, and probably won't figure it out. All skaters, elite or not, have a right to privacy and wouldn't appreciate people who know them blabbing all sorts of stuff about them online.

Skaters talk to each other both at their home rinks and at competitions, test sessions, and skating camps. I have told several of my skater friends about this board and other boards. Also, this particular forum is titled "On Ice - Skaters", so anyone who sees it knows that it is specifically for skaters.

__________________

Why don't skaters just keep their mouths shut to begin with then and just share it wit friends off ice were coaches and parents can mtob.?

__________________
FSWer

FSWer,

As they(parents) are all involved in some ways with skating, and want to know more about what's coming, etc, they do type 'skating' on search engine, and might find out about skating boards, such as this one.

There are not that many skating boards...

But how do they know which boards to check for their skaters?

__________________
FSWer

My advice is just keep quiet and you won't get in trouble.

__________________
FSWer

There're about 3-4 main message boards people post on (that is not including specific board such as MK board).

It is quite easy to pick up who's who according on what topics some skaters post on (and what they say about).

But yes, my word of advice would be : be honest but don't be harsh on people. Stand up for your opinion, but do it with taste and tact.

At certain times, I can guess which skater is who at times by what they post. Hint: If you really REALLY want to be anonymous, do *NOT* post your competition results -- especially if the competition results are on the web! Also, do NOT post which rink you skate at. (Particularly with the competition results... I *WILL* find your real id!!! Heh heh heh... )

__________________
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!!!

Well I discovered how I got found out. Someone was doing a search about something and it brought up my thread. Really total coincidence that the person who found it happened to be one of the people involved in the particular situation (however not directed at them specifically).

I am really quite amazed. If this person had not discovered it by chance no-one would have known about it. So it was almost a fluke that it was found. It is almost like the old saying - if a tree falls in the forest and no-one is there to see it, does it fall?

It is a small world after all!!

__________________
Check out Cool Cat Skating Products - Australian Owned and Produced Skating Stuff.
www.geocities.com/aussiecoolcat/index