Anonymity on SG, or, being identified on the street from SG

Hey all-

Not sure which board to put this in, so Lifestyle it is...

I'm curious about why some SG community members maintain anonymity. By this I don't mean anonymity in the sense of the site operation, where you can look but not touch, but for folks like me. I don't have pictures up, I don't maintain my journal (in fact my 2nd entry was a year ago today, i believe), and while I post I tend not to reveal identifying details. I'd love to, but for me the reality is that I'd be doing so on a site that has lots of pictures of naked people, a strong emphasis on sexuality, and a fairly progressive attitude. I love all that, but I'm paranoid that as a grad student looking toward academia I may run into a situation where some student of mine finds me. This identification would be at the very least awkward, and potentially troublesome. It sucks, but that's the way of it.

Anyone else?

Anyone here been found/identified? Did this turn out to be innocuous or horrible?

People have yet to identify me as a member of this site. I've hung out with a few members from my city, but that's it. I suppose it might be influenced by your location? I don't know.

As President of these here United States I find that my anonymity is sacrosanct for obvious reasons. Yes I'm all about fighting the war on terror but I'm also about the nekid too.

I am a proud member of SG...but at the same time, I don't want my "real self" associated with my pervy/asshat/raunchy self I sometimes am in the boards...does that make sense?
Although I am honest about who I am here (and IRL) I let a side of me out on SG I keep under wraps IRL

I wear my SG shirt and hoodie around, so I think I'd be okay with being recognized. I get comments occasionally, but only one has actually been from another member of the site.

I'm not really worried about it, I have made a lot of friend's here, and if someone soesn't like that i'm here, well they can just go fuck themselves.

I vote you then. Nekkid terror ftw.

And Thorr, I agree, I say things here in relative anonymity that I might not discuss much unless I were with, well, a bunch of SG members. (You'll notice many of my posts are in the Sex Talk board... I can talk politics anywhere, but teh buttsecks? PFSB? That's for SG. I don't think I'm as bad as some in using anonymity as a shield to say things I wouldn't otherwise, but this is a place for saying things that I couldn't say in the classroom, for instance. Or to my advisor.

I have been recognized several times from the site. I don't mind it at all. I figure if I a posting stuff online SOMEONE is going to find it. If I was that worried about being noticed, I would never post anything personal about me

yah, i'm not afraid of people knowing i'm on the site, everyone's entitled to having a sex life... but i wouldn't post myself nude in the omg i'm naked thread or anything. unfortunately i live in a very small town and work with kids... so i generally behave in *public* fora

and despite there only being 6000 people in this town, there is another local who is a member. so yah, we recognized eachother it was ok, because he is the chef at the only restaurant in town worth eating at, so a good friend to have! it just drilled it home for me that the internet is still not that big of a place...

i wouldn't worry about it too much, it was my friends that got me into the site, so obviously they already know i'm a member, and i'm actually sort of a proud member. If someone asks me about SG, i'll gladly promote how much better I think it is than other webboards because it is in fact only adults allowed here.

I've only been recognized once. One of my best friends introduced me to her boyfriend earlier this summer, and he said he was sure I looked familiar but he couldn't figure out from where. Then she started talking about how I'd bought the Jones Soda holiday pack over Thanksgiving, and he exclaimed, "Oh my GOD, I knew you looked familiar! You're the legendary Dictionary Girl!!!" It was kind of cool. I felt like some sort of internet celebrity.

I don't really say or do things here that I wouldn't say or do or post pictures of anywhere else, so I'm not too worried about what might happen if anyone knew I was here. Plenty of people know I'm here anyway, since I sadistically make all my real-life friends read my journal entries. Anonymity isn't nearly as fun as being a minor internet celebrity!

That is so cool! I'd love to be a legend (without having to be dead or not exist of course).

Most of my friends are pretty easy going and open minded but there are conversations I have on here that I just wouldn't dream of having with them. Having said that, there is nothing on here that I have done or said that I would be ashamed of if they stumbled across it.

SG Is my job so i usually proudly identify myself. but i write for a few other sites, one which is teenager oriented in another fashion. so when i write for them. often i try to keep my mouth if i am interviewing someone under the age of 18

You might find this group interesting.

I don't usually post pictures of myself in the public spaces. But anyone who ends up seeing what I look like through the site is going to be someone who's joined it already, so they're not so likely to be pointing at me going "Ewwwwww!"

And my journals don't give a lot away. And I'm in a big city.

Yeah? Well I saw you up the street today and I have to say, that tank top and stonewash jeans you were wearing looked HOT!

NO! SPOTTED IN MY BOGAN UNIFORM!

I'm one of those people who doesn't have a pic of myself as an avatar and doesn't keep a journal, but I can't really say anonymity has anything to do with it. I just don't really see the point.

But, the only real picture I have of myself online is from my drivers liscense, and when I started on the site my username was my initials and last name (and on most other sites I use my initials as my screen name), so I'm not really trying to hide much. I can't think of anyone on the planet I would be bothered about knowing that I look at pictures of naked ladies. I wouldn't post anything online I was ashamed about. But, then, I try not doing stuff I'm ashamed of, so it tends to work out.

I had ( )a friend here who is a professor at a large university, and he left the site for exactly your fears. The ramifications to his career would be very damaging if a student recognized him. Additionally, he is fairly widely published in his field so the risk for him was too much and he chose to leave.

Yes and since trying to make friends at work usually turns into a disaster I'll take SG.
The boards are often full of tomfoolery, it's fun.

Tomfoolery is always a good thing

i was reconzied this weekend..i had the pink SG tee on, i was at Borders getting coffee(how trendy of me) and this girl came up to me and asked if I was "avalon chase" i said yeah, and blushed really hard..now the thing is i was hella flattered, but she said we had never spoke, and that she kinda lurked..i felt bad, like i should have known her regardless..

man, why couldnt that have been me running into you at the bookstore? ....and is the powers that be at SG would make larger sized clothing for us bigger gals (hint hint hint hint...)......I would be wearing them too!!

A family member was apparently doing some serious digging on the internet (perhaps googling my username, since I've used this name in email addresses and on other sites for about 10 years now). She found my journal here and apparently proceeded to read all the oldest entries that were made before the "members only" option was available for journals, and then email me to give me her opinion.

Thus far, hilarity has not ensued.

That wpuld be the only thing that would concern me a little...granted my cousin is on here and it's cool, but if any of my other family found out I was on here (since they are old-school italians..)...the shit would hit the fan.