The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
C'on people... Databases at Banks are hacked, Sony's database of xbox and PS3 purchasers was hacked... military and government databases are hacked...
And yet, we expect we will throw our full names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, place of employment.. blah, blah, blah, into cyberspace when we push the "Send" or "Submit" button on our computer and keep our anonymity???
Let's review some real basic words... like "SEARCH engine", that is what google, yahoo, and many other internet information providers are.... programs designed to "search" the internet, find and collect what people look for. Then there are what is called "Web Crawlers" or "Bots"... they are designed by the internet information providers to do exactly what they say... run automatically around the internet, in all its cracks and crevices and collect every piece of information encountered, and provide it to the engine(s) (ie google) upon request.
Moving into another arena... is this message board private or public? Well, if it was private, on a secure, stand alone, isolated server... not one of us would have found it. And for many of us that would have been a very sad experience; to reach out for support and help in a moment of despair and not be able to find it because its hidden from the world in which we live. This board is public because we want to be found... just like you can look up something in a telephone book... if it isn't listed, it cant' be found.
Your anonymity is protected here just as it is in regular face to face meetings, that only require you introduce yourself by first name only. Even more so here because you have the option to use a "user name" or "nickname", instead of your name at all. What information you put in your own profile is up to you, not any one else.
Search my name... I am all over the internet.... even had a "psycho" therapist put in a blog that I was a cult leader, mind control program reenforcement agent for the CIA, who had sexually assaulted him... it comes up... but then so does the fact that his license has been revoked by the state board, that he has been charged and imprisoned for a variety of things, and his malpractice insurance had to pay out big bucks to settle claims filed by 7 of his clients, for which I was used as a expert witness. Then there is this forum, (12stepforums.net), my business site, and my Facebook profile, and so many other sources of information.
Now quite frankly, I don't much concern myself with my own personal anonymity. But I do not have any right to jeapardize any one elses. So, in any exchange I have with members of MIP I will refer to their username, or first name only.
It doesnt' matter whether its here on MIP or any where else in cyberspace. What you put out there about yourself or what others put out there about you is not something that can be easily deleted. Many search engines take a photo, or snap shot of what it finds.. its called a cached image... and even after deleting the original item, the cached photo of it can still linger in cyberspace with what the bot or crawler determined to be its keywords, be it a name, address, ect.
In short, what you send into cyberspace... is in cyberspace. Be careful, especailly with any information that exposes your identity.
About a year ago, there was a person exposing so much about themselves that I was able to google some basic information that they had put right into the chat room, and the next thing you know, I was telling them what kind of car and van was in their drive way. This absolutely shocked them. A lot of people do not know that both satelite and video images of their homes are in cyberspace. This is serious.
Sharing what is on your mind or in your heart is great.. but be sure you are not doing so in any matter that exposes your identity if you fear others will find and read what your put out there.
John
__________________
" And what did we gain? A new life, with purpose, meaning and constant progress, and all the contentment and fulfillment that comes from such growth."
Thanks, I agree I have always been careful of the "Written Word". When something I have said has been recorded I am very careful to choose my words and shares carefully. It is amazing how much I can share without being concerned who reads it.
That is why I love face to face meetings. There are no notes taken, full names are not used and there is no record of what was said at the end. Yes others at the meeting have heard it but it is not on a document that can be used again.
The wisdom of the rooms enabled me and I feel safe.
If one has the most recent Al-Anon/Alateen service manual (2010-2013), the service manual says thus (page 89):
Electronic Communication outside of Al-Anon
Email provides a quick and easy way to communicate the Al-Anon/Alateen message to the media and professionals. Members' business email addresses should not be used for Al-Anon/Alateen outreach, as they could imply affiliation, and may not be confidential to the member.
Web-based communication, such as on-line audio/visual materials (e.g., Web casts or podcasts), social networking sites, and blogs, provides members with easy access to distribute information about Al-Anon/Alateen recovery to a large audience. In keeping with Tradition Eleven ("Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films and T.V. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA members."), members who use this type of communication outlet must maintain their personal anonymity and that of any Al-Anon/Alateen or AA member, as the Internet is a form of media.
That said, the above is in relation to "Anonymity Outside Al-Anon/Alateen". Whether MIP is "outside" Al-Anon/Alateen is yet to be discussed, but I've understood from the beginning that MIP is not a registered group.
Regarding (on the same page of the service manual, page 89) Anonymity Within Al-Anon/Alateen:
Members use their full names within the fellowship when the wish. The degree of anonymity a member chooses (first name, pseudonym, or full name) is not subject to criticism. Each member has the right to decide. (I wanted to clear that up because it's a common mis-pereception that in Al-Anon meetings you're REQUIRED to only give your first name. That is not the case, you can give your full name in meetings if you want... or you can ask everyone to call you Princess Bubblegum if you want.)
I encourage anyone here to get their hands on a service manual so they can clearly understand Al-Anon's policies on such things. Free access to an electronic version can be found here: http://al-anon.org/members/manual.php
If you want the password, it's your F2F home group's group name. (Ask your F2F GR.) If you don't have a GR, send me a private message and I'll give you the general password.
Again, MIP is not a registered/certified online meeting (unless that's changed - if so, please correct me). Therefore, just because the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual states a certain policy on something, doesn't mean MIP needs to adhere to it since it's not registered with the WSO.
See: http://al-anon.alateen.org/electronic-meetings for WSO certified electronic meetings if you're interested.
Very nice post John. I am so glad you shared your thoughts on this subject as anonymity and confidentiality arising from a post on the message board or a private message are important issues to air in the forum.
