What Freaks Me Out About Forums...

No because they are so smart that you can recognize their posting style from other dealings, and certain things they say but you cant pin them.

At least Im not good enough to pin them yet.

Whats a fanboy argument?

I totally agree with you here brother... People should have fun and it doesnt harm me, but when the stakes are high and the person on the other end of the email is not the person you think you are talking to... and when the one pretending isnt innocent and harmless like the child... Then its not so acceptable.

lol am I the 'Joe' mentioned in this analogy? :p

I suspect this practice is fairly common in IM (not to take the thread off topic), as the best tactic (that I identify with) in marketing is linking yourself to your site and sort of branding both by establishing your authority/expertise in the niche and building an identification/trust relationship with visitors/custoners. Which poses an ethical dilemma for some (the ones who conduct themselves in an ethical manner and have the moral fiber to at least grasp it intuitively:

As you spread out over time, into more niches, and maybe go after ones where you don't have that expertise as a pre-requisite, how do you accomplish the above?

Some will do it by inventing a persona, pen name, and fake bio.

Not my bag. I get around it by sticking to niches where I can draw on my own education, knowledge, and experience - plus content creation and research - to establish the real thing. I brand it all with my real name and the most relevant aspects of my own bio in the "about" page. Then I put my name on it.

Depending on the niche I place more emphasis on some areas of my history than others. I also think hyping it is fair game so long as I'm not engaging in deception (I see a clear line between the two that I don't have an issue staying on one side of).

The upshot is I don't really care if someone discovers I'm the author of both sites as there's nothing in one that contradicts anything in the other or would lead them to think I'm misleading or exploiting people purely for gain (I don't think you need to engage in exploitation to be successful in IM and wouldn't be in it if I did - note my background is someone who's coming from the addictions & substance abuse field, as seen the ugliest side of exploitation up close and personal, and would oft for something else if I had to compromise ethics to succeed here as to me that's not up for compromise - I'm an IM'rer yes, but not a pimp).

I think most feel the same way while a few soil the rest by engaging in unethical behavior in pursuit of the quick buck or because of a broken moral compass.

I'm no "guru" but I've succeeded in life in other pursuits by following that basic code of ethics, slept well at night, and never been sued nor worried about being sued. Good enough for me.

-Spyder

Your stats are about right. When I studied Behavioral Pharmacology Prozac was the new "in" drug and it was somewhat controversial because some equated it to the biochemical equivalent to plastic surgery; it had become the top selling prescription drug in the US, and led to the coining of term "Prozac nation."

Sociopaths are at least easier to spot in real life, as their complete absence of empathy provides easy cues when you've worked with them in any kind of counselling/treatment role. Most of it is easy to spot body language, the rest speech and behaviour. Online they're harder to spot.

These other types being discussed are likely not sociopaths lacking a moral compass, but, as you point out, people with other issues they display more readily online: in real life they're probably (in most cases) reasonably well-adjusted and functional.

Sociopaths are the exact opposite: they don't function well in RL, they aren't well-adjusted, and among those who don't pick up the bad vibe from them right away, they tend to find their stay short-lived. Essentially they become outcasts because of their inability to follow the rules that govern civilized society.

Online their nature is more easily concealed, the tells harder to pick up on, and their predatory tendencies are more likely to go unnoticed - until the person they befriend or get involved with romantically finds their identity stolen, credit cards maxed out, or bank accounts emptied.

The upshot of these other labels is that, aside from being annoying (possibly to the point of harassment), they're mostly harmless. Doesn't make them any less annoying or legitimize their behaviour, but they' are what they are and they're rarely wolves in sheep's clothing.

-Spyder

......and just when did you get the idea that this wasn't rampant in here?
The same grammatical mistakes over and over by different IDs might be
a clue. Some of these "Gurus" couldn't write a coherent grocery list. OR
Maybe they all dropped out of the tenth grade on the same day.

Thomas

If it is not to spam or scam then it is all for attention. But the best thing to really do is not give them the attention they crave and eventually they will "die off". In the case with the forum I moderate, it got so bad we could not just ignore the nutcase! Thankfully after action was taken, it ended. I am expecting more nutcases to come. They always do.

Hi John,

If this stuff freaks you out, don't ever set out on a mission to look behind the curtain of what's really going on in the corridors of power in the world.

Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.