Just like I said in BloggingZoom Hacked, Vic and Court must be getting something right because they are under attack again. This time its in the form of vitriol coming from the folks over at Blog Catalog in the content and comments to Trying to get my url banned on blogging zoom. Just like I said in my comments to One Sided Story, if they don’t want to use BloggingZoom, then don’t. If you don’t want to hear from Vic, stop writing him and talking about him. If you find it impossible to read what he writes because he doesn’t proof read or spell check, unsubscribe. That’s pretty simple.

Here’s the bottom line for me. I know why Vic’s grammar sucks and his words are harsh, and so will anybody that takes the time to read-up on that over at BloggerUnleashed.com. See, it’s kinda like voting… if you don’t do your part (and vote) then you don’t get to complain (or boast) after the election. If you’re not willing to look at why things are the way they are, then I’d prefer to not hear you cry about it.

Now, that being said, here’s a bone for the BC folks. From the reading I’ve done over there, they seem to be nice enough, and helpful from time to time ( although I can’t find anything like this ). They are very happy blogging for blogging’s sake and that is their choice. More power to ‘em. I for one want to make a little scratch from my time in the Internet so I’m looking to the Three Wise Men to help me do that!

Although it’s probably stretching the “connected” theme just a bit, tonight is the night many TV fans have been waiting eight months for…

…a 2 hour Lost event tonight on ABC starting at 7:00 pm central! Yeah! But alas, there is a problem…

First you win…

I’ve watched Lost from the very first episode (by accident but hey). Maybe its just that I’m tired of all the “reality” junk on these days, maybe its because it reminds me of Lost In Space (the series with June Lockhart and Bill Mumy, not the movie with Mimi Rogers and William Hurt). Or maybe its just I like the multi-threaded mystery drama action stuff. Either way, its back! And now for the problem.

…then you lose!
My favorite distraction away from the InterWorld is ham radio. In fact, I’ve got a blog about it called Adventures in Amateur Radio. Anyway, in my local area here we have a meeting on the air ( a “net” ) every Thursday night at 7:30 and because of tonight’s 2 hour Lost event, it’s going to be a conflict. Wait, I can hear you now saying, “No problem, skip the net and watch the show!” Well, normally I would, but last week I volunteered to be in charge of the net this week! What’s a guy to do? I mean, I simply don’t watch much TV so I hardly ever run into this kind of situation so now what?

Then you win again!
Tivo to the rescue! That’s right, Tivo! It has become my lifesaver in situations like this one. This will kinda work out better anyway. I’ll finish my net around 8:00, that will give us about an hour of Lost already recorded. That way, when we start watching it, we can fast forward through the commercials and still not “catch up” with live TV. It’ll be GREAT! If you don’t already have Tivo, I strongly recommend it, I bet it will change your life the way it has changed mine!

PS – If you live anywhere close to Huntsville, Alabama and have a scanner, tune it to 146.94 around 7:30 and listen to our net! It’s sponsored by Huntsville/Madison County ARES and the repeater is courtesy of the North Alabama Repeater Association.

One of the interesting changes underway now in the online world is the shift away from anonymity toward personification.

I’ve been online now since 1995 and one of the attractions to the Internet has always been the cloak of anonymity created by the screen and keyboard. You could say anything to anybody, claim to be anybody you want or look any way you want. Even live a life online that was totally separate and apart from the reality of your daily world. But the advent of web cams and social networking is gradually changing all that.

At the risk of dating myself here, it reminds me a lot of the movie Tron where a hacker is literally abducted into the world of a computer to live out (or die in) his virtual life. As social sites like MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo, and LinkedIn grow exponentially in popularity we are being forced to step out from behind the curtain and reveal more and more of ourselves. Don’t see the big deal? Many colleges and potential employers do because they are checking out their applicants online persona comparing it to the application. That “little fib” about your PhD on MySpace may have just cost you a job!

More than that though, all you have to do is look at how popular these sites are to see how desperately some people want to be known, not famous, just known. It’s almost sad.

Ok, so how does one go about managing this mess? Well, it’s not simple, maybe impossible, but here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Expect Someone To Connect the Dots

If you think you’ll be able to hide behind a different email address, think again. It may work against the casual observer, but if someone is really interested in finding out who is who, they WILL DO IT.

There Is No Expectation of Privacy On the Internet

Don’t write it, text it, email it, chat it, blog it, video it or otherwise commit anything to electronic “writing” that you don’t want someone to find out. It’s just too easy! Time after time (and hot video after hot video) we see a “private” message or video posted to the Internet for all to see. Before you snap that picture or click send…is this something you want other people to see? Think stolen camera or laptop!

Keep a Junk Mail Email Address

Email is free and plentiful in the Internet. Setup a free email address that you use to sign-up for website logins, newsletters, stuff like that. DO NOT use that address for your banking, credit cards, bill pay, etc. If you need to, setup another one for those chores and give it to no one. It’s not perfect, but it will GREATLY reduce spam and GREATLY reduce the likelihood of having your online identity stolen.

Common Sense Still Applies, Even In the Internet

Like my grandpa always said, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Why would Mr. Jambaba contact you randomly to receive his $1 million in cash? How reasonable does it sound that you won a contest you didn’t enter? THINK before you share!

Far From Complete

These are just a few of the many things I’ve learned over the past 18 years of connected living. There are many many more. Use common sense and treat every stranger online like you would if they walked up and knocked on your front door…at least that’s a good start! Do you have any good ideas? Share them with us in a comment below!

I wanted to take this opportunity to point out a new web presence I think you will all be interested in. GukuSabi is a new blog about stuff, kinda like Seinfeld, its a blog about nothin, but you’ll love it!