Posted by ayuda on April 19, 2003, at 10:42:42
In reply to Is that the site that uses spyware? - ayuda, posted by BekkaH on April 19, 2003, at 1:17:53
I don't say that it uses spyware when I mention it because all I know is that it has pop-up ads, so I'm not going to say something I don't personally know as a fact. Others have experienced it using spyware, so be aware of that.
Unfortunately, I do have all the latest protection software on my computer, and it works without letting me know, so I never know if or when those things are occuring. And the reason I have all that software is searching the internet in general adds spyware and other bugs to your computer -- the site that Jay uses isn't the only one out there that people are using that surreptitiously adds spyware, so people have to be careful EVERYWHERE on the internet. Especially BEWARE of pop-up ads, they are not just annoyances, they can be dangerous.
In order for Jay to get a totally FREE site that will allow for posting, he had to agree to pop-up ads -- he makes that clear in the permanent postings that users are required to read. The advertisements pay for the use of the site. Otherwise, there would have to be payment for use of the site and who's going to pay? Jay didn't set it up for himself. HE isn't running spyware, the host of his site does the ads so that no one has to pay to use the site. Internet sites cost money, and a lot of it -- I'm sure Dr. Bob doesn't get this one for free! But no one ever really knows that unless they have their own site.
As for Jay's credentials, Jay started the site so that PB people could chat and NOT have to be civil or worry about being blocked, that's all. He has several permanent entries on the site that give all the information as to the reason the site exists and what his role is. So he isn't doing it as a social worker, he did it as a person who has met a lot of people on PB that he wants to have more open conversations with, under the assumption that there are more of us who also want to do the same, on a website instead of trying to coordinate a group chat session. So I don't think that his credentials come into play at all -- his site is not an experimental site or even HIS site at all, he just set it up mainly for chatting, with or by other people.
The mental health aspects of it are just that we are all PB users, yet can chat without fear of being uncivil, and if we want to talk about our medications, he makes it clear in his permanent posts (that everyone is required to read) that there is no doctor monitoring the posts, if you want REAL information you go see a doctor, you don't ask the other kids on the playground. That should be common sense. I may tell my doctor that I heard that such-and-so med is working well for someone I chat with online, but he has enough backbone that if he doesn't think it fits into my therapy, he will tell me so. I can't make my own prescriptions, and I'm assuming that most of the people who use that site can't, either, so any information we exchange is purely chatting. But most of the posts are being able to kvetch in what has been deemed an "uncivil" manner here, and Jay has warnings up outside the kvetch "room" that it can be brutal, enter at your own risk.
So I think that he has covered all the ground for informing and warning people who use the site, and the rest should be common sense.
I think that these things have been discussed here enough that it does not need to be repeated every single time we mention the site. As I said above, everywhere you go on the internet there is the potential for spyware, adware, cookies, trojan horses, worms -- my "pest control" software lists about 30 different things that can affect a computer by using internet sites where you send and receive information, or that implant these "pests" just through your use of the site. And many are more dangerous than spyware, some can steal passwords or encryption codes on your computer.
So I would say in general BE CAREFUL, especially when you use an internet site that allows for sending and receiving information, it's all dangerous unless it tells you it's a secure connection (like when I use my bank or credit card websites). And the vast majority of websites are NOT secure. People should not feel comfortable surfing the 'net, they should always be on guard. That's why I bought all the spyware and anti-pop-up ad and cache cleaning software I did, and yes it cost about $120 total, but it gives me a peace of mind, because I have a DSL, so my computer is always connected to the internet, which is good in many ways but I have to be careful that it remains a good thing.
Sorry I am sooooooo wordy, my pain doc just put me on percodan 3x a day (up from vicodin) this week, and it makes me soooooo talkative (and that obviously carries over to typing). But I hope that I answered all of your concerns and questions, and also anyone else who is interested in Jay's site but wanted to explore this issue further. I wish I could share my software with everyone so that no one has to worry about the things that attack computers, but that would be illegal.
poster:ayuda
thread:220329
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030414/msgs/220601.html