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I try pretty hard to remain anonymous on this forum - wont' divulge how. I see others describing situations in very detailed posts, also listing state info or a supposedly first name. Wondering if anyone has ever had the experience of someone recognizing the situation described in the post and knowing that the post is about problems with that person. I imagine that could cause real problems at work. Currently in a situation where my coworker seems to know something "by osmosis", wondering if this could be how or if the coworker is fishing.

Please be careful about what you put out on the web. Nutcases abound!

A few years ago, I Googled a friend's email address and found a message board where she had posted over 10,000 times on a topic I had no idea she was even remotely interested in. I got morbidly curious and dove into the archives, and yes, she had posted details about her divorce that she hadn't told me. :imbar Had the proceedings been ongoing, I would have emailed her and warned her that anybody could see the things she posted, and since nobody would know her better than her husband, that could potentially be used against her especially if any of it was not true. Am I sure it was her? Oh, yeah.

I have seen posters on other boards doing this and have warned them accordingly.

There's another poster here that I know from another non-medical board, and the only reason I recognized her was because she uses the same name on that site too. And not long ago, I saw a post that was clearly made by someone who works at the same hospital as me. I thought about PM'ing this person, just to say hi, but decided not to.

I have looked at this site at work, but no way would I post! And I don't even look at "The Angry Pharmacist" website while on a work computer.

Specializes in LTC/SNF, Psychiatric, Pharmaceutical.
Yeah, I try to tell my daughter that I was on the internet before it had pictures, she just looks at me funny. I remember when your BBS screen suddenly typed out RING right before your phone rang while it was cutting you off. (That was before I got a second line just for the dang computer.) Lovely days, when the people who ran the BBS had nine phone lines in a little bitty apartment and the phone company thought they were completely nuts. You could, to get out of the house, go to Denny's at like two AM and have food fights with the same people you were talking to online.

If you were lucky the BBS people had email too!

I miss the BBS days myself. I never enjoyed the Internet that much. These were local people you talked to, and played cheap little text-based "door" games like Legend of the Red Dragon with. It was a fun hobby and not an intrusive presence where you could attract a bunch of umwanted attention.

I visit several other BBs. So many members from here are posting on other sites,non-nursing, under the same screen name. It is incredible to me how info I have/can find out about people. It is layed right out in front of you. Last names, dates of birth, city where they live, facility where they work.....and the one that always makes me cringe, pictures of themselves! With that much info flying about in cyberspace about someone it would be impossible to remain anonymous.

Just remember when you post your name, b-date and your state-anyone can find out a whole lot about you, including info about your license. By the way-shelly is the name of my childhood cat! But you can call me shelly, everyone else on here does! And I do not use the same screen name on any forum that I go to, I always make-up a new one.

Just remember when you post your name, b-date and your state-anyone can find out a whole lot about you, including info about your license. By the way-shelly is the name of my childhood cat! But you can call me shelly, everyone else on here does! And I do not use the same screen name on any forum that I go to, I always make-up a new one.

it's really too bad there are so many morbidly curious people out there, that just love to snoop and dig and delve.

personally i don't understand it, but it seems to be the way of human nature.

leslie

We had a huge scandel at my facility last year. A few nurses posted a tidbit on YOUTUBE. In it they talked about the hospital they worked at, MDs, other nurses...and patients. Admin was leaked this info and it was pulled down but the ramifications reached to the patients whose privacy had been violated. They are suing the nurses, who without discretion of any kind, spoke of full names and procedures the pt. had done. What a huge mess.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych.

I won't even look at this website at work - someone might see my username.

I am one of those people that have an email address with my name...so I created a new one just to get email from here! I feel bad sometimes because I do not share this website with other students. I know that I have learned so much useful info and that they would too. BUT selfishly, I want to remain anonymous and if I tell anyone about it, who knows if they would figure out who I am? Unfortunately I realize that its a small world and you never know who is going to bite you in the butt!

Specializes in NICU Level III.

I actually found my current job through a mod here..and I work with him so there goes my anonymity! I've found a few nsg school classmates on here accidentally.

Specializes in NICU.

A couple of my coworkers (same hospital, different units) post here, and there's one person that I know from waaaaaaaay back...who is also the person responsible for getting me totally hooked. My anonymity is pretty blown, anyway.

Luckily for me, I'm pretty direct IRL, too....so there's not much I would say here that I wouldn't say to someone's face.

Specializes in Hospice.
I am one of those people that have an email address with my name...so I created a new one just to get email from here! I feel bad sometimes because I do not share this website with other students. I know that I have learned so much useful info and that they would too. BUT selfishly, I want to remain anonymous and if I tell anyone about it, who knows if they would figure out who I am? Unfortunately I realize that its a small world and you never know who is going to bite you in the butt!

Me too! I'm in LPN school and think sometimes that my classmates might benefit from the information and/or venting on this site but I don't tell them about it because this is MY place to come and vent about THEM!! It's better if they don't know I'm on here and they accidentally run across it on their own. How selfish am I?!?! :imbar

It's best to go on the board with the assumption that you are recognized. That will keep you from divulging names and details...Public forums are just that: public forums.

Obviously no one in hospital management has an original thought in their head; they just copy what some other hospital is doing without figuring out if it will really work.

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I try to reply to the issue and not the poster, but sometimes, well... hospital management is an enormously difficult job. When the floor nurse punches out on a difficult patient and goes home, the issues are still there: the lawsuit threats, the state audits, the mounds of paperwork and staffing issues (you want next Sunday off, well, someone's got to work that out between you and the other 35 nurses with the same wants). If your managers stink, I'm sorry. They're not all cut from the same cloth.

Back to the issue: I've retired my other name because I was recognized by a coworker.

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