Dangers of VMK Friendships

[PurpleDuck]

Well, I have had several truly bad experiences from this game with interacting with some players. BUT, I have LEARNED from them. As will the children. (I am a mom with a teenager.)

While I do understand the intent of the OP is to avoid certain situations and while Doc's comments certainly are horrifiying and possible in this world today.. I can say I have made more true friendships via this particular online game. I know I can rely on anyone of the people on my friends list to "be there for me" if that should ever be necessary. As I am there for them, especially the children - several of which I have been called upon to defend in the absence of their parents.

While we all are/should be well aware of "safety on the internet" and we here at DIS even have a sticky there about Internet Safety.. I'm afraid I see this OP "bowlofcereal" as having sat in the milk for too long and is now too soggy to even communicate at a level that his/her intended audience can understand.

Let me leave it with this note to everyone: Review the Internet Safety guidelines (that ARE written for all ages to understand). DO BE suspicious of things that seem to good to be true, and NEVER plan to meet someone from online without having someone else with you. <end of soapbox rant>

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Duck,

What do you mean "be there for them" etc?

You mean like, you babysit their kids and such? Or are you talking about "in game"?

Not sure what you are really talking about here.

But to expand:
Recent statistic have shown that you are 50% more likely to be a victim of a crime if you give out personal information on the web. The have also shown that women and children are roughly 10 times more likely to be a victim of a crime if they give out personal information on the web.

For first time meetings, statistically, an act of violence is committed by one party against the other in 1 out of 3 first time meetings. If you meet anywhere but a public place, that figure jumps to 3 out of 4.

 

[FrontierNatasha]

Those are alot of words beyond my vocabulary.

Welcome to my world.

 

[PurpleDuck]

Duck,

What do you mean "be there for them" etc?

You mean like, you babysit their kids and such? Or are you talking about "in game"?

Not sure what you are really talking about here.

I am saying I am there for them, both on VMK or on DIS. If they are being bothered, harrassed, need to talk, or whatever it is that I can offer help with, in these two environments.

 

[mtlhddoc2]

I am saying I am there for them, both on VMK or on DIS. If they are being bothered, harrassed, need to talk, or whatever it is that I can offer help with, in these two environments.

Gotcha, but I believe the topic at hand was more in line with transferring those "friendships" into real life/offline friendships (which is why I posted the statements I made). Online friendships are great, you never have to worry about the 99,000 things which determine a real life friendship. But a true friend, real or whaterver, is one where you can say, "Hey, let me borrow $100 until Friday" and they hand it to you, no questions asked. Or "hey, can you sit my kids on Saturday night?" - if your "friend" doesnt trust you with $100 until Friday, or you do not trust them to sit your kids, they are not a friend, they are an "acquaintence"

 

[DarthJordan]

Nevermind, I think I get it. Still confuzzled though.

Yep, I'm still a bit confuzzled also... Too many big words.

 

[PurpleDuck]

Gotcha, but I believe the topic at hand was more in line with transferring those "friendships" into real life/offline friendships (which is why I posted the statements I made). Online friendships are great, you never have to worry about the 99,000 things which determine a real life friendship. But a true friend, real or whaterver, is one where you can say, "Hey, let me borrow $100 until Friday" and they hand it to you, no questions asked. Or "hey, can you sit my kids on Saturday night?" - if your "friend" doesnt trust you with $100 until Friday, or you do not trust them to sit your kids, they are not a friend, they are an "acquaintence"

Yes, look at all the " real life meets" that have indeed occurred via this internet game. Not ALL internet-to-real life encounters are bad, and in fact some of us have made real life friends out of this game, that would do as you correctly state are signs of friendships and not just acquaintances.

I do understand what you are saying about the bad side too. Please note, that my main objective on posting at all, was truly to point out that the OP basically repeated, in a language not understood by most of the posters here, something that can be much more easily understood in the sticky that already exists on this topic. Yet the title of the thread IS more likely to catch the eyes of the children, than the adults.

 

[Captain Brain]

I understood most of it, surprisingly.

While I know the dangers of internet friendships, which is why my mom won't let me have IM, I believe that we are reasonably safe here on the DIS. We all seem () to be nice, happy, people. On the internet, regardless of what you are doing, you have a risk, no matter what you say. I could say that I go to Harvard university studying law, and they could find out who I am.

Still a bit confused with the quotation marks, myself. Though, I have no room to talk, as I use apositives more than the average person should.

 

[StitchfansJr]

How do you know who you are meeting?
That is my point. I can go online all day and pretend to be a 14 year old boy and noone would know the difference. Read my post above. Just giving your PHONE NUMBER can be DEADLY. My points have nothing to do with Afddults meeting children (which should NEVER happen) - it is about ANYBODY meeting ANYBODY. Male, female, adult, child - we are ALL in danger.

That's what one of my non-DIS friends did. In trade he put up "-Numbers numbers and more numbers-. I kept on saying "?" The reason why I was confuzzled because he was saying "tell," which he meant to say "cell."
I got so scared, I reported him. After he got banned, I knew what he was saying.

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Good for you stitch, that is exactly what you should do!

Duck, yes, I agree, not all are bad. In my first post in this thread I did mention that I met my wife in a chat room
That was 9 years ago, we have been happily married for 3 years and had our first child together a year and a half ago. I have actually made some decent friends online. But those numbers pale in comparison to the number of extremely bad people I have met via online chat/games etc. You just do not know!

Thats why, my advise, if you choose to meet someone (and this goes for all, not just the kids):
A: Do not go alone, ever.
B: Do not give any personal information prior to meeting the person, not even your phone number.
C: Meet in a well lit, well staffed, very public place, such as a coffee shop or restaurant.
D: Never meet in a bar, mall or for a movie, beaches are not so good either.
E: Do not, ever.. ever.., have the person "pick you up", you might as well put a big "murder me" sign on your back.
F: Make the meeting during the day if possible. Seriously, daytime if best, I strongly suggest this.
G: If at all possible, make sure your meeting place is close to other well lit, well populated areas.
H: Get there early and plan an escape route should you need one.
I: choose a location within the establishment which is well traveled or can be seen from front counter or reception area.
J: Bring a cell phone with an emergency button and GPS.
K: If possible, take a qucik cell pic of the person as they enter the meeting place, because, hey, you never know.

 

[StitchfansJr]

Or if you meet at WDW, your parents will be right there by you, so if you do get hurt there will be your parents in the room, and stop them.

 

[mtlhddoc2]

I forgot one:

L: If you are a child (or teen) make sure you get parental approval and have your parents with you.

 

[StitchfansJr]

I forgot one:

L: If you are a child (or teen) make sure you get parental approval and have your parents with you.

Yeah, other wise you would get hurt, or kidnapped.

 

[Captain Brain]

Whenever I was at WDW in June, my parents never left me side. They really deserve more credit...Even whenever I met Skater, they asked, "Did you pre-arrange that? We would have liked to have known first." I had to save the day by telling them it was random, which it was.

This random post is brought to you by the letter BBBBBBBBBBBB.

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Brian: sounds like you have a good set of 'rents there

 

[FrontierNatasha]

Can somebody like post a dictionary or something?

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Can somebody like post a dictionary or something?

Sure

www.dictionary.com

 

[Captain Brain]

Brian: sounds like you have a good set of 'rents there

Yes I do, and I don't give them enough credit sometimes...

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Yes I do, and I don't give them enough credit sometimes...

No kid ever does! lol

That is something you do when you get a bit older

Most parents expect that though, so it is not as bad as it seems. Seriously, if you are really mad at your parents sometimes, they are doing a good job.

 

[Chedstro]

OK, Hi all. I would just like to interject the story of me and Out here. If you don't mind.

We met in VMK. Discovered that we were both "of a same age" since his sig at the time said, "I am older than Disneyland." Of course we can't say that now.

Anyway, we started hanging out a bit. Then met on Dis and pm.

Upshot is we finally took a really great vacatiion together to both DLR and WDW, this Sept. After getting to know eachother on vmk and dis.

And now I am moving to WDW. And we are planning our lives together. I just guess I Believe in the Magic. It worked for us. But we are truly old adults. So be careful out there!