Who reads what we write?

[Icu4dzs]

Every once in a while, I look at the statistics of this group and find something rather interesting.

When looking at topics it is really eye-opening to see how many folks have viewed a topic and compare it to the number of folks who actually respond and contribute to that topic.

I do notice a trend though. If you look at the topic started by WZ on Food shortages, it has had over 24 thousand views but only 560-some comments. Then there is the one called "This will scare you" and the ratio is somewhat greater. So if we look at the topic by title, in which ever section you choose to examine, there are some interesting ratios of comment to views. Some folks are viewing things like "How to start prepping" a lot more than some other topics.

One topic has a 65:1 ratio of views to comments. Some have 50's:1 ratio and WZ's food shortage topic has about 43:1.

I guess I just would love to know exactly WHO is reading these and what exactly they are learning. We who post here have one agenda and that is to become more prepared and aware of what risks we face, but then I think about who else is learning about us?

I stopped using Face-book after thinking about this for a while. You probably used the word "paranoid" while reading this but then what do we know about who reads what we write and what they know about us now that we have given out so much information? I've read multiple people use the word "Zombies" and think that many of them might just be folks who, rather than prepare for themselves might be deciding who they wish to visit. That gives me some cause for concern and I often wonder if what we do here is going to come back to bite us one of these days not too long from now.

I only mention this because I found those ratio's interesting. Many of the really higher ratios are looking at a significant number of topics where we discuss what we have done or to do to be ready for a problem.

Are we putting ourselves at RisK here? Only you can answer this for yourself, but I think it bears looking into rather than blindly trusting everyone you "meet on the internet."

Not a sermon, just a thought.
//BT//
Trim sends

 

[BarredBuff]

Well some people hold their tongue others may just look.

 

[moolie]

The number of post views includes EVERY view--this means each time you click on a thread, the view count goes up. So every time people see that there are new posts in an interesting thread and read the new posts, the count goes up.

Additionally, this forum isn't private--anyone can read it, you just need to sign up to post here. So there are probably all kinds of people reading along who never take part. I myself read for a few months before joining.

 

[TanksHill]

I had never noticed the number of times a thread had been read vs the ammount of post. I imagine some of the traffic might be non members just reading.

Very interesting point.

G

 

[JRmom]

I don't think you are being paranoid at all. We should all be careful about what we "put out there" for the whole world to see. That said, I spent over a year bouncing around different forums, always a lurker, reading and gathering information on the SS lifestyle and how I could apply SS to my life. I lurked here for quite a while before I felt comfortable...and felt I might have something of value to offer every once in a while. I would hazard a guess that the majority of lurkers are people just like us.

I do think we need to keep in mind that it is easier than you might think for someone to find out who the person is behind the screen name and avatar. And I never post anything that I wouldn't feel comfortable having anyone read.

 

[Icu4dzs]

Great points. Yes, I know each time we look at a post it turns the dial, but just the same, it gets your attention.

I recently learned that with some new form of technology, a photograph taken by a "GPS" equipped camera can actually be identified as to where that picture was taken by "others". Makes you kind of interested to know who would want that sort of information and do that sort of thing, huh? The poster even said that as a result of the technologies available now, some total stranger showed up at a friends house because they "communicated on the Internet". Anyone that curious about where I am or what I am doing is going to read that sign on my farm:

"This farm protected by Smith&Wesson and G*d. If you come here uninvited, you WILL meet them both."

Like I said in my journal, "Go ahead and send 'em up. I'll wait"
//BT//
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[Wifezilla]

I am more concerned about the punks and losers in their neighborhood who can easily see that I have produce growing in the yard and tasty animals outback than some internet stalker.

 

[eroommij]

I read each day but I don't post much at all Its just who I am.
Some day I may start posting here but I read a lot and will never post on most forms.

 

[k0xxx]

It's not paranoid, it's called OpSec (Operational Security), and everyone should practice it by not giving out personal information and their exact location. Of course, that's easy to say, as I did that very thing when I registered with my Amateur Radio call sign. That being said, if things got desperate, what easier way to locate resources than to scan forums such as this, and look for for those in your area that were a little too descriptive about their location?

OpSec goes even further than this forum, and it should be practiced in our daily lives. Be careful of who you talk to about your personal preparations. We sometimes go to a certain warehouse type store, and are often asked about our rather large purchases (like the time we bought 8 cases of toilet paper). Our standard response is that everything is for a summer camp. It is usually sufficient to satisfy their curiosity.

 

[Wifezilla]

Ok, I would have said something MUCH more sarcastic than "Summer Camp" though that is a good answer.

Here are a few that came to mind...
#1. "We are going out to eat tonight at South Of The Border and we just wanted to be ready for tomorrow."
#2. "My wife is a horrible cook."
#3. "My teenager pads her bra and we keep running out."
#4. "We're trying to corner the TP market one case at a time."
#5. "I'm a chili cook-off judge in my spare time."
#6. "We going as obese mummies to a Halloween party so we extra wrapping."
#7. "Our alien overlord demand more quilted softness!"
#8. "We like to use 8 ply toilet paper I have to wind these on to one big roll when I get home."
#9. "What else would you use to build a fort in your basement?"
#10. "This just has to last me until the economy collapses. Then I will start using $20 bills."