I don't really need advice on this matter anymore, since I've made up my mind, but I'd like to know your views on something that's been bothering me for a while and I'd like to know if anything like this has ever happened to you.

I have an LJ account and it's been friends-only for a while. I did that because I wanted to keep an eye on the people reading my entries that are rather personal at times. I thought I knew all of them. But it turns out I didn't. Some of them are talking behind my back about me in entries I can't read and even on other journals.
I've made actual friends through the internet. Some of them I talk to on the phone. I've met some of you in real life and it's been fun and I liked that. But now I don't know what to think anymore.

Why do people do this? What do they have to gain. I don't even know the ones that are doing it too well. And they don't know the real me either. It makes me sad and somewhat paranoid.

Internet is a tricky medium. You can easily hide who you are and pretend to be somebody else.

Have any of you ever experienced anything like this?

As a rule I would like to believe if you have a LJ or something which you invest a fair amount of time in your tell the truth, it must take a load of effort to "lie" all the time about everything.

I suspect that some people do like the bitchy side of the internet, like the drama. It moves at a slower pace so people can "plan" there moves etc and watch it unfold a lot like soaps :hee: in England they are the most watched TV shows so perhaps people have no lives they have to watch others, or in some cases interfere.

I'd just block or delete them and tell them to grow up. ^_^ but thats just me

last year, a girl at my school anonomously posted nasty things about other girls on her xanga and it got waaaaay out of hand. the principal of the school found out, and she got in MAJOR trouble. expelled, i think

I had a similar experience to Miranda. I also got harrassed on AIM for a long time. People would make new screen names and mess with me. They've gotten over themselves now, thank goodness. Some people think they are invincible behind the computer screen. I mean, there are pros and cons to everything. You just have to be careful.

Chin up girls!
You're definitely loved here!!! :hug:

There are always some stupos around the net. I had to experiance that myself. The problem is not being able to talk to the people from face to face.

The internet is a scary thing sometimes, I'm a lot more paranoid about using it now than I used to.

I've met some nice people on the internet. One of my best friends of 6 years is someone I met on the 'net, so that's one of the good things about it. But I wouldn't do it again. Now I don't really make friends with people on the 'net: I talk to them, but don't make proper friendships anymore.

There are some creepy people out there and you never know who's on the other side talking to you, so you just have to be careful about who you trust I suppose!