*sighs*

[Lanna_P]

It seems that in placing my profile for everyone to see... i've opened myself to alot of questions on what I look like, or why I didn't place my picture there.

While I appreciate everyone who made an effort to get me to open up and stop being so chicken about it. I don't know. I'm just not that keen on showing my face to everyone and anyone yet. Maybe it's because i've placed self concious dellusions in front of my own self... maybe it's just because i'm rather shy. *Shrugs* Who knows anymore.

But to the ones who are really that curious on what I look like. All you have to do is e-mail me you know. Ask. I don't mind doing it in a more private way *IF* you respect my privacy about it and NOT pass it around to others afterwards.

If not... please do not even ask for me to show it to you or for me to place it on my profile yet.

-Lanna P.

 

[Slut_boy]

Lanna, like you I was tentative at first. But there probably isn't anything to worry about. Maybe Laurel would consider making the member profile area a member's only site *looks across at Laurel blinking eyes in hope* - that way there wouldn't be a problem, after all we all know each other well enough.

Anyway,pending a reply, please will you e-mail me your pic *wink*

 

[Golden]

great idea Slut_Boy. I'd feel much more comfortable opening up to those who have done the same, rather than being vulnerable to any pasing dork who travels this way, garners our secrets, laughs at us not with us and then passes on ....

Laurel please?

 

[ShyGuy68]

Lannp P

I can understand why you are a bit reluctant to post your picture. It's not all that are willing to be recognized by others that might come here.

I did post my picture, because I don't think there's a very big chance that somebody that might know me see it, since I come from a small country. But if there are somebody that see and recognize me, and the confronts me with it, well then I know they come here too! lol


ShyGuy

PS. I would really like a picture too

!

 

[Fallen Angel]

I can readily agree with your concern Lanna.
Slut_boy I can't believe you did but it is a great pic. If Laurel is there I agree that the profile section should be restricted. That won't give a lot of protection but right now there is no protection.

I haven't added my profile but might if it didn't make me feel so naked? vulnerable?

[This message has been edited by Fallen Angel (edited 03-29-2000).]

 

[Unclebill]

To make it equitable, perhaps Laurwel could set it up so the pics are only displayed when the viewer has also posted a pic. That way, noone who isn't willing to be seen can see the others but can still read profile data.

 

[Lasher]

WTF?? If you want to post a pic, you post a pic. If you don't want to post a pic, you don't post a pic. If there are selected people that you would like to see your pic, you email them pics, and then you don't post a pic. If you're not sure, you don't do it. If you are sure, you do do it. If you think you're sure now, and post the pic, and then change you're mind later, THEN you ask Laurel to take your pic down and she does.

THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!

The paranoia people have about things on the internet just absolutely drives me nuts. Get over yourselves!! What makes you think that anyone would want to take the time to stalk you?

It's one thing to have legitimate concerns over revealing your identity (I think we all realize by now that Fallen Angel is actually George W. Bush, so of course he's concerned about revealing himself!!), but otherwise, stop hemming and hawing over something that really doesn't make a damn bit of difference.

 

[Nogard]

Lasher99; I agree. nuff said

 

[Sammyjo]

Lasher...let me guess...the vacation is over, right???? LOL

 

[Slut_boy]

Lasher, with all due respect, it really isn't that simple. To take your solution to its ridiculous extreme, we may as well e-mail each other every time we want to say something. But we don't because we want to share with each other. There is a public forum to share things in. Posts are different because there is a veil of anonymity - but there is no screen to lurk behind when it comes to photos. Its not the regulars that people are afraid of but rather the millions of weekly visitors who come here.

 

[Boo]

Its not fear of being stalked that keeps me from posting a photo anywhere on the net. Rather, it is not wanting to be recognized. There is still a major perception out in the "real world" that people who spend too much time on the net are well, pathetic. For the most part I don't agree that the perception is accurate or well deserved. There are extreme cases and I do know a few parents who claim their children have no idea how to interact at school or within the family and consider all of their "friends" to be people around the world they've met on the computer. I have an option of givng my picture to anyone I want to and that option eliminates the possibility of one of my "real life" friends or family members or former school mates happening on my photo in the literotica profile section and thinking.....humm....so that's what she's been doing since I saw her 15 years ago. Might sound paranoid and remote to you...and intellectually I grasp the unlikeliness of it.....but its still my reason and I'm sticking to it. So, not posting a photo or profile info doesn't have to be about fear of weirdos (after all we visit here voluntarily) but about picking and choosing what and to whom you reveal about yourself.

Boo

 

[Rolly]

This is a good question and one that I have been faced with since posting my narrative "Sunrise My Darling". Several readers have requested that I post my picture and more information. As a single, younger female, I'm very hesitant to publish pictures and more personnel information. Do not trivialize the potential for danger here for women. Literotica has thousands and thousands of visitors every week and no way of knowing who they are. This is an exciting site and a place that most women can participate in discussions about sexuality and love -- lets keep safe and not take any risks. I for one will not be posting any pictures in an area publicly accessed. And yes it is easy to be complacent about your safety if your a big hulking man, but remember, women live in a little different world, please try and see things from our eyes. If women free safe contributing at Literotica it will be a better web site. This is an idea that I would think most males here would like to promote; i.e.; what a boring place it would be with out us (women), because females where scared to post - no female produced stories (?).
After studying this site for a while, I felt it was a safe place to contribute, in contrast I will not go near those horrid Internet news groups. I very much trust in Laurel to somewhat safe guard our private information and look after the women interests who participate.

To support my view, please read the following news stories at the listed links:

Victimized…Internet Style http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020_000111_stalking_feature.html

Killer keeps Web pages on victim, uses Internet to stalk her http://www.seattletimes.com/news/nation-world/html98/inet_19991130.html

Jane

 

[Lanna_P]

You know, the last thing I wished to do was cause problems for you all.

I rather like this Site..*smiles*.. Oh very much so. It's become a world where I can be the sexually rampant person I am.. and feel comfortable with that.

I appreciate EVERYONE who made this Site possible. Including the persona who put up their stories... baby, what stories they are

Helped me enjoy what I do fantasise about in a more open way.

Thanks to Laurel, I've been made feel even more welcome here. *gives her big happy huggles*

I respect everyone's response.. especially yours Lasher99. And I am doing what you suggest. Posting to everyone that I will let them have a pic of me, if they respect my privacy about it. I thank you for giving a different perspective on the matter. It really is appreciated even if some don't agree.

Am I chicken about my looks? You betcha. I've always been that way.

Am I going to get over it? I'd like to. And with comments from people who have seen my pic like ShyGuy *blows him a sloppy kiss*, it helps me to see that not everyone is going to outright berate me for how I look.

Am I worried about being recognised? In a way yes. But I figure that whomever comes to this Site, is a healthy sexually oriented person as I am. Otherwise, this place wouldn't even BE here.

But like Rolly here, I also see the potential bad with the good. I have to. In weighing the Pros and cons.. being a bit cautious... I'm not putting myself at risk for something TO happen.... just taking the incentive to keep my own, my own.
Not everyone on the Net is who they put forward for you to see. Just like in real life. The only difference to that is... on the Net... it's easy to hide in the shadows... showing only what is "appropriate" and hiding the rest with no one else the wiser of it. You have no idea. Caution, shouldn't be considered paraniod...

I'm going to trust my instincts on this one. They've never lied to me.

* to lighten the mood here, begins handing out love beads to everyone with a skip in her step and a smile on her lips*
Who wants to hear a joke?

 

[Bubblebuns]

I just had to interject something here. This is the first and only site that I feel safe at--- I really feel like the women are really women

and yes the men can really be men

To many other sites on the web have men posing as women while chatting, sometimes even women posing as men. This is just my opinion, but if the women here feel safer by not letting the "surfing crowd" have access to the "member profile pics" then I say I'm all for it. I would hate to lose those GREAT ladies-- So PLEASE, do whatever it takes to keep them here at literotica.

Thanks, bubblebuns

 

[Laurel]

Hi everyone,

I'm always happy to read your feedback about new ideas for the site. The Member Profiles are a very recent addition to Literotica, and are still evolving. I've talked to many users through email and the feelings about showing one's picture vary greatly. Some people enjoy showing their pic to the whole world, while others just want to share their photo with people they've met on the board or in chat. The question then becomes, how do you make the Profiles work for everyone?

Beyond those concerns, there's the technical aspect of all of this. The way that the profiles are currently set up, I cannot exclude a certain group of people from viewing them. That is not to say that things won't change in the not-too-distant future. I haven't posted about this publicly yet, but we recently worked out a deal with a programmer to do a major overhaul of the way Literotica works behind the scenes. Under the new system, which we hope to put online in early summer (USA), user profiles will be a more integrated part of the site. It is certainly possible that if enough people were interested, we could figure out a way to make it so only members could view other member's pictures. Even better, and probably possible as well, would be an option of having your picture be available to the public or only to other members at your discretion.

The first step is to get the new back end of Literotica done. Once that is in place, it's gonna open up a whole new world of possibilities for the site. The new system will be based on databases, whereas the current site is written in static HTML pages. It may not sound like a big difference, but it's gonna allow us to post stories much faster than we can now, as well as add features that are impossible to even consider under the current system. Personally, I'm really really excited about the new system. It's something Manu and I have talked about for nearly a year, and now it's finally happening.

My other thought on this issue is in regards to the idea of requiring a user to post a picture before they can see other user's pictures. I'm afraid that this would only encourage mischievous users to submit fakes pics of themselves so that they could view other people's pics.

I encourage everyone to continue discussing ideas that would make the site better. As nerdy as it sounds, I actually have a notebook where I write down possible new features for the site. The idea of user profiles, as well as many other parts of the site, came from suggestions from users, and Literotica will continue to grow as long as people care enough to give their input.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Picking the VP's is really the next big issue in the election. I wish that there was a woman with a really good chance of getting it but there is always a next time.

My vote will go for Bush Jr. unless something shows with some promise from the sidelines.(third party)

I do think it will prove interesting to see what happens when our current one retires and isn't protected by the office of president anymore.

 

[Havocman]

Originally posted by Fallen Angel:
...I wish that there was a woman with a really good chance of getting it but there is always a next time.

I'm still betting that Libby Dole has an outside chance at the VP slot...I think that may be why she dropped out so early and endorsed Bush Jr.

My vote will go for Bush Jr. unless something shows with some promise from the sidelines.(third party)

I still say we all write in our votes for Lasher...regardless of his past substance usage

I do think it will prove interesting to see what happens when our current one retires and isn't protected by the office of president anymore.

Or more to the point, isn't protected by Janet Reno at the Justice Dept.

And as to the original topic of this thread, I would have to agree with my Presidential Nominee Lasher, if ya wanna post a profile or a pic, do it, if not don't...seems pretty obvious to me.

Havoc

 

[Fallen Angel]

Do you ever sleep Madam?
Go and pet that pussy-cat. She needs lovin after that long visit to the vet.

In the future an area restricted to registered users I think would be nice. It won't really keep anyone out but will help to restrict it to the ones with enough of an intrest to invest a little time. The thing that concerns me is that I fear some may be lulled into a false sense of security while posting here. This site has thousands of hits a day and I am sure most of them have never even posted much less registered.

I have gotten several emails from people I have never heard of. Some I am sure think that I am a girl (sorry to disappoint you wolf-e) due to my name. I take it in stride and don't worry due to the fact that it is not my real name and the email posted is an anonymous one from here.

I recently got an email asking everyone to BCC email that they were going to send on to friends instead of just forwarding it. BCC only sends out the orginating email address and the recipent's instead of the long list of names and emails of people who read it and forwarded it before you. (from lady who was stalked by guy many mail forwards later)

Now Lasher why would you think that I might be Bush? But you should vote for my uh I mean the boy from Texas as he has royal, I mean presidental blood in his viens. Do not try and trace this, agents will be watching. Zeke too!

I will post my picture as soon as Laurel does and I find a condom large enough for my entire body so that I will be protected from STD (that does stand for "shit for days" right)

 

[ShyGuy68]

Lanna_p

Hmmmm very nice kiss! now if only you were closer to MA, then you could give it to me in person in a little over a weeks time! ;-)

I honestly think that beauty also comes from within. To me it's amazing how much a nice smile and a pair of nice eyes can mean to me. I would rater have a woman with that, than a woman with good looks, and none of it.

As a danish singer sings in a song: "If you want to make love to my body, you have to make love to my mind"!


ShyGuy

 

[Lasher]

C'mon Fallen W., My momma didn't raise no dummies. You're a guy, you're from Texas...do I have to make it any more clear??

BTW, those of us up here in PA are really expecting you to pick Gov. Ridge for your VP. Don't let us down! (Unless, of course, you can talk Colin Powell in to the job, that would be acceptable).

 

[Will]

I think that McCain pushed Bush so far too the right that if Colin Powell doesn't take the VP slot, it would have to go to Elizabeth Dole or Christine Todd Whitman (although I'd like it to be J.C. Watts, myself). And I also agree with Lasher- if you want to post, post, if you don't want to post, don't post.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 03-31-2000).]

 

[Lasher]

WTF? People are agreeing with me? This is like two threads now where that's happened. I must be getting soft.

I forgot about JC Watts. Interesting choice, I just don't think he has the name recognition. And he's from a smaller state, right? Oklahoma or something? I think Bush is gonna have to go with a centrist and either a Northeasterner or a Californian. I think Liz Dole's problem is she's really stateless, and doesn't have the pull where it's needed. I look at Bush's needs and I see Powell, Pataki, Ridge and Whitman as the top 4 choices. I can't think of a big name Californian that's a Republican.

As far as Gore is concerned, I think his only real choice is Diane Feinstein. He needs a woman and a Californian to have a real chance of winning. He may look like he's close in the national pools now, but if you look at state by state matchups, he's got some problems.

Unfortunately, Article II Section I of the US Constitution makes it impossible for me to run this year. However, 2004 is another story.

 

[Lasher]

Don't forget, Havoc, Bush went into the Primary season with $70 million. Given the nature of the business, I'd think we'd need about $20 million in the bank by christmas 2002 just to be competitive. No one's gonna take you seriously if you've got any less.

I like the slogan, thought. Can you see the TV commercials? Simple 30 second spots, average people just standing there wearing plain white t-shirts that say Lasher '04 on them...they stare at the camera for about 22 secs, shrug their shoulders and start to walk away...and then the answer says, "Why not?..." And then it fades to black. Hell, we could film the spots with a camcorder...I'm guessing with tape and everything for about $10 a spot.

Back to the VPs...I think Gore has to go with a Californian. He can already kiss off Texas and Florida, and most of the South for the matter. The West and Midwest also go to Bush. New England goes to Gore, and I think he'll do well in the border states...He can't win without California. Without it he'd have to sweep the Rust Belt (NY, NJ, PA, OH, MI, IN, IL), split the South, and come up with some upsets in the West. I haven't really looked at the numbers yet. But that's the feeling I get now.

Oh, and forget about Bush's image in the Primaries. He knew what he was doing there. You can say whatever you want in February, as long as you lock up the nomination in March, just like he did. Now everyone forgets about what's going on til convention time in July. Gives them 4 months to reinvent the candidate, which is exactly what will happen. That's why Gore is trying to pin Bush down right now, that's where the idea for the debates starting right now came from. But Bush's people are smart, he'll lay low til July, cause they know they're up first for convention time, and they can look forward to a 10-15 point bump in the polls come the last week of July. That's when the action starts. As long as the polls stay close, they start August 1st with a 10+ point lead.

Oh, and that's what I meant by the Californians, no one knows who those guys are. You won't see any suprises this year, no Dan Quayles. Both candidates will go with big name, big money running mates.

[This message has been edited by Lasher99 (edited 04-01-2000).]

 

[Fallen Angel]

Damn I am going to have to agree with Lasher again. Gore is really going to have to reach and choosing a woman from California as VP would help him.(but I will believe it when I see it) Bush/Powell would be a really hard ticket to beat. Who knows what markers are being traded in the backrooms as everyone jockeys for the position.

The next one in the White House may get to be the sacrificial lamb if OPEC can keep its act together and interest rates climb hurting the DOW.

 

[Lasher]

You know, the one thing that keeps me from thinking that Bush will even try for Colin Powell? 1988. Look what happened to Dukakis when he picked a VP that was obviously more qualified to be president than he was. Sure, Dukakis was a weak candidate to begin with, but the way Bentsen performed during the campaign only helped to reinforce how weak he was. I don't think Bush's advisors will allow him to make the mistake of picking a VP that will overshadow him.

I wouldn't be suprised to see oil prices stay high all summer long. That's a nightmare for Gore, I'd just beat him all summer long with that one.