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Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I am writing to you to impore you to please remind our adult players that safety isn’t just for teens and tweens.
A few days ago, I was sitting queitly in a room watching a young mother brag on and on about her children with a very proud grandmother. Within just a very few minutes, I knew names and ages of these children along with the names of the schools they attend. The player profiles gave away their exact locations along with the first names of the adults playing. I finally did pipe up and point out the safety concerns. Luckily, both of the people who were doing the “blabbing” took the warning with the tone that was implied, and didn’t “yell” at me. But it has just unnerved me because I see this happen so much on Pogo.
We have all watched the “Children in Danger” magazine programs. What most people do not realize though, is that the proud parents and grandparents probably inadvertently spill the personal information a lot more than the teens do. Make no mistake about it, criminals are very smart and don’t target teen rooms only.
Think about it… if you live in Smith Town USA, and are bragging about your 8 year old daughter named Samantha Jean who plays soccer for the Smith Town Soccer Stars, how hard do you think it is for a “not so nice” person to find Samantha Jean now? Just a few months ago, a man was able to track down my daughter’s web community account just by me sharing with someone that I was happy that she made the team she was trying out for. (I’m editing out the specifics here).
Please, please…..remind adults to please keep their loved ones safe….don’t share that information!
– Watch What You Say
| Dear Watch What You Say, Thank you so much for your warning. Your real-life examples send a shiver down my spine, and no doubt many people’s spines. We can get very comfortable online, and that sense of comfort can make us forget that there are predators out there who are looking for information. If you tend to talk a lot about your personal life, they may start following you from room to room and begin to collect all sorts of information about you or your loved ones. They may want to steal your identity, or worse. Much worse. You can never be too careful. |
Ms. Netiquette,
I receive a message that Pogo is going to do this or that unless I forward the letter to EVERYONE on my mailing list. How can I know if these claims are true or not?
Messages like “Pogo charging $10” or “Someone getting Pogo for free, etc…”
Thank You,
– How Will I Know?
| Dear How Will I Know?, First of all, what you’re looking at is spam. Any message that asks you to forward it to others is generally considered spam, and most people eventually get in the habit of reporting the spammer and deleting the message upon seeing it. The sooner you adopt this habit, the sooner you will not be bothered with these types of rumors. As for the content of these messages, the best thing to do is to ignore it. They’re written to evoke shock and panic, and are very rarely accurate. If you want to get accurate information, the best place to look is always right from the source. If you receive a message from someone with some kind of special information about Pogo, go check out the Latest News section of the Community Center. Most of these messages have been circulating for months and months. If your particular issue is not addressed, then you should write to our Customer Support department. |
Dear Ms.Netiquette,
I run a small motel and am thankful I have Pogo to help keep me sane because my job is 24/7. My favorite game is Canasta. I was on my second game with a player I’ll call “LiverLips.” I had won the first game and had just won the second game as well. After my win, she immediately wrote: “maybe I’ll win after I play a kibillon games like you but I have a life. I can see why you are single lmao POGO DOESN’T COUNT FOR A MAN ROTFLMAO.” And then she left.
I really found this hurtful as she doesn’t know me or my life. I know she was angry because she lost, but that was really uncalled for. To me that is abuse! People like this need to be reported and have their membership suspended for a month. Just because she didn’t swear doesn’t mean it isn’t abuse. I have never encountered anyone so mean and hurtful. I hope she isn’t like this all the time, but I’ll bet she is! Please do something so others are not hurt!
Thank you so much,
– Vickie
| Dear Vickie, I am so sorry that you were hurt by this spiteful player. Obviously, LiverLips is an extremely poor sport who took a little information that you were willing to share with her and used it to create a fantasy in order to both hurt you and to make herself feel better. It’s very unfortunate that people behave like this, but they do, and they play on Pogo. What she did is certainly abusive. However, it’s not an easy case to prove, and it’s unlikely that reporting her would have brought upon her a suspension. Should you run into someone like this again, the best thing to do is to recognize that this person is a poor sport and don’t take the hurtful words personally. Then mute the player and try to avoid them in the future. Pogo is made up of a lot of good sports who recognize that they’re not always going to win. Then there are people who for whatever reason take losses personally and lash out against their opponents for what they perceive to be their own shortcomings. It’s hard not to feel insulted when someone says something so cruel, but if you recognize that their words are more of a reflection on them than they are on you, it’s easier to step back and move on. |
