View Full Version : Threatening Trailjournals Guestbook Entries
I was reading the current 2010 AT Trailjournals and I happened to read the guestbook registry for R.A. Wizard, who is hiking this year. I don't know if people write things in the signins in jest or what, but I happened to read which I guess one could take either way as a threatening/disturbing response from someone? Again I don't know whether this is in jest or not. My question to other's here is to ask, is this a normal fun thing to do or is this somewhat irresponsible and juvenile? I can't see or understand the point of people writing negative/threatening putdowns, etc...in someones journal, possibly causing undo mental worry and hardship for their loved ones:mad:.
Hikerhead
05-10-2010, 12:15
It's a public journal. Any Tom Dick and Harry in the universe can read it and post to it. They can turn off the guestbook.
Cookerhiker
05-10-2010, 13:11
On a TJ for one of my previous hikes, I received a hateful Guestbook entry. Fortunately I discovered it about a week afterwards and deleted it. TJ account holders have that capability.
I had a very negative entry show up on my Postholer journal about 2 months after I finsihed the trail by some annonymous poster. Since I was no longer posting new entries, I didn't notice. A reader of my jounral notified the admin who contacted me about it. So I deleted it.
I don't know if its just some random idiot who does it or if its someone that I had met and somehow rubbed the wrong way. Perhaps they didn't like something I posted on a forum that had a link back to my journal. Whoever it was, since they felt so strongly about their feelings that they hid their identify its hard to get worked up over it since the default assumption in these things is that it was someone who is 12 with acne. Definitely not something to let the blood pressure rise over.
The anon nature of the Internet brings out the worse in people at times (or is the worst people? :) ) A real anon site like Trail Journals (where you don't even have to register) really brings out the trolls.
Luckily, most people are good and I like to think of the mainly positive comments people post.
:sun
bulldog49
05-10-2010, 17:53
I was reading the current 2010 AT Trailjournals and I happened to read the guestbook registry for R.A. Wizard, who is hiking this year. I don't know if people write things in the signins in jest or what, but I happened to read which I guess one could take either way as a threatening/disturbing response from someone? Again I don't know whether this is in jest or not. My question to other's here is to ask, is this a normal fun thing to do or is this somewhat irresponsible and juvenile? I can't see or understand the point of people writing negative/threatening putdowns, etc...in someones journal, possibly causing undo mental worry and hardship for their loved ones:mad:.
Read that post from Bearpaw again. He used lol and it was clear from the last couple sentences he is close friends with Wizard.
FritztheCat
05-10-2010, 18:22
I don't think the post was from Bearpaw (the post didn't list a name). It didn't seem humorous to me by any stretch of the imagination.
It's a public journal. Any Tom Dick and Harry in the universe can read it and post to it. They can turn off the guestbook.
You are absolutely right. It was the journalist's choice to post his journal publicly and anyone with an internet connection can sign the guest book.
But, this does not give ANYONE a license to make criminal threats. I don't know if the comment to which the OP refers is indeed a criminal threat, but if it is, the person responsible could be held liable.
Some people hide behind the "mask" of their computers and think they can get away with anything.
I don't think the post was from Bearpaw (the post didn't list a name). It didn't seem humorous to me by any stretch of the imagination.This was also how I viewed this. To me after reading it I just felt the need to bring this to light. It seemed disturbing to a certain extent. I also read the post after this post in question in which it was stated that he was being missed by other's, and that his possible whereabouts had become unknown. Maybe this was just some anonymous poster acting idiotic, but the way this was stated drew attention to it.
SGT Rock
05-10-2010, 20:27
It's the nature of how their software works. Anyone can post as anybody. I've had some awful ones on my journal and I have heard of people making threats using my name or someone else who I know's name.
Lone Wolf
05-10-2010, 20:28
journals should be handwritten and private. my opinion. post it for all to see, deal with what comes at ya
kayak karl
05-10-2010, 20:41
some years back Brer Rabbit got so many bad entries he closed his journal
Blissful
05-10-2010, 21:53
too bad. The Internet is a jungle. I can't get rid of the ?!?!!? person with his Chinese symbols mixed with English that keeps trying to spam my writing blog (glad I moderate it but it's a pain).
Ladytrekker
05-10-2010, 23:31
I will have to keep on up this. I am transcribing for Sue Hammock Hanger Turner while she is on the GET. Hopefully the crappy stuff doesn't show up on hers. I will keep it cleared out for her.