You are not as anonymous as you think you are. Fellow bloggers…do you ever get bothersome comments left on you blog?
Actually I haven’t had that happen too often…and not recently. The time I was slammed was when I wrote an article supporting the execution of Tookie Williams. But since then…not really. Occasionally I’ll get some jerk leave a comment that remains unpublished due to it’s offensive nature. But mostly…folks are kind and thoughtful…and I appreciate them taking the time to drop a quick note.
But I was surprised when I checked my comment area the other day to find a rather snippy comment that bordered on rude. This particularly article was not at all controversial. In fact the article focused on God in a praiseworthy manner.
That’s why I was taken aback by the comment. Now I don’t normally take the time to look up information when some jerk that leaves a comment…I figure it’s just a reflection on them and their character. But when that comment comes from someone who purports to be a Christian…lets just say…my detective interest were peaked.
That’s when I got a quick lesson that you are not as anonymous as you think you are. For example…by using Haloscan to document and publish comments left on my blog I can see the IP Address of the commenter. So even if they choose to speak their mind and remain anonymous…they aren’t.
With technology advancing at the rapid pace it is…you can find just about everything you want on the web. A lot of it is for free…and more detailed info for a fee.
I found a free website where I can pop in the IP Address and come up with a longitude and latitude. IP2Location
After getting my latitude and longitude…I then went to another website where I plugged in the long/lat info…and searched for the address. SteveMorris.org It may not be the exact address…especially if it’s an apartment. But it gives a small range of homes or businesses within those coordinates.
Next…I did a reverse address search were I plugged in the address to get me a list of possible names and addresses who fall into that address/long/lat/IP Address. WhitePages.com
Now that’s just what’s available for free, on the web, and it just took a few minutes.
So a word of caution to the jerks that want to go out and speak their mind…you are not as anonymous as you think you are.
Just for the record…anonymous comments are really very ineffective. Why in the world should I put any stock in what you have to say…when you lack the courage to stand behind what you say by signing your name and fail to back up your opinion with facts?
I think it’s also a good reminder to me…that when I get in a huffy mood and want to leave a rude snippy comment…I’m truly not anonymous either.
Most importantly to the Christian…is what I say befitting a Christian? Whether I sign my name to it…or speak in presumed anonymity?
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