Need Intelligent Freeper Input: Guidelines For Our Prominent Freepers

Source: All of us | 02/11/2005 | By Laz

[Lazamataz]

Recently, two Freepers who have some measure of prominance outside the forum have been damaged by liberals and/or Democrats. Jeff Gannon has resigned as a White House reporter, and the individual who goes by the name NCPAC has left his position in Maryland.

J. Gannon wasn't necessarily damaged by anything he posted here, but NCPAC was damaged by the work of a Democrat mole or a Washington Post reporter who revealed his freepmails.

It should be possible to post on this forum with anonymity and to be able to really discuss what's on your mind without worrying about Democrats trying to ruin your professional life, so, in order to help prominent Republicans who may wish to be an active member of Free Republic, I'm formulating some suggestions that I would like to have new users see.

This is what I have so far, as far as guidelines to help our prominent freepers avoid damage in the future:

If You Are A High-Profile Individual In “Real Life”….

If your daily job is such that you are a high-profile individual – as example, an official in a Republican campaign, or a state official in a Republican administration, or a rightward-leaning reporter – please read this article and take these suggestions.

1. Please don’t reveal your identity. Please don’t drop hints as to who you are. Please don’t succumb to the temptation to show off a little and thusly compromise your anonymity.
   
   
2. Know that there are Democrat operatives (and now, it appears, Legacy Media reporters) who pretend to be loyal conservatives. They will attempt to get you to reveal damaging information about your candidate, your administration, or your media enterprise.
   
   
3. This is for ALL Freepers: Never reveal any personal contact information. Please don’t post (or share in Freepmail) any email accounts, private phone numbers, addresses, or places of employment – unless you really know and trust the person to whom you are revealing these things.
   
   
4. Know that Freepmail can be, and sometimes is, exposed publicly. Please, never say anything in Freepmail that you would not want posted on the public forum. Please, people, add whatever you think might be helpful, and I will post the result as a new article.

[Valin]

there's a line from scripture that sums up what I TRY to keep in mind at all times when posting here
(I paraphrase)
We are to be WISE as serpents, harmless as doves.

[NonValueAdded]

Let's add these:

• Assume that ANY computer transmission can be read by ANYONE, whether it be email, FReepmail, posting to a supposedly members only board, etc. Your neighborhood hacker kid could pull the packets off your broadband connection for example.
• Practice good password security. We will assume JR and JR have schemes in place to detect password mining attempts but do not rely upon that. Use a mix of letters and numbers including upper and lower case AND throw in a special character or two. Don't use birthdates, etc. for your password. Change your password often but at irregular intervals. Hopefully a password change is done under SSL. JR?

[Darksheare]

Good idea ping, the MSM is starting to gun for FReepers.
The Washington Post had an article laying out FReepmails from one poster to another, and the ideas laid out here by Laz were initially posted in the thread about the article.

This thread is for discussion on expanding the original thought.
(I'm pinging peope to it for informative purposes.)

Be careful out there, stay relatively safe.

[aculeus]

How about fighting fire with fire?

All journalists are taught to identify themselves as reporters whenever communicating with others ... not to use false ID.

Could we ID the rats?

[Lazamataz]

I'm really a big ol' burly guy who lives in a van down by the river.

[Dan Evans]

Good idea! Outside the purpose of this particular thread, of course, but it would be nice if the Admins and Jim Rob started a covert program to this end.

Yes. Maybe the equivalent of forwarding a blind carbon copy to the mods if you are suspicious about inquiries.

[Darksheare]

Willdo.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Vengence is mine saith the Liberals-Vigilance is mine saith we upon whom they plot revenge.

I for one am serious as a heart attack about this subject,Howlin, as I am sure we all are, but even at Wakes, our sense of humor helps makes the pain bearable.

I kid Laz because he kids a lot himself, but I am as concerned as he, about the subject at hand.

[najida]

This is common sense stuff, and I realize that I have sometimes been a little careless.

Thanks for the reminder Laz.

[texasbluebell]

This is a very important post; for every single one of us.

bttt!

[Bahbah]

everything I have ever posted, however controversial, I would stand by. I do not care

That makes at least two of us. I can understand, however, that some people, for professional or other reasons, need to be careful.

[HenryLeeII]

Owl, I guess this means we shouldn't discuss your status as Jeff Lurie's houseboy...oops! Sorry! But, hey, the free Eagles tickets and access to the calendar girls is worth it!

[Bikers4Bush]

I'd say the only difference there is that you aren't targeted specifically.

You've got random attacks coming from various places with the intent of getting ANY info they can as opposed to already knowing who you are and making a concerted effort to find out what you're doing.

You do make an excellent point with respect to keeping firewalls, anit-virus and anti-spyware software up to date at home.

[MEG33]

You don't seem to know the story.

[MissAmericanPie]

This is definitely not the place to network.

[NonValueAdded]

and the poser later released them.

Even if the releaser of the emails wasn't a poser (and the jury is out on that one), you should always assume that the recipient of an email will forward it deliberately or by accident. Indeed, a recipient of "inside scoop" might want to impress others as being a player by posting your message. This is the alternative explanation for MD4BUSH's actions.

[teenyelliott]

Where and when might the next event occur?

[Lazamataz]

All journalists are taught to identify themselves as reporters whenever communicating with others ... not to use false ID. Could we ID the rats?

If MD4BUSH is in fact a WaPo reporter, we could seriously get this guy in some hot water.

Hey MD.... we're comin' for ya, baby!

[Valin]

Thanks.
see reply 101.

[Cyber Liberty]

Wouldn't know. My posts are not intelligent enough, I guess....