I have a question. I am only familiar with Yahoo Instant Messenger and with that IM I can't just sit at my computer and arbitrarily send out IM's. I have to request permition from my recipient to ever send the first IM. Is that a standard protocol with IM's? I ask his because I saw a former page on O'Reilly who said that when he left Page School and returned home he started getting suggestive IM's, suddenly and from someone he didn't know until several weeks later when he figured out it was Foley. That story sounded awfully fishy to me. Is it as fishy as I think?
In Yahoo IM you can send a private message unless the recipient has specifically blocked unsolicited messages, and in my experience only a small percentage of people do that.
I saw that interview too, and I agree with your assessment--very good point. If he got unsolicited pervy IMs from a "stranger," why wouldn't he just block that user from being able to contact him? That is standard practice to avoid unwanted IMs.
I'm not all that familiar with Yahoo IM's but have used AOL, AIM and Hotmail instant messaging to stay in contact with my son. With hotmail it all depends on how you have your privacy options set. If I wanted just anyone to be able to IM me I could allow Other.Net Mess under the privacy tab. Several years ago when I used AOL and AIM anyone on AOL could IM me without permission. Not sure about AOL these days but before I cancelled with them they had instituted similar types of controls that hotmail has.
There are alot of people who enjoy striking up conversations with people so they'll not use the privacy controls. They're willing to put up with the trolls, the bots and the sexual come-ons in order to meet other people.
You said -- "That story sounded awfully fishy to me. Is it as fishy as I think?"
No, it's not fishy -- in the "IM world" -- not at all. I guess you have to have been enmeshed in the IM world to know that. At one time I was connected to some teens (relatives) and communicating with them, and found out about a lot of the tricks of IM (from having them played on me, you see...).
People spoof others, some will not identify themselves, or switch back and forth between different accounts (or the same computer having different accounts going at the same time), and/or switch people (two people -- each take on the other's "personna") -- you name it. Nothing is "real" in the IM world. It's absolutely crazy (especially with youngsters).
And, no, you don't have to get permission to receive IM's -- unless you want to set it up that way. You can get IMs from anyone, if you want to. And a lot of times, people will "talk along" with someone they *absoultely don't know* -- just to try to figure out "where they're coming from".
Or, they might think they are being "spoofed" -- so they'll play along with the spoof -- becoming just as outrageous as the other side, until they figure out where it's going.
SO..., *no* -- this is not unusualy. It's only unusual if you're normal thinking adult. But, we're not talking about adults here; we're talking about high-school kids.
Regards,
Star Traveler