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Post by CC on Jun 16, 2005 21:25:45 GMT -5
Michelle, just wanted to share with you, after you being soooo kind to help me and warn us all bout posting photos here  I was just reading old posts tonight and noticed you posted a bit back, Hmmm think on or about the 8th page here and you list your website addy. I clicked on it and got to your daughter's photos and was very easy to copy and paste them  If I recall right you mentioned bout protecting your photos but girl yours are out there and open for anyone to take Not to be totally paranoid over this BUT you warned me and I wanted to do the same in return. CC ~ |
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Post by mome23kjnc on Jun 17, 2005 21:37:18 GMT -5
thanks cc. I decided to be brave. I dont want to run from a bully, ykwim? I remember how important it was to me to see these little faces. And Im not going to hide. Its not US who should be hiding, its them. Thanks for thinking of me. It was a big decision to repost my pics, and unpassword them. But I guess Im taking a stand. Im sorry I made you guys freak out. I hope no one is upset.  |
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Post by CC on Jun 17, 2005 22:47:06 GMT -5
Hmmm with all due respect MICHELLE, you have me very confused here  You are the one that posted the warning and then under that thread you posted much, some of which you have deleted, and one if you don't mind I will copy here " Re: PICS WARNING- SICKOS ARE AT IT AGAIN « Reply #22 on Jun 15, 2005, 9:22am » -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- yes, if you have pics directly on threads, get them down. I should add, this is your call everyone, and they havent yet hit any other sites. But from what happened last time it wouldnt surprise me. I simply refuse to give them the ammo to use my daughter in that way. It would devastate me to see her photos used in that manner, Im not sure how other moms are handling it, but I KNOW I would be so hurt and angry. Just use your best judgement, and be cautious for a bit, to see if this blows over. People ask me why my site is password protected, and this is a perfect example, NO ONE can steal pics there, they cant even get in, and the forums that are public arent able to show pics or siglines. Just a thought. Unfortunately, in this day and age, the only way to keep the creeps out is to lock the doors. " Hmmmm Now you post you "I decided to be brave. I dont want to run from a bully, ykwim? I remember how important it was to me to see these little faces. And Im not going to hide. Its not US who should be hiding, its them. " Just curious here, which one is the way you really think?? I do accept your apology and yes you FREAKED many out here and I am wondering why since you NOW seem to think being the brave one is the way to go CC ~ |
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Post by Betty & Ian's Mom on Jun 17, 2005 23:25:07 GMT -5
Sorry to step in, although I have read the post on the "Sicko's", I haven't even done any deleteing in any photo program or delete pics on this or another forum that I post on. Except those Freaky feet of Betty's !! LOL !! But I do have to agree with CC on this, which is it, don't mean to be rude, but everybody got into a frenzy deleting pictures of their little one's and breaking links (if you have PhotoBucket)in PhotoBucket and transferring them to an album. What was all the fuss about if you decided to post pics of your child anyway??? In my opinion, people can access any website DS or not and get any picture of peoples children that are posted on the web. KWIM.
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Post by Emilysmom on Jun 18, 2005 8:52:19 GMT -5
On the one hand, it is a very good thing for everyone to be told about the risks of posting their kids photos on the site..........it's NEVER totally safe, as Michelle showed us. With just a few clicks of a perverts mouse, our kids faces can be added to porn, or placed on horrible web sites with captions that would rip our hearts out. I've seen it. I've cried over it a year or so ago and vowed I would never ever again put my daughter at risk for having her sweet face used in such a way. And then, not all that long ago I got totally comfortable again and wanted everyone here to see her. It had been a while, and I just let down my guard and chose to start posting her pics again. For me, seeing pictures of kids with Down syndrome was what I wanted MOST when Emily was born, almost more than I wanted to read all the info about Ds that came my way! I wanted to see them smiling, and doing all the stuff I was afraid she would not be able to do. So.......I have very proudly posted her pictures here too, even after going through the horrors a while back.
I do think each of us just has to make a decision about this, and go with what our heart tells us is right. There are LOTS of Ds websites out there, and each of them has a different way of handling this matter. Password protecting the site is ONE way of doing it. It does eliminate one aspect of Uno Mas that has always been very important to me. It is one of the sites that people who have learned they are pregnant with a baby with Ds can find on the net very easily. They can lurk here, long before they make a decision about whether or not to keep the baby and I have always wondered how many times our postings have helped people to see that they CAN be the parent of a child with Ds. You know? Maybe our postings and our pics have helped just one parent to NOT abort? We may never know......but whether or not to post our kids pictures is a very personal decision.
One thing I know is NOT true. The comment was made that there will be no uproar (meaning no posts with porn, no displaying of photos....very large photos....all over the BB of kids with Ds or pics of disgusting other stuff......unless WE give them the pics here to use. That is totally not true. Last time, the majority of the pics we saw posted were NOT pictures of our own kids, but kids from other Ds sites. So, even if there was never again a photo of ANY Uno Mas child posted....we can still be victims of the same type of stuff we went through before, and like Downsyn.com recently experienced. I am NOT encouraging anyone to go ahead and post pictures of your kids here. I am just saying, please make an informed decision and know that IF this happens here again........we'll take care of it as quickly as possible. And again, I can't emphasize enough how much we fueled the fire last time by blasting this guy with our posts. All of the "you are a sick individual" statements seemed to thrill him and caused so many more pics to be posted!
Susan
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Post by laurasnowbird on Jun 18, 2005 9:44:58 GMT -5
CC-
I can't speak for Michelle, but I think we often react defensively before we totally think things through. I would have had the same gut-level reaction to get my pics off the site too! The decision to post pictures, knowing that there are sickos out there who might use them in awful ways, is a very individual one. We have many new members who don't know what we went through last year, and I think the warning was a very good thing for them. If you are going to post pictures, it is good to know the potential for abuse.
I did not have a prenatal diagnosis of DS with Ethan, but for those who do, seeing pics of kids with DS having normal lives is very comforting, I'm sure. There are many who feel that if we pull all those pics off the web, the sickos win. And their win could mean that someone who is on the fence never sees the picture that might change their mind and their heart. KWIM?
I'm inclined to agree with those who refuse to let the sickos win. For the most part, these are bored kids with too much time on their hands, and not enough sense to think beyond their own noses. And we did react disproportionately last year, so we learned a lesson too! I really enjoy everyone's pictures, and I love seeing all of our beautiful kids. They could easily do the same thing with ANY picture of ANY child, disabled or not. And they probably do. But not just ANY picture of ANY child can make a difference in the life of a parent facing a difficult decision, or a new parent struggling with a new diagnosis. It's a tough call, that's for sure.
It seems like June is the sicko season though, LOL! It was almost the same time last year that we had this problem, right when the kids got out of school.
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Post by Emilysmom on Jun 18, 2005 9:52:57 GMT -5
Laura........now that you mention it, I think some form of this has happened EVERY June!! The very first year I was here, I was planning the first Uno Mas get together and this kind of stuff started to happen. It scared me so bad, I went totally overboard and worried that our group might not even be SAFE going to a public place like King's Island in Cincinnati. LOL Michelle Mc worked overtime calming me down that year..........and we met and had the BEST time!!!
School is out, and some kids do not have the supervision (and upbringing??) that they should have..........and computers can be such a BAD toy!!! We will come through it just fine if it should happen again.
Susan
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Post by mome23kjnc on Jun 18, 2005 14:32:50 GMT -5
that is a very fair question. Sorry I hadnt been here. I think Laurasnowbird hit it exactly on the head. I reacted in a panic, and just remembered what had happened last time. I wanted to warn everyone and protect the kids, and the moms...cause reing our babies used that way. But the more I thought about it, and the more I spoke with friends about it, the more I realised I was doing exactly what those punks would want, being scared. And frankly, anyone who wanted could easily find my kids pictures, and even my personal info, I havent always been very cautious. I felt silly for overreacting. I also remembered that after 9-11, I took the BIG flag down off my house and nailed it to my mailbox, I wanted everyone to SEE that I wasnt going to hide, I was a proud American and I didnt care if people knew it. Even if that made me a target. Then I remembered this kid from Columbine, think her name was Cassie Brayall or something similar, who took a bullet rather than deny her faith. I want to live like that, unafraid, unashamed. I want to protect my kid too, absolutely. But mostly I want this world to see her and her beautiful face more than I care about what some bored 8th grader might do. I KNOW that I needed to see these faces, to realise that ds wasnt ugly, that kids with DS still wore baby Gap and smiled and were loved. I NEEDED that when we got our diagnosis. I know Ciarra's face has changed a few hearts, seing her has made people realise these are JUST KIDS, not monsters. I cant take that away from new parents. I probably dont make much sense, but I think your question deserved an honest answer. I felt a big obligation to at least warn people. Then I felt like I had been had somehow, and I wanted to fight back the only way I know how to...by showing them that my daughters beauty is way bigger than their ignorance. Hope that explains. Im sorry I upset you, it was absolutely not my desire. |
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Post by Jessie on Jun 18, 2005 16:38:40 GMT -5
Mome23kjnc: I appreciated the warning. I too reacted quickly and took off every picture of Jason that I have posted. I too have been thinking about it and have become angry that someone that I don't even know (bored kids, pervs, whoever they are) and probably wouldn't even like can make me react like that. But, as with all mom & dads, the gut reaction is to protect your child and if that's what it took then by gosh that's what we were all going to do!
You mentioned 9/11 and I think that is a perfect analogy of how we react first before really thinking and then we eventually do move on with things and try to get life back to normal. At the time I had thought how am I ever going to fly again? Now, my job is to fly around the country, so I obviously had to let my guard down in order to do this. But, that's life and if you don't want to live in constant fear you have to be willing to take risks.
With all that said, I will eventually post pictures of Jason again, but knowing full well that those pictures could be exposed to something I don't agree with. I would be deeply saddened to see anything done to pictures of Jason that I post, but I also know that I would never post something awful, Jason would never do something awful and those modified pictures would be the work of someone that needs serious help - it's not truly a reflection of me or Jason. We talk about making informed decisions all the time on this board and this is just one more to add to the list. At the end of the day it's a personal decision we each have to make.
Jessie
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Post by CC on Jun 18, 2005 19:56:26 GMT -5
Hmmmm interesting feedback Gals Just wanted to add, REMEMBER our kids did not ask to have their photos put up for anyone to take and do what they want with it  So yes I do believe in standing up and not being bullied, but not at my child's expense. I will not stop posting, BUT you can be d**n straight I will never ever put a photo up again of my kids. Maybe, a WARNING should be put under the general thread section here, that post photos at your or your child's own risk so that all new people are forewarned, Just a thought... CC ~ |
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Post by Emilysmom on Jun 18, 2005 20:01:42 GMT -5
I have thought that for quite a while CC. I've emailed Michelle and usually adding something like that is an easy thing to do.
I still also firmly believe that at the very least, we should stick to posting pics in the photo album IF we choose to post them at all. I still have the impression that the photo album is a BIT more secure.
We have had this discussion during this past week, but a message needs to be present for all of the people who didn't see it here. Just helps to make an informed decision if you have all the facts!
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Post by Betty & Ian's Mom on Jun 20, 2005 22:24:50 GMT -5
gotta step in a put my 2 cents in here !! Hope know one minds my input !!
Ever since DH & I got our computer 5 yrs. ago, I knew the first time I would post a picture, buy something off the internet with my credit card ect...., that some how some way some body is going to find away to get person info. We all know this, I'm sure, so my question is why are we freaking out about a bunch of pervs who will eventually find away to get a hold of our personal life?? It's bound to happen to anybody. Anybody can register any website and know one will be safe, not matter how secure a photo section is. So I just don't bother with warnings, it's gonna happen and that's something that we need to accept even though we don't want to, it's reality. And as much as I like everyone else, wouldn't & hope that it doesn't happen to my childrens pictures or personal info, I have to accept what I put on any website. I will continue to post my beautiful children here & any other forum I belong to, I have to agree with Michelle in not running from these bullies. I love seeing our beautiful children, but for those who chose not to post pics, thats okay to. I respect that to.
Gotta say one more thing, on the 9-11, I hate that day, it happened on my birthday as I sat there watching the Twin Towers fall, & feeding Ian who at that time was 9 months old. I'm not gonna let anyone push me away from something that is dear to me, & that is showing off my beautiful children. Just my hummble opinion.
Thanks for listening
HUGS
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Post by CC on Jun 20, 2005 23:07:16 GMT -5
Well we all know how I feel bout this now I have to ask you did you see what happened here last year with the kids photos  OMG was not pretty and thats putting it mild Honestly if your child's was one used in such a sick way, do you really think you would feel the same??, Inquiring minds here?? And weather it be just one or two children's photos taken from this site thats one or two to many in my mind. Yes I agree that the puter is a risk and ones can find personal info BUT why would you put your child at risk knowing that and put their photos on threads that we know are not protected in anyway, just wondering here I myself did it after saying I would never do again. For me I guess I need to be hit twice to get it  As for the warning, I think its a great idea for new ones joining as they at least know the risks. Geez even when you buy something on the INTERNET they warn you if the site is protected or not so why not warn here especially when we are talking bout precious little ones?? K, just my thoughts and nooo I am not upset by your post, BUT I do feel strongly in advocating for the safety of our children, ALL children CC ~ Jeanette girl I do here you and I too watched the towers burn and fall and lost a local person and saw that family fall apart totally after their loss. I too agree we can not hide and be fearful BUT I do believe we can be cautious and should be when it comes to our children  We are obviously on two opposite sides of the fence on this one and thats OK thats what makes this world go round |
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Post by Betty & Ian's Mom on Jun 20, 2005 23:54:15 GMT -5
I hear ya CC !! And I am aware of the sicko's to, but I can't hind from them either. My kids pics have been aired on the World Wide Web for 5 yrs., and I'm sure someone has already taken and probably have used them in a porno way. So what to do with it now. What ever we do on pc's, anyone can hack away at our lives. And I do agree with warning newbies about the possibilities of their kids pics being used in an disappropriete manner. But have you thought that maybe they have already posted pics of their kids else where too?? I'm not arguing with you, just pointing out possible facts. But I truly understand where you are coming from. And yes, that's what makes the World go round !! Sometimes it can be very ugly but then very enlightening to!! Gotta get to bed, DH is getting up at 1:30 a.m. (central time), nite nite CC & everyone else !!
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Post by Michelle Mc on Jun 30, 2005 22:07:30 GMT -5
I appreciate all the thoughtful posts on this subject. I agree that posting precious photos of your child on this or any public internet bulletin board is not a great idea. This BB has read-only access to any unregistered visitor on the internet. Only registered members can POST messages or photos. But (at this time) anyone can view it and, if determined enough, can lift the photo and alter it.
I'm not really sure why this topic was brought up, because we haven't had a problem since ... well, nevermind.
The photo album is MORE secure, because unregistered members can not view or post photos to site. For the past year and a half, the general public can only see thumbnails in the photo album. We have not have any problems with photos since I installed these safeguards.
WWW ... that means the "world wide web" ... that means anything you write or post is out there for all the good people and the mean people in whole wide world to access. When it comes to the photo album, I've done my best to make it "less easy" to be a jerk.
I can make changes to this Bulletin Board as well, to make it that no one can post photos to the bulletin board, but that would mean no hyperlinks and probably plain text only posts. I haven't had any reason to do that in the past few years, but I can if neccessary.
Michelle
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You are the one that posted the warning and then under that thread you posted much, some of which you have deleted, 
&
Susan, Proud mom of Michael (32), Justin (25) Emily (22ds), and Jordan (20).
So yes I do believe in standing up and not being bullied, but not at my child's expense. I will not stop posting, BUT you can be d**n straight I will never ever put a photo up again of my kids. 
OMG was not pretty and thats putting it mild 
