As I was reading a workplace rant I realized it sounded a lot like my workplace and a situation we had. I was wondering if I had discovered a Doper . . . until I did some more research and found the poster is a thousand miles away.
Have you ever suspected that someone you know was a member of the SDMB? Where you right? What did you do? Did you straight out ask them or maybe mention the Marianas Trench and see if they jumped in with how many people have been there, how many times, when, and for how long?
Where there any surprises such as “Gee, you aren’t such a jerk in real life?”
A couple of years ago I replied to a post on here and someone else whose name I can’t remember now said something in reply that had to do with my real life. I hadn’t discussed that part of my life on SDMB, but may have on another message board or Facebook. I asked who they were and they never replied. So, someone on here knows me from somewhere else, but I don’t know how they know me.
Yes, I once had a conversation about something with a friend of mine and came home to see a post on the Dope about the exact same topic/anecdotes. To be clear, yes it’s definitely him - further posts of his made it very clear that he is the person I know, and some of them involved other mutual friends. At the time I was only lurking and by the time I joined up he had stopped posting frequently; I never said anything about it to him.
Once Fretful Porpentine mentioned he/she taught at the small university I where I graduated. I would sometimes eye the hall where I knew those classes were taught and wonder if I was catching a Doper in the wild, but I never did anything more about it because I felt it would border on creepy if I did.
Two other occasions when I thought I noticed things online that sounded a little too familiar they never panned out.
I believe a good friend of my husband’s posts here. I’ve heard anecdotes here that were repeated by this friend and she seems like someone who would post on the board. She is also friends with another friend of mine that I know posts here so it isn’t inconceivable that she would post here but I don’t want to ask her about it in case she doesn’t want anyone to know for sure that it’s her.
My boyfriend thinks he knows one of the posters here. I was reading him a post and he asked me, “Dos that person live in Boston and work in TV?” I said yes to Boston, no clue on TV and no, I’m not gonna ask. It hasn’t come up since then. Neither of us cares enough to find out.
A couple of people I used to know quite well about 20 years ago, but kind of lost touch with, are fairly prominent Dopers. I figured it out from their location and what they posted about on the SDMB, and then I eventuall got some private messages that confirmed it.
The only person here I ‘‘know’’ in real life is jamiemcgarry.* I recognized the last name and then when he mentioned his home town and a few other identifying details, I PMed him to confirm. His mother is the best friend of my MIL. I honestly can’t remember if I’ve ever actually met him in real life, but I certainly know his mother quite well and she’s awesome-sauce.
*Not counting ivylass, cmyk, QueenTonya, LOUNE & tracey and others who I met here but hang out with IRL.
