<p>Just wanted to tell you what my brat S2 did. Apparently, his roommate was talking about going on cc one day and S2 said that his mom gets on that and told the roommate that my screenname was Timely. So the roommate says, “Timely?! I know Timely!” </p>
<p>Then, not only did they go back and read all my old posts (I’m going to have to go back and read them myself now to see what’s there, but S2 didn’t seem too upset when he mentioned the posts they read where I basically called him a lazy slob), but they baited me by posting a message about S2 that I was sure to recognize. It’s the messy roommate one in the parents forum. I didn’t dare post in that thread, obviously.</p>
<p>They had talked about putting stuff in a message that would make me know it was S2, and then say there was a problem like he was selling drugs or something. S2 said that he decided that would be too unbelievable and I’d see right through it. But, I’m very gullible! If they had done something like that, I would have cried for a week!</p>
<p>I had a chat once with a nice young man working a cash register. Asked him where he was attending school. When I responded that I actually recognized the school name and its location, he was extremely surprised. I said that I spend way too much time on College Confidential!!!</p>
<p>It turned out that he, too, had spent a lot of time on CC. He of course wanted to know my screen name, but I wasn’t giving it up. </p>
<p>Good luck with your new screen name - don’t let your son know what it is.</p>
<p>Timely’s Son…go to your room!!! (but clean it up first)</p>
<p>Kidding aside…one thing I don’t get about your cover being blown…it sounds like your son already knew you post under Timely, right? So, he could have read your posts all these years already, right? It is just now that his roomie knows your name. Or maybe I don’t get it. </p>
<p>My kids don’t read CC but they know my member name. </p>
<p>But hey, now your know your son (or his roomie’s) member name too and so what goes around comes around! LOL</p>
<p>Yes, I’m looking forward to your new screen name.
When I asked S not to tell his friends my CC name, he looked at me with puzzlement and said with clear honesty, “Why would I do that?” </p>
<p>My S, 20, has always had a remarkable lack of interest in my CC postings and in the intricate workings of college admissions in general. The same is true of most of his friends.</p>
<p>Interestingly, I encountered two students here who knew S, one through CTY, another through another summer program. I think S added them to his FB list, which to my surprise includes more than 400 people. He’s social on-line, but just not social here.</p>
<p>When my daughter first started college, there were many riotous moments when she would introduce me to friends who either recognized me from the CC Musical Theatre forum or who I recognized. Because of the small size of her school and the nature of MT programs, it happened more times than I anticipated. I thought it was pretty funny, her friends thought it was pretty cool for the most part and my daughter - well, isn’t it our role as parents to mortify our children whenever possible?</p>
<p>In the short time I’ve been on CC, I’ve recognized one student (who used his real name and initials as part of his screen name, declared his home town and then posted enough identifying info that it was easy to figure out) and a parent of one of S1’s friends (that because she posted something eerily close to a conversation we had about her younger daughter at hs parent orientation this year). I myself have posted enough identifying info about my kids that if someone from my hometown wanted to, they could probably figure out who I am by reading enough old posts (especially those in the college forums where I mention S1’s school). Kind of creepy, but probably my own fault for posting info on an internet message board, no matter how legit.</p>
<p>While my kids know I post here, they have no idea what my screenname is. I always make sure I log out when they are home and my computer is sitting around. That said, I don’t think they have ever looked here before. I tried to get my daughter to check out the schools she was interested in, but she thought it was creepy to post on a forum; it just is not her thing. My son, on the other hand does post on forums, but they are all sports related. If he wants information about anything else he calls mom, the forum junkie!</p>
<p>Someone in a household that understands browsers and routers could:</p>
<p>1) Go into your browser history to see what forums you’re on. They might be able to examine cookies, saved form information and the usernames on your account. They might also be able to move passwords from your machine to theirs and log in under your identity.</p>
<p>2) Turn on logging in your router and then review the logs later on.</p>
<p>They typical teenager probably couldn’t be bothered with snooping on his parents.</p>
<p>MichaelNKat…I’ve had a somewhat similar experience. The year my MT daughter applied to college, there was a student on the MT Forum and I posted back and forth with him and he ended up at the same program as my D. Lo and behold, by sheer coincidence, I learned that they became close friends at college. So, when I would go to visit, particularly the first time I visited and she introduced me to this boy, I was like, “it’s me, SoozieVT” and I greeted him by his CC member name. It was kinda funny. I think she has run into kids in MT who know her mom as SoozieVT on CC. Doesn’t seem to bother her. </p>
<p>Oh, I just remembered another funny story. D currently has a boyfriend who recently graduated her college (they started dating last year when he was still a student). This past summer, I was staying with D because she had her wisdom teeth out in her city and BF comes over and we are all sitting around. One thing led to another and perhaps I mentioned what I do and I mentioned CC, and he told of a story of a little “prank” he pulled on CC and it so happens that I knew of this little “prank” but never knew it was him. We had a lot of laughs over it.</p>
<p>My kids both know my screenname, but have no interest in CC. Timely, don’t get a new screen name!!! Since your son already knew it, mehhh, no secrets, and he could have read your posts any time. ;)</p>
<p>I agree, timely. I wouldnt change your sn!! </p>
<p>My kids know my sn, but dont care. Though, many yrs ago younger s. registered on CC and had a “conversation” with me. It was pretty funny!! I have no idea if he still pops onto cc (doubtful), and it really doesnt matter. It was fully and we all got a great laugh out of it. Last yr a friend of his at HS was applying to the same school that he’d gotten into pretty early (they both attend there now). She was on cc and would read the forum of that college, and would email him things I’d occasionally post, and he’d then recite my comments to me over the dinner table! It makes you think twice about what you post.</p>
<p>My D at some point went on line and recognized my then screenname on the message board for her university. She was not happy. </p>
<p>This leads me to a question I was going to post–I changed my screenname and now want to change the email with which it is associated. I tried to do so but they wouldn’t allow the change since the email was already associated with a screenname (although I have not used that screenname in months). How do I deactivate the old screenname so I can make this change? Thanks.</p>
<p>One of my D’s roommates figured out who I was a long time ago and right away once roommates with my D. Fortunately, I’ve never posted anything I’d be concerned about my D ‘OR’ the roommates seeing.</p>
<p>I have however, seen posts by some posters that make me cringe a bit due to the amount of detail about themselves or their kid that could cause issues if the kid or roommates or others who could identify them were to see the posts and make the connection.</p>
Looking forward to your new screen name. And you were so close to Senior Member status… :D</p>