You know, this thread makes me a little sad.

I remember a time when no one was afraid to give out their name or location online because they didn't need to be. The concept of predators hadn't really made it to the online world.

Of course, that was a long time ago. Before the Internet, when being "online" meant paying by the hour to a Compuserve or an AppleLink (AOL's predecessor) -- or calling a local, private BBS that some guy ran out of his house.

I remember being in chats on a board out of Boston and having people say things like "Hey, we're having a little play party tonight, here's the address ..."

Now people have to run background checks before meeting for dinner.

I'm freakin' depressed.