This is why it's not nice to the community to use tags as graffiti

Ossobuco - you amaze me. There's not a single trait in common between you and the stalker in question - other than you both post on this site. It's been years since I read any of his posts or had any other interaction with him - hardly your case. At the time I thought him severely unhinged, possibly bordering on dangerously so, and promptly put him on ignore. Again, not your case at all. Finally, after I received the first A2K notice that he's following me - viz. previous pages, that was several months ago - I posted here and asked that he please stop doing so. That's really the determining factor, in both law and jurisprudence, in distinguishing between actual stalking (always an offense, criminal or civil depending on state law) and simple interested following (both legal and legitimate). Look up the several applicable laws for cyberstalking as well as the real-life variety: one criterion which always comes up is whether the follower was asked to ceease and desist and refused.

The record here is self-explanatory; so I propose to say not another word on the matter as far as he's concerned.

You, however, a're a friend and I'm always happy to read your posts. If you wish to follow me please go ahead; I'd like to reciprocate but you post a lot on cooking threads so I'd have to manually skip those - too much trouble. Thanks for your attempt at software clarification

see, it's clever and insightful posts like this that I just can't chance on missing.

and you voted down a whole page of my thread less than a year ago. don't be so modest...

You probably meant averse, not adverse. I am familiar with the "following" concept from any number of computer languages and apps and never saw any problem with it - unless it crosses the line into what the law already defines as an offense. See prior post for definition.

None of this is to imply that I'm asking for any kind of software re-write or other input from A2K - the programmers here seem to have enough to do as it is, as do the moderators. Hope that will sink into the head of the dimwit who just downrated my previous post here as well <G>

I've been following Helen as long as following has been available. I do it mainly because nothing brightens my days as much as enjoy constant ridicule of Helen, she's such as easy target on a par with GeorgeOB.

I've said already, I love you too! I'm always glad to read your posts as well. If I haven't been following you I'm going to start right now. Edit: I just checked, we're both "following" each other. Btw, I heard from George by e-mail some days ago, I'll probably add him to my list here.

I see you are right on the adverse versus averse business.

That's really of no importance - you just made a typo, not the first and not the last poster to do so. Will add your name to my "follow" list.

No, sadly, I used the incorrect word. I'll blame my latin classes for my choosing "adverse".

LOL - just checked link. My unwanted follower is hard at work reading my posts, downrating same, and uprating the linked post. He might usefully read this legal list as well, and get through his tiny sick mind that nothing is easier to track than online internet postings
http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/TelecommunicationsInformationTechnology/CyberstalkingLaws/tabid/13495/Default.aspx
The life of someone who has nothing better to do must be an inordinately depressing one - that's punishment enough without legal action

Why spend time checking on him? Just ignore him and you won't notice what he's doing or not doing. How do you know it's him downrating your posts? Maybe it's me.

First you're not following me, second you're too smart to bother with idiotic activities. You're right I don't know who it is, and also I don't care

What I mean is how do you know it's someone who's following you who's down-rating your posts/threads/whatever? How can you tell if it's someone who's following you and how can you tell they're following you even if they signed up to follow you? Is there some way of tracking this?

I always test links after posting them, so I noticed in this case. The only way to track and identify with certainty is via access to the site server.

you're so full of **** it's not funny.

paranoia will destroy ya...

please sue me. please.

That's certainly true. I'm listed as following a bunch of people, but I've only looked at the My Friends page once since it was started - and that was built so that you can find the people you "follow".

I doubt it is Rockhead who thumbs you down. If I remember, he doesn't participate in the thumbs business at all. I do, primarily thumbing threads up and down (up for a particular appreciation once in a while, even if I don't post on the thread, and down to clean my slate) and posts (up for wit, good writing, sometimes even when I don't agree, and sometimes just for agreement, though I'm trying to curb that; down for super rudeness; I work to not thumb down for disagreement, and think I've succeeded at that). I may not have posted on a thread and still may thumb down when I see bizarre rudeness (usually has to be extremely bizarre). And yes, I'd thumb down some of my posts too, if I were other people.

i've never understood the random thumbs down/graffiti tag, if you've got a complaint or comment, damn the torpedoes and speak up or keep quiet

I've never thumbed down Helen.

you don't have to be following someone to thumb down their posts

the two functions don't seem to have any particular relationship

I follow people I appreciate. Thumbing up/down (in my usage) has to do with specific posts.