I think that a forum may be a great tool for vetting an individual(s) prior to committing to a face to face meeting. I started thinking about this today after reading fortunateson's thread: http://www.survivalmonkey.com/forum...velop-vetting-process-face-face-meetings.html There are various online outlets for finding members for your group. Message boards, Craigslist, email, etc.. We all know that we need to sleep sometime and we need people to allow us to do that while also having the manpower for retreat defense and other chores. Here's my thought: If someone contacts you and shows interest in joining up with you in a SHTF situation, have them register here at Survivalmonkey and tell them that they need to log in every day and make 10 posts a day for 30 days. After that, you will make further contact to share more information or not. There is a LOT to be learned from watching someone post in various threads and the comments they make and the sides of discussion they gravitate towards. Do they only follow firearms and ammo threads or are they more interested in Humor and Jokes or Gardening and seed saving? There are lot's of folks who profile us by our web usage tendencies - you can also use the same techniques to decide if you want to meet further with a prospect. I think it's ideal. I bet you can name some members on this forum right now that you'd want to be aligned with in a retreat situation. I bet you can also name a few that you wouldn't want around at all based on their posts here. Anyone else think there may be merit in this?
I agree that membership here is a good way to get to know people before you move on to Step 2 in the vetting process. You won't "know" them after 300 posts but at least you will know if you want to know them better.
I agree, also find out from them what forums they frequent. Many people use the same username on multiple boards, see what they've posted in the past.
I've done this to check up on people I've bought guns from in the past. One guy had recently been banned from a couple of forums, when I asked him about it he freaked out and said I was cyber stalking him. I told him I was about to send him a $1200 money order and wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be taken. The guy almost broke down on me, he ended up giving me the long version of his recent layoff, financial and marital problems etc.
In reality, it's pretty ridiculous for anyone to plan on meeting up with any other particular person in a survival/SHTF scenario, when a 200- or 300- mile difference would be like a whole 'nother universe. Heck, even 10 miles could be a life-long trip in some places. Why the heck does anyone need to personally "get to know" anyone else? I'm working several hundred miles from home, and my main plan is to "go toward home". I harbor no illusions about actually making it. There are only a few contacts between here and there along the various routes I would even think about contacting on such a journey, and would probably avoid those contacts if possible. Sharing tips, tricks, and techniques from a distance is harmless. Valuable skills and experience can be shared totally (well, almost) risk-free, while the internet is still working.
I'd more likely suggest someone join and participate rather than suggest a minimum # of posts. That would let me gauge their level of enthusiasm which is important. So many people start to prep then forget it after they do the "generator vs new golf clubs" equation.
Hmmmm...are you married??? I've been married for 17 years and I still don't know my wife...LOL...Do you really think you can know anyone...especially in SHTF situations? People wear masks all their lives, and they don't come off easily. And trust me, you don't want to be around when the masks come down!... just MHO...
That's a really good point. Still, the forum idea allows you to elevate your guess from a swag to an educated guess. The anonymity of the internet frees up some people's inner (or outer) a**hole, too, which is nice to discover early in the curve. Anything to narrow the odds... Better still, get involved in training. Appleseed shoots (you could always instruct) wilderness medicine classes, alt energy classes, USPSA or IDPA matches, martial arts classes, tea party meetings, etc. Keep your mouth shut, and your eyes and ears open. You'll find like minded people there, and they are the proactive ones. Ask them if they participate in any forums, and go there to check them out further.
I agree...lots of times people slip up and allow their true face to come out. It could take days or years, but it usually takes a crisis of some sort...
I wish this had been already in place, BEFORE I ended up with the "meetings" I've had....We just this evening tallied up the "costs" of having a "caretaker" and we are in shock! So far, that lazy bum has cost us a mere: $4,859.12!!! With the money we have already "doled" out to him and the cost of the land and taxes, we figure we are now setting on some $10,034.00 in debt. I'm waiting to hear from the great whiz bang "investigator" over at Stewart Title that can easily see we have no access to 'our' land, and get all the monies refunded. But, we are still out the nearly $5k that the "caretaker" has cost us.... Beware of some that take your kindness and generosity for granted. Had we known more about this person, they would never have been selected to be our "caretaker". Unfortunately there is little to be found on the internet or google search on the guy. That's a major drawback... Now, in all fairness, he came all the way to a place he had never been to, to meet with people he did not know, traveling over 700 miles and paying his own way and all..... Still, yes the forum would have been a MUCH better way to at least get a glimmer, of his demeanor, but many people like this person, does not go on forums or sites for any discussion or groups. C'est la Vie!
