Author Topic: Has Anybody been Contacted by HIVConnect.com (Read 7502 times)

david25luvit · « **on:** April 17, 2007, 06:14:54 am »

Recently I received an invitation to join a new website/ forum at HIVConnect.com
Does anybody know anything about this site?

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #1 on:** April 17, 2007, 06:20:38 am »

Davey,

I posted about it last week. You can read my post and the replies here.

MtD
(Who noticed Davey's shining countenance in the HIVConnect members list)

david25luvit · « **Reply #2 on:** April 17, 2007, 06:59:56 am »

Yeah Mattie....Like you I did complete the registration process and even post a photo....(I must've just taken my pain med
when I did this) and am finding it impossible to get back onto the site to remove my photo...or anything else. I got an email
from somebody this morning responding to my request for assistance but my user name and password they provided still don't
help. Hence the reason I posted this question.... Bucko's response to your thread makes me wish I had waited a little longer
to register. Oh well....Not the first time I've done something stupid.

From a person who took his foot out of his mouth to kick himself
in the keister

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #3 on:** April 17, 2007, 07:18:17 am »

I wouldn't fret too much Davey. I presume these people got my email address from the about.com pages I subscribe to. I completed my registration for shits and giggles.

I don't think HIVConnect is a denialist operation per se, but they certainly have links to denialist information and several of their other members espouse denialist attitudes. Like Philly said in my thread, they're a manhunt.com operation for AIDS victims and there's obviously a commercial aspect to the outfit. Their commitment to HIV/AIDS treatments and health issues is a secondary consideration.

That said, I would certainly not recommend HIVConnect to anyone.

MtD

david25luvit · « **Reply #4 on:** April 18, 2007, 09:17:14 am »

You're right Matty....just got back on the site and it looks like a hook up site. I don't know why but I thought it was
like AIDSMEDS ....my bad! Thanks for the reassurance.

milker · « **Reply #5 on:** May 16, 2007, 01:13:52 pm »

I just received this in my email:

Subject: greetings
Sent: May 16, 2007 12:28 PM (FLID:)

Hi there, Just dropping by to let you know about a new site free (nonprofit) www.HIVconnect.NET. It seems to have potential. Later, Dale

I reported it to personals@poz.com. I suggest you do to if you receive spam like this.

Milker.

DanielMark · « **Reply #6 on:** May 16, 2007, 04:24:46 pm »

Thanks for the caution guys. Looking at the photos on their home page their members look a tad too elated (or maybe stoned) to be believed anyway. Maybe it’s because they’re all living on a beach somewhere?

Daniel

englishgirl · « **Reply #7 on:** May 16, 2007, 05:02:37 pm »

hey if theyre giving away free beach holidays & happy pills maybe we should check it out

i got a PM a while ago & just deleted it straight off. cant say that i think it is correct behaviour to try and hijack this site to get their own publicised...

Peter Staley · « **Reply #8 on:** May 16, 2007, 05:29:18 pm »

Quote from: milker on May 16, 2007, 01:13:52 pm

I just received this in my email:

Subject: greetings
Sent: May 16, 2007 12:28 PM (FLID:)

Hi there, Just dropping by to let you know about a new site free (nonprofit) www.HIVconnect.NET. It seems to have potential. Later, Dale

I reported it to personals@poz.com. I suggest you do to if you receive spam like this.

Milker.

Milker -- I know the founder of HIVconnect. Did you get this message as a PM in POZ Personals? If so, that's really f**cked up, and I'd like to contact the founder to complain.

Peter

milker · « **Reply #9 on:** May 16, 2007, 07:08:02 pm »

Quote from: Peter Staley on May 16, 2007, 05:29:18 pm

Milker -- I know the founder of HIVconnect. Did you get this message as a PM in POZ Personals? If so, that's really f**cked up, and I'd like to contact the founder to complain.

Peter

Yup, I received it through POZ personals, and I thought getting a message was kinda strange since my profile has nothing on it. You can PM me an email address where I can forward it to you. As I said I already forwarded it to personals@poz.com.

Milker.

Miss Philicia · « **Reply #10 on:** May 16, 2007, 07:32:48 pm »

That sounds really comforting in terms of privacy and security!

Peter Staley · « **Reply #11 on:** May 17, 2007, 09:29:40 am »

Quote from: philly267 on May 16, 2007, 07:32:48 pm

That sounds really comforting in terms of privacy and security!

Philly -- it's not a security breach, just someone spamming the Personals. In the forums, we've made it harder for spammers because we don't allow folks to use the PM system until they've posted a few messages in the forums. This seems to be a remarkably effective hurdle for the spammers. Unfortunately, there's no similar means of erecting a hurdle in Personals. However, spammers are banned from the personals as soon as they are identified.

Peter

Miss Philicia · « **Reply #12 on:** May 17, 2007, 10:12:45 am »

Quote from: Peter Staley on May 17, 2007, 09:29:40 am

Philly -- it's not a security breach, just someone spamming the Personals. In the forums, we've made it harder for spammers because we don't allow folks to use the PM system until they've posted a few messages in the forums. This seems to be a remarkably effective hurdle for the spammers. Unfortunately, there's no similar means of erecting a hurdle in Personals. However, spammers are banned from the personals as soon as they are identified.

Peter

Milker said he received his communication through Poz Personals via an email, unsolicited - not a PM. While I don't use Poz Personals myself, I would think that if one did not openly disclose one's email on one's profile and if this did indeed happen, then yes there is an issue of security SOMEWHERE in Poz's database. I would assume that the personals area is completely separate from the forums however... still, not particularly comforting to hear about.

Peter Staley · « **Reply #13 on:** May 17, 2007, 10:19:54 am »

Quote from: philly267 on May 17, 2007, 10:12:45 am

Milker said he received his communication through Poz Personals via an email, unsolicited - not a PM. While I don't use Poz Personals myself, I would think that if one did not openly disclose one's email on one's profile and if this did indeed happen, then yes there is an issue of security SOMEWHERE in Poz's database. I would assume that the personals area is completely separate from the forums however... still, not particularly comforting to hear about.

If he did, then it's only because he set it up to have his PMs forwarded to his email address (much like you can do here in the forums). Again, there's been NO security breach.

Milker, feel free to chime in here to calm Philly down.

Peter

milker · « **Reply #14 on:** May 17, 2007, 11:12:41 am »

Quote from: philly267 on May 17, 2007, 10:12:45 am

Milker said he received his communication through Poz Personals via an email, unsolicited - not a PM. While I don't use Poz Personals myself, I would think that if one did not openly disclose one's email on one's profile and if this did indeed happen, then yes there is an issue of security SOMEWHERE in Poz's database. I would assume that the personals area is completely separate from the forums however... still, not particularly comforting to hear about.

Philly baby, it's okay, it's okay... I got an email saying that I had a new message in my poz account. That's like when you receive a message from aidsmeds saying that you received a new PM. That's absolutely normal, Barbara, now go take your antidepressants

Milker.

Miss Philicia · « **Reply #15 on:** May 17, 2007, 11:37:00 am »

Ah... so basically you stirred up a lot of paranoia on these fora for no reason.

ps: Babs ain't on no anti-depressants a ce moment

marc11864 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 17, 2007, 06:30:21 pm »

Just an FYI Peter, I just got the same message in my personals inbox today as well.

northernguy · « **Reply #17 on:** May 17, 2007, 11:40:05 pm »

Quote from: marc11864 on May 17, 2007, 06:30:21 pm

Just an FYI Peter, I just got the same message in my personals inbox today as well.

Sadly, its been a long time since anyone put anything in my box

scud44 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 18, 2007, 01:48:58 am »

Is the HIVConnect site .com or .net?

Peter Staley · « **Reply #19 on:** May 18, 2007, 07:56:44 am »

Quote from: marc11864 on May 17, 2007, 06:30:21 pm

Just an FYI Peter, I just got the same message in my personals inbox today as well.

Marc -- was it from the same Personals account, with username "enuf4now"?

I've contacted the founder of the site, and he's looking into this, saying "I have a couple of fans that have been very aggressive with their efforts to help market the site."

Peter

Peter Staley · « **Reply #20 on:** May 18, 2007, 10:37:04 am »

I've had a few back & forth emails with the founder of HIVConnect, and the promotional PMs in POZ Personals should stop now. He said it was an overzealous "fan" of this site, who was encouraged to help advertise the new site.

Peter

david25luvit · « **Reply #21 on:** May 18, 2007, 11:43:54 am »

I think I heard about them thru Poz personals too....just got another email informing me they've inhanced their profile page....
I don't know why initially I thought they were a support site but I did and even donated fifty bucks. Ok I'm an idiot.... but
God knows I've done far worse.......I noticed last night there are only two people from Alabama registered...

Peter....If its possible I'd like more information about these people.....haven't decided whether to yank my info or not?

Peter Staley · « **Reply #22 on:** May 18, 2007, 01:57:03 pm »

David -- I think they're fine. I've met Stephan Adelson a couple of times when he was working at manhunt.net -- we were on a CDC panel together once regarding crystal meth and gay men. Seems like a good guy to me, and this is his new not-for-profit venture. It's definitely a competitor to POZ Personals, which is still doing a better job (and has FAR more people in it), IMHO. But competitition is a GOOD thing, even in online HIV social networking (it's what keeps us on our toes here in the forums, and have made these the best there is -- again, IMHO).

Peter

thunter34 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 18, 2007, 02:16:33 pm »

Am I missing something here? The site that I found doesn't look at all like a Manhunt for Positives thing. It looks much more like POZ Personals. I also didn't see any links to denialist information, but I admit that I just barely glanced at the site.

EDIT: Instead of pecs and penis, I see pics that look like they come from pharma ads. All those shiny, happy Hi-Pro Glow type people....

marc11864 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 20, 2007, 05:35:56 pm »

Hi Peter,

Sorry it to so long to respond to your question as to whom it was. Yes, it was enuf4now. Thanks for checking into this.

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Author Topic: Has Anybody been Contacted by HIVConnect.com (Read 7502 times)