Jackpot Winner - Odd?

[punkandslim]

Somebody just won the $600+ jackpot in Canasta.  In this persons profile her "member since" date is today.  Strange or coincidence?  Just curious.

[Barbara]

Hmm, sounds fishy.  Also remember that the joined dates are not always accurate.  Mine is off by 3 years and 6 months.

[punkandslim]

True, but with less than 4000 tokens lifetime I'd say the date is pretty bang on with this one!

[Barbara]

How did you happen across the winner's profile?

[punkandslim]

She won the jackpot while I was playing so I checked out her profile.   :)

[Barbara]

Wow, you were in the same game?  You should have won that jackpot!

[punkandslim]

No, not the same room but I was playing Canasta.  Anytime someone wins I like to add them to my friends list and check out their profile.  Then I follow them to see if they are real.  :)  I know, I need a life.  But this is the first time I have been shocked by what I saw!  And the first one I didn't follow.  :)

[RC]

No, not the same room but I was playing Canasta.  Anytime someone wins I like to add them to my friends list and check out their profile.  Then I follow them to see if they are real.  :)  I know, I need a life.  But this is the first time I have been shocked by what I saw!  And the first one I didn't follow.  :)

This behavior is called "stalking" and is the #1 reason I hope never to win a jackpot. You don't know these people and what difference does it make if they win? They are not your "friends" and shouldn't be on your friends list, much less be followed by you. I STRONGLY suggest against such behavior for you in the future...and for anyone else as well.

People should not get carried away with this "stalking" term. Stalkers follow people around from room to room and harrass them, mostly to a point where the stalkee has to take steps to try to make it stop. I am sure that is not what this person was doing. And I'm sure that this person also does not have their friends list filled up with tons of players names that they have seen win a jackpot, and kept the names there for good to follow them around all the time. Adding a name to your friends list temporarily just to see where the jackpot winner is so that you can go there and see if this is a real person, maybe seeing them talking about their win with their fellow roommates, would not be considered stalking in my book. Especially if after doing so and leaving the room, you then remove that name from your list. There was not even mention of this person saying anything to the player that they saw win a jackpot.. so how can one be considered stalked when they don't even know someone followed them in the first place unless they were told so? Besides, all one would be doing is entering a room, and sitting there quietly, unless they actually started having a conversation with the winner, and if it was a friendly conversation, well.. is that so bad? Do you still consider that stalking if both parties are talking to each other in a friendly and civil manner? Or if someone comes in a room, says nothing, and leaves a couple minutes later never to go to a room where that person is again (unless by total conicidence)? Anyway, this was a thing that I'm sure lots of people have tried in the past, at least once, just for the exact same reason- to see if these winners are real. Especially around the time when Pogo first started announcing the winners names in the general chat area, it made it easy to be able to find where these winners were.. and I wouldn't be shocked if it was an actual reason that Pogo started doing that, considering how many people always thought that real people never won there, they probably said.. hey, let's put the winners names in chat, then everyone can see who they are at the exact time they win. They even started putting winners' screennames on the recent winners list, instead of their real names.. like, Bill W. or Joe S., something that you would never know who it was otherwise. And I believe that's a choice they have when they win, cuz some are still like that while others have the screenname.. so people are actually choosing to put their Pogo names on that list knowing anybody could find them that way.

[Barbara]

I see a lot of valid points here.  I was in the same WWW room with a very quiet woman for months when she won the jackpot.  The room jammed with people who spoke to her and actually started drilling her and then accusing her of not "being real" because she wouldn't answer the barrage of questions thrown at her. (how does one determine if a winner is "real?")  I would imagine that someone who wins a jackpot would be busy reading and rereading the pop up that appears before them, explaining how to redeem the prize and calling people to tell them about it and not satisfying the Lookie-loos who come to validate this person in their own mind.  I would imagine that they are nervous and in shock for a while and don't know what to do next.  People are going to be curious because it is human nature for some.  There is a Pogo mail that has been making the rounds for quite some time which suggests that people band together and follow jackpot winners.  No, I am not suggesting that this is the case here.  If someone wins a prize on Pogo then God bless them. 

[sarah413]

Maybe this is odd, but I put fearless thunderpopper users on my friends list.  You know, the ones that own the entire high score board.  Then, if I see they're in a poppit room, I'll let my auto run on level 2 and not worry so much about my scores.  I have yet to adopt the "no fear" motto that so many of you live by. lol  I hope that isn't stalking!

[tvc]

For me I would never claim a win of any sort b/c I use cheats therefore I would be ineligible so I don't care who wins what

[punkandslim]

For the record, I am not a stalker.  I put them on my list, read their profile, go to the room and see if they are chatting.  I say nothing to them.  Then I take them off my list.  Furthest thing from "stalking" if you want to use the real definition.  Wow with the dramatics.

Second, since we have the ability to add anybody we want to our friends list without their permission, I am not breaking any rules at pogo.  However if you feel that I am breaking rules (and I am not the only person who does this) feel free to send me a private message and I will be happy to give you my screen name and you can report me to pogo.

[Homer]

I think enough has been said on this topic.

Topic now locked.