stillajwexelder, welcome to the forum
It is why I do not reveal too much about myself on this board. I may be paranoid...
No, you're not. When I first started being active on the Internet last year, I tended to trust everyone as being honest and above-board. And 99% of the folks and friends here are exactly that.
It's that 1% that can make life hell, especially if they collect together enough personal info. And it's not all that hard to do! For example, in one post you might just casually mention your real first name. Then, in another post a couple weeks later, you might just say how old you are...in another, what sex you are, in another, where you live, what KH you went to...etc. A determined stalker can put together a fairly complete picture. And e-mailing someone? My oh my, that's another big can of worms, what with all the "snoop-ware" (is that what it's called?) that's available.
It's certainly not paranoid to be cautious, and one reason why there are so many reminders to us all (myself included) to be careful, very careful, about what we post.
With reasonable precautions, we can still use this forum to meet new friends and develop a community. It's certainly happened that way for me.
Craig