Why is anonymity on forums unacceptable?

R

RH

Joined
Jan 31, 1999
Messages
2,094
I've been noticing a trend here and on other boards. Those that use a screen name, instead of First,M.I.Last name, or decline to post their email address are suddenly lambasted as not credible contributors or, worse, 'trolls'. (Can someone please define that for me ?).

This is a wordlwide forum, and the topics we discuss are sensitive, personal, and often not things we would discuss at work or at church with what we call 'sheeple'. As an open forum, you will get ALL kinds here. If discretion is the better part of valor, then posting (politely, of course) with an alias and not revealing my email to every potential nutcase that might want to flame or spam me just plain makes good sense to me. Those who choose to reveal such details, be my guest.

We talk alot about personal security and condition yellow, as far as I'm concerned my profile info is on a need to know basis, and the WWW just doesn't need to know in order for me or anyone else to contribute to these discussions.
 
I say to each their own and yes, it shouldn't be held against them how they choose to register their profiles, but then to outright slam someone for making a lagit comment whether they agree or not with a statement, that's uncalled for and childish!
There is nothing wrong with debating or not going along with another forum member, but calmness and professionalism should be observed with debating the issues instead of belittling someone. I believe in Freedom of Speech, but in a polite manner!

To me when I see someone slam another forum member for whatever reasons and they don't have a profile, then their credibility is worthless. Otherwise not having a profile doesn't sway my judgement in the least for that person.

Enough said about this from me! Knife subjects no matter how they relate too, is what we are here for.

Mark
smile.gif

 
First, just because you don't fill out the profile on a forum doesn't mean you are anonymous, far from it. It has been repeatedly proven that once you obtain an IP address and begin sending or receiving packets you are open to be found. That said, yes it makes it a bit more difficult when you don't readily fill out the information for any yahoo to find.

As far as being a productive member without readily divulging your information, I think that the issue presents itself mostly when the discussion becomes contentious, and someone goes looking at a profile to see just who this @#$*#@&^^@ is who is being a *&*@*&@#. Myself I usually never look at profiles until someone starts slamming another member or myself.

I couldn't care less whether anyone posts profile information or not. I believe this is a community, and there is a level of faith based trust that most of the members here share a common interest, so most are already kindred in a manner of speaking. Besides, all you are doing by posting your profile is giving a general location, not a specific one. Again, and IP address is much more specific than that!
smile.gif


Brandon

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"You should never never doubt what nobody is sure about..."
 
Credibility and respect come from your behavior. If a person registers a complete and detailed profile, but is still a jerk, then, well, he's a jerk, just a registered one.

Personally, I like to see an e-mail address registered. It allows me to send the person a private message. There are plenty of places out there where one can get a free, throw-away e-mail account. If you start getting to much spam or flame, just drop it.

Personally, I also like to see some geographic location. You don't have to give me the lat/long of your house, even city/state, but at least state for US members and country for our international members. This just gives the reader some idea of the local culture, etc. that may influence the poster.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
RH,

I think some of it stems from the "rec.knives" and "recdotknives" days. It was too easy for someone to "flame" someone anonymously. This led to Knifeforums being created.
 
No hiding is perfect. There are things you just don't tell. =>
A knife is a tool, is a tool, is a tool.
If you ever tell someone that you "carry for self defence" thats "just fine" and you may feel BIG, but its also a bit careless.
Do you know how long is the memory of (secret) services when they just have to have a suspect?
smile.gif



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D.T. UTZINGER
 
Actually, I thought anonymity WAS acceptable on the forums. There was a thread a few months ago, and it was decided that no one had to give their e-mail addy or web page.

Of course, Mike has information, and he can ban people from the forums, but this does not include giving out information regarding the person banned.

I agree with Mark; if someone starts acting rude, and has no e-mail addy posted he loses credibility with me. When I post, everyone knows who I am, and I stand by my opinions; to do this anonymously would be, to me, unthinkable. I was raised to believe that a gentleman stood by his word. Another useful reason to have an e-mail addy published is that when things get contentious, I have found that a calmly worded message directly to the person often results in a marked change in his attitude, and often an apology.

As far as worrying about someone tracking me down; happy tracking. Such a person will find out the meaning of 'hard target.'

However, I have no problem with people using aliases and not providing e-mail addys, if they are polite and respectful to others, as we all should be. Walter Welch

 
I think using an alias is an important element of internet security, public as these forums are. Why make things easier for potential crazies or snoopers? If you're comfortable posting your complete name and e-mail, fine -- but I don't think it deals serious damage to that nebulous quality known as internet credibility if you refuse. After all, the basic assumption one must make about a chat room or web forum is that at least half of the people posting are making things up as they go along.

Here's a Real Life example: A friend of mine works for the public library. Recently, the County mandated that all employees wear ID badges with their first and last names. This was a serious security problem for many of the employees, as the public library is plagued by homeless people and other nutjobs (as is any job where one is exposed to the public free of admission). As my friend pointed out, these were not people you wanted to know your first name, let alone your last -- and it's not because the employees are trying to duck accountability for their actions.

Food for thought.

Razor

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AKTI #A000845
And tomorrow when you wake up it will be worse.



[This message has been edited by Razoredj (edited 04-19-2000).]
 
I used to participate in a rather loosely moderated forum on the politics of the Middle East, and I used a nom-de-guerre there, with no e-mail or other real contact information up there for the public to see. Not because I expected to be hunted down by real terrorists, but I didn't want harassment coming my way from the wannabes who hung out there.

Not everybody wants their real name or e-mail address out in front of everybody. As long as you're not making personal attacks, that's fine. Vigorous disagreement with somebody else's position on hot issues like "objects control laws" is not an abuse of anominity.

The forum owners have enough information to find somebody if they need to, and if you put up something of real interest to law enforcement, they can presumably find you too.

Meanwhile remember the forum's basic rule of decorum: Imagine that everybody is in the room with you, and all of them carrying a knife of some sort. So be nice already!
smile.gif



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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
I see no problem, obviously, with using a substitute name on the forums. Besides, what happens when you have 11 John W. Smiths? The self chosen identity also seems to give a little more personality than just a name would. And the idea that most choose to do so makes the members that use a regular name(Who knows if it's their real name?) a little unique, too.

E-mail is another story, though. At first, I didn't check the little box to allow access to my E-mail address because I thought that it would show up like the folks that have hyperlinks in their signatures. Once I found out that it just added the little checkbox up on the post, I opened the access. No big deal. I think that it's just common courtesy.
Besides, with Compuserve there are mail controls with filters to weed out junk mail.

The IP Address thing spooks some folks. But I understand that if you use Compuserve, AOL, etc., The IP Address changes every time that you sign on. Anyway, anytime that you post a message you are sending your IP along with it. Gives a new twist to freedom of information, doesn't it?



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Dave
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Attention: Some assembly may be required. Batteries not included.
 
I'll second (or third, or however high the number is) the idea of using free email services. I'm at college most of the year and, while I'm not breaking any law, Mass. is chock full of sheeple, and having my school email address posted could cause a lot of annoying problems, even if no formal action can stand up against me.

Also, I have a static IP, so (while this has nothing to do with BF) I like to remain vaguely anonymous to the general Internet. Anytime you do anything at all on the Internet, your IP is used; those number are like a postal address, getting the web page you just asked for to your computer, and not someone else's. The Internet is not private; it is public. You are more anonymous than speaking in person, but true anonymity does not exist anywhere.

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
i dont care about your email address or what city you are from but i for one like to know who i am talking too!
topics are not something you would discuss at work or church? jesus why not? thats what i hate about anonimity! if you dont want to stand behind what you say, then shut up
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seems to me that the anonimous ppl are like the cowards who have to hide behind a goofy name and be a completely different person than who they really are. lame imho
tongue.gif
 
OK, I give up. Henceforth, I will be known as TPFKAWW (The Poster Formerly Known As Walt Welch). I will keep secret the arcane combination of symbols that is my REAL new name!!!

TPFKAWW
smile.gif
 
Hermanknives,

Stop it already! We all know that knives is NOT your real last name! Could it really be.... Moteng?
wink.gif
biggrin.gif


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Dave
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Attention: Some assembly may be required. Batteries not included.
 
Razoredj - Your comment that we must assume that 50% of the people here are making things up as they go along is profoundly distrurbing to me.... I have quite a bit of trust in 99% of BF members, and i would hope that they have that trust in me. We are a community on here, even if we do have our fights, like any community. We need to trust people on here to give advice on very expensive items of equipment (remember, a knife is not a weapon
smile.gif
) I choose to give out much of my personal information, but i do not think less of anyone who chooses not to. It would only make a difference to me if they were a constant jerk, a pathalogical liar, or had only had one post. I would probably not buy anything off someone who only had one post. There just isn't that level of trust that is built up through a number of posts.

Just my .02

James

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All knives are created equal, then i get my dirty big hands on them and the real fun begins.
 
I can only speak for myself, but to me, it was never an issue.
I use my real name here and at a few shooting related forums, but I use a Screen name on the forums where I'm Site Admin. www.mrssurvival.com
Go fig!
I can think of quite a few people here who use screen names that are always on my "must read" list.
*No, I'm NOT gonna name you, you guys have swollen cerebelums already!*
biggrin.gif

Wait,
I use my real name, does that mean you think I have credibility?
ROFL!!!!!!


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I cut it, and I cut it, and it's STILL too short!


 
Use of a nickname is not neccessarily an attempt an anonymity. Anonymity doesn't bother me at all, as long as the person is polite, and has a valid viewpoint. The only problem with anonymity is people who feel safe to act out adolescent acrimony behind the supposed veil of secrecy, saying things they would never say were their identity known. If someone is going to be an a$$**le, I have at least some measure of respect for them if they sign their name to it. A person who acts that way while hiding behind a ficticous name is not worth the scrapings from the bottom of my shoe.

David Ian Crigger

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I do know everything, I just can't remember it all right now.
 
Razoredj - Your comment that we must assume that 50% of the people here are making things up as they go along is profoundly distrurbing to me.... I have quite a bit of trust in 99% of BF members, and i would hope that they have that trust in me.
Click to expand...

And that's not a problem at all; I wasn't trying to imply that half of BF's population is comprised of pathological liars or internet stalkers. But since anybody can post anything at any time, and because until I actually meet someone in real life they are simply text on a screen, I always operate under the assumption that anyone could be lying at any given time, for any reason, even perfectly harmless ones. But that's just me; maybe I have trust issues. *laugh*

Razor

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AKTI #A000845
And tomorrow when you wake up it will be worse.

 
Posted by Razoredj: I always operate under the assumption that anyone could be lying at any given time, for any reason, even perfectly harmless ones. But that's just me; maybe I have trust issues. *laugh*

Razor
Click to expand...

That's ashame that some of us feel that way and that's what it all boils down too!

I feel for those who have lost all trust and faith. It's okay to be causious, but peranoid it shouldn't be. Maybe I trust people too much, but at least I'm happy and feel good about myself for trusting others!
smile.gif


Mark


[This message has been edited by Mark W Douglas (edited 04-20-2000).]
 
As somebody else around here has said in his tag line, it's not a question of whether you're paranoid, but whether you're paranoid enough!

Or . . . Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't following me!

Or . . . Even paranoids have real enemies.

And if 9 out of 10 people are honest, at least most of the time, and there are ten or more people about, you probably want to lock your car doors when you park it.

There are people who will tell you to never put any identifying information up on the Net, lest some stalker find you. I think that's a bit extreme, at least in a forum where we're not discussing truly intimate secrets, or expressing views that would have the secret police retaliating against the relatives we left behind in the Old Country, but if somebody wants to post under a screen name with no e-mail address, and the forum rules permit that - where's the beef?


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
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