@steveTu … have a look at my profile …. I took the option not to make it private. There’s a bit about my gardening experience … I chose to write that and make it available to all members … you can also trawl back through every single post I’ve ever made should you feel so inclined. I have nothing to hide 😊 Is there anything there that you think increases my vulnerability?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I find it quite a strange option to have on a gardening forum - it's hardly MI5, but hey - that's how it is. It's often used by spammers/trolls etc though, because they do have something to hide.
I'm like @Dovefromabove - I have nothing to hide, although I don't have anything in my profile other than my location. I probably couldn't be bothered adding anything at the time, and I expect it would be of no interest to anyone anyway.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Not a thread, as such, but a plea to @Daniel Haynes to stop people having private profiles.
I don't think forum policy will be altered at the request of one member. In addition I think it may entail a change in the wording of the T&Cs. The option of being incognito online is important to some for a whole host of reasons and should remain so IMO. TBH I don't see much difference between private profiles or anonymous user names. Having said that, being able to use the ignore feature on a private profile seems to make sense.
Call me a sceptic Dove but this is a forum. You use a name to hide your true details. We all do something similar. We can all put on a profile anything we want. There is no 'truth' check. We build our trust from what people say here. I never checked your profile before asking for (and taking - thank you if you've given it!) advice - but I did/do look for consensus in advice.
I have no axe to grind either way. I hadn't realised what effect(s) the option had other than what I read it to mean.
I've had enough physical and mental abuse in the real world, and I don't need it on a gardening forum. At least having the ignore button would help with that. I escaped that period of my life, and found this forum, which has been a great source of help and comfort to me over the years. It's quite difficult to ignore lengthy posts - which is often the case, and it's also very difficult to ignore offensive comments which are directed to you, and I'm sick of it. That's the last comment I'm making on the subject.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I don't think I've ever posted anything that I've wished to hide but the cloak of anonymity, allows me to disclose things, I might not wish to share if people knew who (whom?) I was. Grammar is a pain.
Posts
Personally I don't think a forum (or the eligibility of a member) should be tailored to suit a small minority.
For the benefit of the membership a better suggestion would be a decent method of loading photos and a better search facility.
Is there anything there that you think increases my vulnerability?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's often used by spammers/trolls etc though, because they do have something to hide.
I'm like @Dovefromabove - I have nothing to hide, although I don't have anything in my profile other than my location. I probably couldn't be bothered adding anything at the time, and I expect it would be of no interest to anyone anyway.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The option of being incognito online is important to some for a whole host of reasons and should remain so IMO.
TBH I don't see much difference between private profiles or anonymous user names.
Having said that, being able to use the ignore feature on a private profile seems to make sense.
It's quite difficult to ignore lengthy posts - which is often the case, and it's also very difficult to ignore offensive comments which are directed to you, and I'm sick of it.
That's the last comment I'm making on the subject.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...