Is the Anonymous Poster a Second User Profile?

Whatever you say but I know what Lyn is going to say!

Ya know, that's a valid point.

I'll be curious to see what admin has to say.

As you say, there are some who will embrace this thought!

Posting anonymously is not a 2nd user profile. That doesn't mean I like the feature. However, I understand how it helps for some.

Some users on here can be very rude and sharp when responding to questions. I get it, google could have answered that. But come on. If you aren't going to add value, why bother posting? After being bashed posting under their own account, I can see why they would want to post anonymously.

Same goes for some long time users that may have a different opinion on a topic. Get bashed in whatever thread and don't want any further grief.

Other abuse this function, which is why I don't like it. Oh hey, I can be nasty anonymously, awesome! Not.

my 2 ¢

I don't quite agree that posting as AP isn't an alter ego to the user created and generally used persona and username.

"After being bashed posting under their own account, I can see why they would want to post anonymously."

And why are these members bashed? I can tell you that if I say something dumb here at CR4, at work (especially at work) or at home, l'm gonna get bashed, one way or another. This has taught me to think things through a little bit before I start talking about through my hat.

However, the backbiting, sniping and general bullying that I see here at CR4 recently does not really sit well with me. I can see your point that thin-skinned individuals get a pretty bad taste in their mouth about CR4.

I have been rather open about my belief that the whole posting anonymously function should be done away with. I don't know of any other forums that have that function and they all get along just fine without it so I don't really see its existence as being all that valid to begin with.

As I understand it the concept was to allow for real engineers to post and get a serious question or answer in or out without their employer knowing that it is them but to be honest I have never once seen any anonymous questions made let alone answers given that I would deem to be serious breaches of confidentiality clause for anyone job.

Then again the vast majority of us use screen names and avatar pics that are no where near close to what what and who we really are so in a way we are all anonymous here as is so what is the point and purpose of having a second level added to that?

To me it's little more than a troll sanctuary.

Now relating to outright multiple identities on the forum I have suspicions of at least three people here now running two or more.

I figure that if they are so obvious that even I can be suspicious then obviously admin either knows or does not care so I leave them be for the most part.

Charlie Sheen called my cousin a troll on national TV. I guess that makes me a troll too. Now if I could just figure out if I am offended or not by your "troll sanctuary" comment.

I do agree that there should be no anonymous original posts to start discussions or ask questions - so the people who reply know whether the person is legit, or a serial spammer, etc., plus, having a name for the OP is useful for members to know when the OP is replying to a reply.

On the other hand, I don't see what the problem is with anonymous replies. In fact almost everyone here is anonymous - an avatar is anonymous. If you want to do away with all anonymous posting, then get rid of avatars, too.

If anonymous posters had the power to vote 'good answers' (not that GAs matter for anything anyway), that would be minor concern since some people with self-esteem issues might vote themselves a bunch of good answers - but they can't vote GAs, so that point is moot.

I don't do anonymous replies very often. When I do, it's almost always been to post a humorous comment where posting my name might seem odd. (For example, once I posted a humorous comment about being married - but many members here know my wife died a couple years ago, so showing my name with my comment might have seemed inappropriate.)

It isn't a second profile in the sense of CR4, but on some fora, members register under a second name, against the rules, and act out another personality with sufficient consistency to engage in heated discussions between the two.

We need a thread where we all, OP included, post anonymously. One or two would find it hard to hide their linkage to their official name.

I always post Anonymous. I have nothing to hide.

So far the census is you will have to change your name.

Nah, I was here first after 7+ years. :)

But you are a Hero!

Here is one of today's postings http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/85349/Pressuring-an-Engineer-to-Seal-Something where it makes sense for the OP to be anonymous. I can relate to the OP. I have worked for employers that put people in "sign or bye" situations.

From a different point of view I think I have probably been an anonymous OP when asking about something a subcontractor has done wrong. When we trust an "expert" sub and they get in over their head then both of us are likely to Google similar terms at about the same time. My screen name "BruceFlorida" simply is not anonymous enough when I am having trouble with a subcontractor.

But that does not satisfy my need for logic. I understand the reasons why it was implemented but I just wonder if this is not breaking the rules in some way.

As said I post anonymous for a lot lesser reasons than what you state. I also understand that we starting anonym in the forum if nothing in the name gives us away. Apart from you and a few others we really don't know enough who is behind the scene. But this will not prevent us from having a personality here in the forum. We will not stay "anonym". Our avtar becomes our personality this is how we are known in the forum. This is my reason to post anonym from time to time, not to taint the picture I might have here, not to invite comments above and beyond my answer to OP's question. I had a few GA posting anonym. But thats my problem. I might not have had them otherwise. Who knows.

Where is Admin when you need them?

Anyone seen Lyn?

I'm here.

My position is well known.

For clarity:

1. Anonymous posters should not be allowed to post.

2. This is not our forum and we don't make the rules.

You wrote, "... where it makes sense for the OP to be anonymous."

In that instance it makes more sense to talk to an attorney.

The anonymous poster feature has been a subject of debate on CR4 for many years.

At first, users could post without registering. Posts by unregistered users, or those who chose to post anonymously, were listed with the user name Guest. The pros to having a guest feature - everyone was encouraged to post without the stigma of registering and people with sensitive questions could remain truly anonymous. There was no way to track who was posting as a guest. The cons are pretty obvious.

In 2010, the CR4 admin did away with an aspect of this feature. Everyone now had to register in order to post. Registered users could still have some level of anonymity. They could choose to have their posts listed under Anonymous Poster instead of their own user names. The Anonymous Posters are tracked by the order in which they comment - so the first person is #1, the second is #2, and if the first person posts anonymously again he/she is still #1. The pros of this version - people can still have anonymity if they want it, and admins can now know who is posting what in the event of problems. The cons? Several other replies to this post have listed them.

Now for my thoughts:

I don't think of the anonymous feature as a second profile. We admin can clearly see who each anonymous poster is, and in the event of problems, act accordingly.

I don't think that requiring all new discussions and questions to be posted by someone willing to display a user name will improve the quality of the posts. One benefit might be, "okay, I don't like what UserXYZ123 has to say, so I'm not going to read his new thread." Holding someone accountable via a made-up name on a forum isn't going to stop him/her from posting, say, a very basic homework question.

There are pros and cons and people for and against posting anonymously. For the time being we're going to leave it as-is. I'm thankful for everyone who takes the time to visit CR4 and post and I'm okay with people who own up to their comments or not. I just ask that the feature not be abused so I don't wind up with more work to do.

I don't think this is something that CR4 nor its administrators need to change. Legislating morality never works.

However, I would encourage people to consider if that they have anything to say or write that it be something that they are not ashamed to put their name to.

"I don't think that requiring all new discussions and questions to be posted by someone willing to display a user name will improve the quality of the posts. One benefit might be, "okay, I don't like what UserXYZ123 has to say, so I'm not going to read his new thread." Holding someone accountable via a made-up name on a forum isn't going to stop him/her from posting, say, a very basic homework question."

Fortunately User XYZ123 had a great question so I answered it being he has a name here and I can track where he is and what he is taking part of because he is a all round nice member how asks good questions and gives good answers.

Now anonymous poster is not a real person to me since I can not track whom he is or what other interesting or outrageously lame nonsense he is babbling on about. So I just ignore him or don't give him any answers good or otherwise that may have his life someday being far too often his temporary screen name is the same used by trolls here.

Because he can post anonymously you just prevented me from giving him a life saving answer and now he is dead.(Most likely from inhaling chlorine gas from pool cleaning chemicals.)

Hmm...I see your point. I think you are correct in your thinking.

bully!

You're wrong!!!

you're dumb!

Quiet You!!!

You be quiet...

You seem to be having tremendous difficulty with your lifestyle