Member request : "[Anonymous]" and ID filter

[Cheryl Probst]

I find it curious that in a posting complaint about anonymous posters the OP would choose to remain anonymous.

[Guest]

I think the first anonymous was trying to make a point or be ironic.

I am anonymous as an on-going protest to how certain intelligent, thought-out discussions about world events were attacked by novices who felt it wasn't our place or the purpose of this board to discuss such things, like wars. These people just want to pick the brains of the more experienced writers for market leads and how to dig themselves out of bad situations and learn how to get free travel versus understanding the world we are supposed to be covering and discovering.

Allowing anonymous postings does leave you open to abuse, but other than one uncalled for bit of testiness on a recent thread, I think this board has been amazingly quiet compared to how other boards operate or even for that matter how association AGMs can get.

Disallowing or alternating the way anonymous postings are done would be the final nail in the coffin for my visits to this board. That won't make anyone weep, but we do seem over the last two years to have lost a lot of the more experienced voices. They may look in, but I don't see their handles contributing any posts. Certainly not like they used to four and five years ago when discussions ranged from the nuts and bolts of the business to the newbie 'I'm going to finally make the plunge and want all you advice' to discussions about the implications of US foreign policy on which destinations people would still consider safe to travel to.

But I'm just one anonymous voice.

[Durant Imboden]

>>I think the first anonymous was trying to make a point or be ironic<<

It must have been a fluke in the BBS software, which left the "Posted By:" field blank. The message should have been posted under my ID (Durant Imboden) and accompanied by my signature.

[Keith Kellett]

Several people have put forward some good reasons for posting anonymously, but it has to be said that some recent posts go well beyond the bounds of 'fair comment'

So, how about ...

Anyone can read the posts, but you have to be a member of Travelwriters.com, and logged in to post to the board.

If anyone feels a post is offside, he or she can complain to the Moderator who can, it he feels it's justified, delete the post and issue a warning to the poster. (I think he has the means for tracking 'Anonymous'??)

If, after several warnings, the perpetrator doesn't mend his (or her) ways, he gets sent off, disqualified, spat upon and cast into the outer darkness.

Just ideas ...

[Guest]

"Anyone can read the posts, but you have to be a member of Travelwriters.com, and logged in to post to the board."

Isn't that how it works now?

[Keith Kellett]

That's a small step in the right direction, anyway. It wasn't long ago, you could post without logging in, and your post automatically came up as 'Anonymous'

(I know ... I did it once or twice, but that was quite a while back)

[Barbara Dolny-Bombar]

While I understand the concerns of those with legitimate reasons to post anonymously, I agree that there should be a way to block out the snipers that post for no other reason than to take cheap pot shots at people. How does that contribute to the purpose of this board?

[Mike(2)]

I see relatively little value in the 'filter' suggestion. It's not going to reduce the presence of the anonymous postings and they will still be there for anyone to see by default.

Anonymous postings with no accountability should not be allowed, although there is a small measure of accountability to the forum admin. in terms of the posters' IP address, but banning by IP address is ineffective in the long term for several reasons.

Anyone who wants to post should have to register (I'm assuming this is not now the case) so that at least an email contact is on record.

[Mike(2)]

After a lengthy and complicated experiment (!) I realise I was wrong and you can't post anonymously without logging in first.

So just disallow anonymous postings.