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Re: Getting rid of or changing the 'for sale' section

PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 5:09 am
by rhythmrhyme
google 'protecting personal information online' and you'll get a few hundred reasons, or a few million if you just count search hits :)

Re: Getting rid of or changing the 'for sale' section

PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:13 am
by jorge
There are other websites (eg Prosoundweb.com Live Audio Board http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php#c1 )that require real names and personal identification for everyone who posts. I have not heard of any problems from that policy.

Sure there are lots of reasons listed online for protecting your identity in online transactions, but most of them are not relevant to this forum and marketplace. Yes, we all know about NSA and cybersurveillance, but thinking that the NSA, Google and other surveillance agencies can't figure out who is who and who is saying what if you don't give your real name is just naive.

RR, what are your favorite reasons why "protecting anonymity" is better than open, honest advertising of goods and questions about the items for sale?

On the other side, it is clear that anonymous, unidentified people can more easily misrepresent items for sale than if they had at least the accountability brought about by identifying themselves and being known to the forum community. Anonymous trolls would not feel as free to harass honest sellers with impunity than if they had to identify themselves and put their reputations on the line every time they made a statement.

Re: Getting rid of or changing the 'for sale' section

PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 8:18 pm
by rhythmrhyme
like I said, this is a very low stakes issue for me, but I'll make one final comment

There are specific instances where I share professional information about myself online and everywhere else I maintain 100% silence. This is a personal/professional decision and clearly there are others who use the internet differently. On this forum I choose to publicly identify my location and anyone who knows me locally could read a couple of my posts and know exactly who I am, that's enough.

Once information is posted online it is there forever even if I can no longer find it through the restrictions of google. I prefer to have full control over every aspect of my personal identify that is on the internet. Many agree with me, others are less careful, it's a personal choice. If I had to choose between selling an item where I needed to publicly share my name and contact information vs selling it through other services that offer more protection and control, I'd choose the more secure platform every time.

Re: Getting rid of or changing the 'for sale' section

PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 1:40 am
by caballoballo
Saludos, what about keeping the forum only available to registered members. I mean that only the members could read or post. The other day after my post selling my Lp bongó I received a sarcastic and undesirable email, yes was my fault for writing my email on the post. We need to keep outsiders off the forum.

Re: Getting rid of or changing the 'for sale' section

PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 1:52 am
by jorge
Lots of people like to just read posts and do not feel comfortable posting anything for months or years after they started following the forum. I don't see any harm in that, and it does tend to bring in new members who eventually become active participants on the forum. Shutting them out would further decrease the activity and life of the forum. Plus, some of the dealers and trolls who were the most obnoxious offenders in past years have been registered members.