| Author |
Message |
    
Michael Villanueva (Michael)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 09:38 am: | 
|
Hello Triad
I am not going to write a lengthy argument complete with various examples and what-not to support my position (Ala Lee style) - I am sure and I hope you have heard them all before.
My feedback is this: Anonymous postings need to go. That is the ability to post without impunity, to slander or smear, to pass on awesome juicy information that is correct, without fear of recognition, needs to go.
I am not sure why you all seem to enamoured of this practice, or why keeping it seems to be protecting some sacred right. Or maybe you all have had this discussion before. Regardless, it needs to go.
It is an abomination.
Michael |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 10:03 am: |
|
The main problem that I see with that is that you would HAVE to require people to register to post....
If a new Disco owner was surfing the web, found the site, and had a problem that they needed help with RIGHT THEN, but didn't know how to become registered, then they'd be SOL.
I agree w/ you, there's a lot of stupid Anon posts, but, IMHO, ignore them.
Mi dos centavos, FWIW...
-L |
Kevin Novakowski (Kln)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 11:03 am: |
|
I was going to go along with Leslie's comment until I saw the response from F*****u on the 2000 DISCO II NIGHTMARE thread.
These rubes and thier bullshit responses really reduce the effectiveness AND integrity of this board.
Registration, from what I remember, was quite painless.
IMHO: Freedom of speach is everyone's right as long as you're willing to stand up and be recognized. |
Michael Villanueva (Michael)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 11:51 am: |
|
If I weigh in on a discussion and offer subtle hints that EE sort of screwed me over, or report that RoverTyme said X on the phone but later said Y --- then signed off as "Anonymous" the vendor has one or two choices. Either defend themselves or ignore the post. Either way they are screwed. The first way the stuff is out there, and while many will raise up and defend EE or RoverTyme, the fact is that the allegation, the hints, are out there --floating, like a turd that will not flush away. While some may argue "just ignore them"... well, the fact is, we are humans and we tend not to ignore data. We process stuff -- with or against our will.
Sort of like sexual based allegations such as harassment or molestation or rape -- once made, out there.
The other way, that is, the vendor defends themselves... well, it seems clear to me the downside issues when vendors defend themselves -- especially against anon postings.
So the anon can report a story like the poster did on the _Europarts - good prices - free shipping_ thread about how Europarts essentially defrauded a club. And now that shit is out there. However, it is worse: I think that DW has now implicity contributed to that allegation by offering a protected medium within which Anon can make such allegations with NO fear of reprisal and NO worries about documenting the allegation.
Now what? Europarts defends themselves? It becomes a who said what said debate, with only lose --- lose options for the vendor.
And we can do what??? Post ridiculous animated gifs that say "ASSHOLE"? (Which BTW are completely cool and I am jealous I cannot do such animations).
Why do you think in courts in this country, you can confront your accuser? Why do our own judges not have hoods over their faces as they do in military tribunals say, in Chili? And no, I do not think it is a reach to compare this net practice of Anon postings with such political and legal practices -- they are essentially the same dynamic. No other forum (at least for me professionally as a psychologist) do people post anonymously.
So I ask you all: What is gained by letting poeple post anon? What is lost?
DW gains what? Some altruistic bent so some poor slob can quickly post a question without registration? That is the plus?
Against what costs? Muddy communications? Inuendoes that cannot really be addressed? Risking budding business reputations that cannot afford to take (unwarranted) PR hits?
Is it really worth it? In the name of what? "Free Speech?
I think posting anon is a horrific communication practice akin to the KKK hooding themselves. You want to weigh in on a discussion, then do so openly. Let's not kid ourselves: the benefits of posting anon are more myth then reality, additionally, any perceived benefit is completely overshadowed by its potential for punitive and juvenile destructiveness.
Additionally, and I am going to throw down the gauntlet here, cause I feel and think strongly about this issue, I think DW -- given its growing weight and presence in the LT community -- needs to examine at how this Anon posting practice can hurt a business or person's reputation. I think by allowing it, they are complicit in any resulting destructiveness.
Michael |
Kyle
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 04:22 pm: |
|
Taking away ANon does nothing. THey can just register with an aliase. I hate the little pricks as much as anyone but there is really nothing we can do short of running back ground checks on people..  Also , you cant do anything to them that hasnt already been done. They have obviously at some point been stripped of their nuts so damn , how much worse can it get ? Remember , "a coward dies a thousand deaths"
Kyle |
Anon - Discoweber
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 04:38 pm: |
|
Not that this is related to Anon postings per sey, but read about this lawsuit due to a posting on a internet forum.
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/04/04/aquatic_plants/index.html
Will your opinions on the internet get you into hot water???? |
Neal Glessner (Nealg)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 05:57 pm: |
|
Leslie,
I agree with you, but many boards allow visitors to brows freely but require them to register if they want to post something.
Kyle,
Also agree with you. Removing anon. won't fix the problem but if they had to reregister everytime they wanted to make a snide comment, they probably wouldn't.
The quality of the content would be better if anon posts weren't permitted. |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 09:16 pm: |
|
Neal,
I agree, there are plenty of boards that I've perused, but couldn't post because I wasn't registered. Do I still frequent them? No, most of them I never visited again. Maybe my loss, maybe not.
I didn't need to register here to post, but I did register, because I felt like I belong here. So, it won't make a difference to me whether or not you're required to register.
Think about RN.... they made it so you have to regsiter, although you can register an alias and have it not post your email.... and look at all the crap over there.... I think that a lot of the anon postings here are spillover from RN, actually. But, does Dweb need to implement a mandatory registration in order to end the slinging of crap? I don't think that it would really stop a lot of it, and besides, sometimes I'll wade into the midst of the mud-slinging just for the fun of it...
I dunno.... it's not skin off my back either way, I just can't help but think of some fella who's stuck at work late one evening because his new Rover just did something that he doesn't know a trick to circumvent, that if he could quickly find Dweb and ask a newbie question, one that's been answered hundreds of times before, that anyone of us might see his post and reply and have the fella on the way home instead of calling a towtruck needlessly....
Mi dos centavos....
-L |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 09:21 pm: |
|
PS: Michael, do you mean like this?? :
-L |
Michael Villanueva (Michael)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 10:39 pm: |
|
Dammit! Yes! Like that!
MV |
DougC
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 10:43 pm: |
|
As a reformed anon poster, I have to agree that it is better to state your business and sign your name. However, Mr. Peanut should continue to post under his assumed name regardless of who he is...DougC |
chu son
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 10:45 pm: |
|
Sometimes a bad post is better than no post at all. If they don't have the guts to post their identity, so be it. It brings the wallflowers out of hiding. Eventually, they may or may not become the next Kyles of this forum.
Dr V, finally saw the pics of your 'new' truck.
Can we swap?
chu |
Michael Villanueva (Michael)
| | Posted on Friday, April 05, 2002 - 12:00 am: |
|
Hey Chu!!!
Good to hear from you! We spent the entire evening looking at wheeling pictures -- including those you and I took up at Moab. So I was looking at your face not two hours ago in that picture where Justin and I are under your truck.... and here you show up! Damn!
Yeah.. pretty cool truck, no? We also looked at all the pictures of Kyle working: Installing the lift, and building the bumper. My heart goes out to this guy -- he busted ass on our vehicle. To top it off tonight, I found the only shot of our truck before any mods -- not even the black stripes! Boy, what a change!
Anywho.....
No, no, no!!! You and Leslie and the others.. you are either purposefully ignoring my points (which IS hurting my feelings) or have dismissed them entirely (which is worse than being hurt...).
Have you really thought about the plusses and negatives about anon posting? I cannot believe you folks honestly think that the benefits outweigh in any shape or form the sheer overwhelming negatives of Anon posting. And even if you dismiss the zero sum game approach (which I would -- it is a weak argument at best), the damn practice just lacks integrity and gives any weenie a base to be hurtful yet evoke and use sanctuary.
It is absolutely disgusting. I see Kyle's point.. and short of running background checks, I can see the issues. Still *that* is no excuse to avoid action.
And no, I do not buy the poor slob story who needs a bit of advice. You going to hold integrity hostage to some mythical, potential convenience? God, that is weak!
Well, the truth be told, there has been no serious rebuttal to my suggestion other than a few platitudes, a C'est la vie attitude, and a "not much we can do about it" stance.
Michael
But enough... like many things in life this is a very minor point with massively huge implications. |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Friday, April 05, 2002 - 08:26 am: |
|
Michael,
No, I didn't miss your point at all, and I didn't ignore it, because it is extremely valid.
It's not that I'm opposed to doing away w/ the little Anon check-box, which I think may encourage it. As Kyle pointed out, they can register under a pseudonym, so it doesn't really prevent the problem even if you require registration. By not requiring registration, you aren't making it more difficult for anon postings, true, but you are helping bring others into the "circle".... There are 526 register posters right now, whereas before the temporary EE hostile takeover,there weren't more than 300, if even that many.... How many of them would have found it a friendly place if the HAD to register?
Anyway....
Look at this page, instructions are at the top:
http://www.discoweb.org/cgi-bin/discus/board-image-lister.cgi
-L |
Jack (Olered)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 04:50 pm: |
|
I would pay for this site. I have no problem with that. True DWebbers would pay. I've gotten more entertainemnt and useful knowledge from DWeb than I have EVER gotten from AOHELL or any other pay sites. Just my $.02
Anons suck. |
lisa johnston (Lisa)
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 21, 2002 - 06:21 pm: |
|
As a newbie to both a disco and this site, I freshly remember the ease at which I registered to use the site. Under 60 seconds. It's not that difficult. I agree with Jack that I would pay for this site. |
Axel Haakonsen (Axel)
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 21, 2002 - 09:02 pm: |
|
You can always buy some stickers and/or a video to support the site if you wish......
Yes, this was blatant advertising.... |
Craig Kobayashi (Koby)
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 21, 2002 - 11:14 pm: |
|
FWIW, a lot of computer forums similar to this won't allow anonymous posting.
They regulate abuse by assigning volunteer moderators for each forum. Moderators have access to IP number tracking, banning etc... While I think the the clientele here is far more mature (for the most part) than the kids that populate most of the popular hardware sites, the concept of requiring registration and active moderation seems to weed out a lot of BS.
Again, FWIW |
Petros (Runnerma)
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 22, 2002 - 04:46 am: |
|
I think that if all the registered members of DW ignore the anon posts it would be better. I mean that if someone really wants to ask a question, and has nothing to hide, he can put in the username box his name and thats it. He will get the answers he wants. If not he will take no anwer. But it must be a warning for the newbies in the top of every page, that anon posts will not be answered. Just my 0,5 cents
Petros |
Kennith P. Whichard III (Kennith)
| | Posted on Friday, May 31, 2002 - 02:26 am: |
|
I think all your points are valid. Especially about the power of this website. Discussions on Discoweb can both make or break a product. Kind of like if Oprah were to dissapprove of a book. All the people who rely on her for advise and who didn't want to spend their hard earned 14.50 on a bad read would be turned away.
Now apply that to a 1000 dollar front bumper. Or a pair of rock sliders. Countless people rely on the postings in this website for advice.
I don't know of any way to eliminate the problem, but anon postings should be policed carefully, as a careless posting could rob a company of a sale of a perfectly good product, and these companies need every sale they can get. That's what drives prices down.
Cheers,
Kennith |
TEX
| | Posted on Friday, May 31, 2002 - 10:00 am: |
|
EXACTLY KEN, COULD HAPPEN TO ROOF RACKS AS WELL. |
Paul de Man (Deman)
| | Posted on Friday, May 31, 2002 - 03:48 pm: |
|
I think the benifits of anon postings outweigh the hassles. Some day a LR engineer or marketing type might want to post something here of interest (OK, I won't hold my breath). Or perhaps a DaimlerChrysler employee wants to talk about his/her true passion.
Would it be possible for the board to modify preferences for members so that they don't have to see the anon postings? |
Axel Haakonsen (Axel)
| | Posted on Friday, May 31, 2002 - 04:36 pm: |
|
"Would it be possible for the board to modify preferences for members so that they don't have to see the anon postings? "
Nope. The bbs does not have that functionality. But, a warning to those who choose to post anonymously; (actually it applies to non-anon posts as well, but the anon posts are the worst offenders) If you post an inappropriate message, meaning any post that the moderator has to remove or edit, your ip may be banned. The length of the ban is determined on a case by case basis, up to and including forever. So use some judgement, even on anon posts. |
gil-wilbur
| | Posted on Friday, May 31, 2002 - 04:47 pm: |
|
why the fuss about anon postings? whats the difference if somebody posts under "anonymous" or makes up a name? they both serve the same purpose. I always post under my registered name "gil stevens" or just "gil", but if I had something i wanted to say anonymously, i could just post my name as "bob" or "wilbur" for that matter. Would those posts be deserving of attention whereas an anonymous post would not?? hmmm.. to ponder |
Axel Haakonsen (Axel)
| | Posted on Friday, May 31, 2002 - 08:12 pm: |
|
Anonymous posts are permitted. However, there have been a few instances where someone has posted inapropriate content, anonymously or otherwise. When that happens, it may reusult in a blocked ip for the offender. We are generally more lenient in the general section than in the other areas of the bbs, but use some judgement when posting. |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Saturday, June 01, 2002 - 12:04 am: |
|
Gill,
People who post anon. have no balls. |
Erik Olson (Jon)
| | Posted on Saturday, June 01, 2002 - 12:41 am: |
|
When I read "anon" within any serious thread, I automatically categorize that post differently. If the subject is geared towards product review, or other unsolicited opinion, I tend to take an anon opinion with a grain of salt - whereas posts from the Tom, Kyle, Ron or Leslie's of d'web will be read with a higher degree of confidence. I may not agree with everything [Kyle sp.!] they say, but I definitely have a degree of inherent trust and respect for their thoughts.
e |
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page