Do you disable your profile?

marc · August 2005

I've noticed that more and more forum participants are going with either disabled profiles or very little information on the profile.

So I have (at least termporarily) joined with this approach and disabled my profile.

So what gives?

Parabeagle · August 2005

Just nothing interesting to say, I guess. x;-)

Cheryl S SPHR · August 2005

Not sure I would know how to disable my profile so if mine is disabled it's an accident!

Whatever · August 2005

It is well known that under HIPAA regulations, information about anything disabled cannot be released. :~~

lorrie · August 2005

I've noticed this also. Knowing my name is out there makes me a little more cautious in the things that I say.

LivindonSouth · August 2005

Me too Shelby. I'm always a bit hesitant to be forthright. Knowing my name is out there makes me uneasy and I often hold back rather than give my honest opinion.

"Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot."
Charlie Chaplin

lorrie · August 2005

Wow. I've always appreciated what I thought was forthrightness from you. Now I realize that maybe I can't handle the truth; you better stick with holding back. x:D

lhill · August 2005

I don't disable my profile; in fact, I've added to it. I am concerned about how the climate on the forum has changed. When I first joined in everyone was friendly and open. There was agreement, disagreement, and sparring back and forth on issues. It was informative and entertaining at the same time. I grew to feel like I knew the forumites' personalities and thought of them as friends. Then the change. Now many forumites seem withdrawn and suspicious. I feel it was probably the complaint someone lodged that led to a lengthy thread on another forum. Things haven't been the same since then. I wish it could go back to the way it was. I don't like corresponding with anonymous posters. I liked it when we said "this is who I am, like me or not", instead of hiding for fear of retribution. I don't hold any grudges against anyone. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, nor do I necessarily agree with them, but that's what makes horse races, right? So by all means take a look at my profile. It's not very exciting, but then that's who I am, like me or not.

Linda

marc · August 2005

Good observations and commentary.

I would add that a whole bunch of regulars have either disappeared or discovered other work that needs to be done, which has reduced the frequency of their postings.

I miss those people.

dchr9203 · August 2005

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-19-05 AT 11:17AM (CST)[/font][br][br]For me, its about protecting myself and my employer. I have no idea who any of you are, what your motives might be, what malicious intent may be floating around out there. My profile being enabled or disabled has absolutely no relevance to how I might respond to a poster. My postings would be the same if my profile was enabled or if it is not.

Superlative_KC · August 2005

I have reasons which I won't disclose; explaining the reasons would be tantamount to enabling my profile. However, I have told many of you about myself in private messages and/or emails. I don't have anything to hide.

marc · August 2005

Now that is a perspective that is disturbing. I can say that until I posted this thread, my profile was enabled which included my name, company name and web address and some of my work history.

I have been posting for about 18 months, and the only splashback has been the occasional disagreement that got a bit personal. All comfined to the forum postings.

Am I more than a bit niave in my trust of folks?

safety · August 2005

Uh, Marc, just to let you know your e-mail is still available and it is easy for one to 'search' and find you.

Whirlwind · August 2005

I inadvertently set mine that way from the beginning (techno-blunder); then I decided to leave it that way so that I could, if needed, describe an ee situation very specifically. It's a long shot, but remember that anyone can read this Forum even if they can't post, and I didn't want to take a chance on anyone from my organization stumbling upon my profile (i.e. name) connected to a particular post. My personal life is pretty much an open book, and I have blanket trust for all Forumite....just not members of the unsubscribing public who happen upon this site.

lhill · August 2005

Whirlwind, that's something I never thought of. Changes my feelings.

Linda

mushroomHR · August 2005

I agree with Whirlwhind which is why mine is disabled as well. You never know who may be lurking.

LivindonSouth · August 2005

Looking at profiles two and three years ago was sort of a pasttime, something fun. I rarely do it now. One thing I did notice was the large number of people who were either unable to type or tried to disguise themselves. Such as people with names like Charles, Randall, Robert who checked the 'female' box and names that were undeniably female that checked themselves in as male. What's up with that?

And, as some of us remember, when this thing was wide open, there were many who established multiple accounts for purposes of subterfuge and trickery, if not fraudulent interraction. That sort of crap led to a sense of distrust and discomfort for lots of participants. And then there are the lawyers whom we've discovered, some pretending to not be, but drilling down into their profile info outed them.

I reached 9999 posts with my original signon and just didn't want to clock 10,000 so I changed my signon. But, I'm still my same gentle, introverted self, right?

Have we talked yet about those moody people who click their profile and mailbox off and on depending on the mood de jour?

"Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot."
Charlie Chaplin

ritaanz · August 2005

I guess it's my turn. I thought that the profile portion of the Forum was a good idea. Still do. Until I read this thread, I did not know there are so many skeptical people on the Forum.

It costs my company almost $300 for my susbscription and with that comes the ability to use the Forum. I cannot imagine that there is someone lurking out there waiting for the chance to "get me".

Being in HR, there are times when I need to be cynical or wary when dealing with a personnel issue. My thinking...the Forum was designed for professional people to communicate and assist with HR problems and questions. Aren't there enough hassles in the world of work without inventing more?

Maybe I am the naive one here, but I hope not.

Crout · August 2005

As they say Rita, even paranoids have real enemies. For me, I really don't care. Way back when I worked for five years in a maximum security treatment unit for violent criminals. I lost count of how many times my life was threatened, by guys who really could carry out the threat. I decided that while I would take appropriate precautions, I was not about to worry myself to death over it either....pun INtended. I figure that even if some folks on the Forum have "malicious intent", they can't possibly be more malicious than I've experienced in the past. And to tell the truth, even though we've seen some heated arguments, I've NEVER seen any indication that the people on this forum were anything less than sincere, decent human beings.

System · August 2005

My family and friends believe I'm the biggest skeptic they know; that's not the same as paranoia or mistrust. My profile is pretty bland and I've thought about updating it; never thought about disabling it. I don't want to be behind the curtain in Oz. I'm introverted but I don't mind letting you see who's saying these things.

Leslie · August 2005

I have to admit, I had thought about perhaps someone reading what I was posting regarding my employees. But then I figured, what the he**? All I'm trying to do is get suggestions on how to handle a specific situation, and/or make sure I'm doing it legally. Can't believe anyone can fault me for that. My boss regularly asks me to post questions on the forum, so if it's okay by her, I guess I'm fine. Therefore, my profile is abled.

Do you disable your profile?

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