Should all participants at Yahoo Answers be required to post their full name and address, which can then be verified, before posting?

Question

How many of the cowards here, who attack others from the safety of avatars and internet anonymity, would still do so if their full name and address were posted with their questions and answers?

Answer 1

I like it the way it is. Although it would be good if the ones who change categories and report you got transgressing 'community guidelines' would be identified. That is not going to happen though. Yahoo supports mischief makers and has officially expressed their pleasure in this vile action.



However, it would be good that yahoo would check to make sure that there are no sock puppets.

Answer 2

My question would be why do you think that would help?



Are you suggesting that some kind of enforcement might take place where knowing the address of the poster was relevant? What are you proposing, exactly?



My answer would be: No.



I realise that many younger than I are quite happy with disclosing all kinds of information via their social media accounts but I still value my privacy. Not that I expect to have very much. I think many would be staggered if someone compiled a dossier on them based only on their internet interactions.



I once had an interesting exchange with a young electrical engineer in the UK about whether you should use nicknames or real names. Without actually revealing any details on the web, I managed to convince him that I new not only his name, where he was at certain times, his home and work addresses, his work email address his home phone number and his wife's name and interests, where she might be at certain times and noted that he also had two school age children he asked the moderators to remove my reply.



Clearly he thought using his name was "a good idea" but obviously had not thought through the consequences. That data was there for anyone to find and took no hacking or even logging in to any restricted accounts like linkedin, for instance.

Answer 3

I think it would certainly make the discussion more civil. Frankly, though, some of the members are scary, and some have threatened me.



As for the academic credentials, there are only certain members that have told their academic background--I can think of Raisin Caine, JimZ, Bravozulu, Gary F, linlyons, Dana, Chemflunky, Ottawa Mike off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are others. I actually believe they were all telling the truth about their backgrounds.



Are there some people that you doubt the backgrounds of? I know some people have expressed doubts about mine, but everything I have claimed is true. If anyone seriously doubts it I'd be happy to wager money with them about it, say a $500 bet? That would make it worthwhile to produce some transcripts and share my name with the nutjobs in here.

Answer 4

I have no idea which side you are on and don't really care. While I agree that the anonymity of YA tends to make people more abrasive than they would normally be, having the same name and avatar consistently means you have to be able to defend what you have said in the past. When you post anonymously, you can say whatever crap you like and no one will question you on it later. This is why I don't post anonymously.



You can hardly complain about anonymity while posting more anonymously than the rest of us.

Answer 5

No. Even a grad student who has published some work that is celebrated by global warmers(and has been quoted on this site), complained when his comments critical of climate scientists were published at a skeptical blog, saying it would hurt his career. The possibility of people being bullied or suffering job loss is real.

Answer 6

Nope

Answer 7

Look who's talking, anonymous.

I don't hide behind an anonymous avatar.

Everything I state in this forum has been peer-reviewed and is verifiable.

Answer 8

Your straw man argument is boring. No one expects full name and address, but having a consistent avatar shows that you proudly stand by what you say. Clearly you are afraid of something or else you wouldn't take the extra step to make it anonymous. You yourself allude to the "safety of avatars", so what's the problem?



EDIT: It must take a pretty high sense of self-importance to flatter yourself with the idea that everyone around here is just on the edge of their seats anxiously awaiting to "stalk" you if only you weren't anonymous.

Answer 9

Easier to just shut it down.

But more likely they'll simply close this category. It is a laughable impossibility to try to run an unmoderated "question and answer" site on such a topic. But nobody would spend a life flooding "Landscape and Gardens" or "Insurance" or "Camcorders" or "Non-Alcoholic Drinks" with fake questions.

Answer 10

Everybody here is anonymous. Do you think Ray and S are real? They are George Soros troll accounts. The forum is infested with Leftist alarmunist lice.

Answer 11

I understand the trolling, insults, and vulgarity can get annoying, but I don't think giving up our privacy is the answer.

Answer 12

No, no one would post an answer if that were the case.

Answer 13

No this is the internet.

Answer 14

No

Answer 15

no