Author Topic: For the love of God, Please state your location...  (Read 4984 times)

Holyoak

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 447
  • Age: 57
For the love of God, Please state your location...
« on: August 11, 2017, 05:02:56 PM »
How can we glean any value from your post, when you state for example "my city has a HCOL, where should I move to", "where I live the people suck", "In my city", "my state" "my country", then never mention the location?  Either add it permanently to show under your user name (best), or at least state it in anything you post...  Doesn't have to be Lat/Long to 9 places giving away your home address; how about "Pittsburgh", E. WA, "Utah Co. UT"...  Really frustrating tryng to make any sense from your post.  Thanks.

markbike528CBX

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1899
  • Location: the Everbrown part of the Evergreen State (WA)
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2017, 05:42:07 PM »
Also note that some locations may be ambiguous to those outside your area.

Example Washington and DC may be clear to people who live there, but I've always had to add Washington State and still someone is wondering if I'm living in a shanty on The Mall.

I've made the mistake of saying"Tri-Cities", forgetting that there are many such communities.

simonsez

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1576
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Midwest
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2017, 08:03:50 AM »
I grew up in the Midwest, lived on the East Coast, now am back in the Midwest.  I post my age.  Good enough for me.  YMMV.

If people are comfortable giving out more voluntarily or when asked if it helps with a particular topic, that's totally fine.  It shouldn't be a requirement or expectation if not already given in the profile though in any sort of way.  Also, I think those looking for advice that is geography-dependent but don't give out the details themselves have to realize the trade-off that they won't get properly tailored info in return.

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22318
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2017, 08:24:37 AM »
I grew up in the Midwest, lived on the East Coast, now am back in the Midwest.  I post my age.  Good enough for me.  YMMV.

If people are comfortable giving out more voluntarily or when asked if it helps with a particular topic, that's totally fine.  It shouldn't be a requirement or expectation if not already given in the profile though in any sort of way.  Also, I think those looking for advice that is geography-dependent but don't give out the details themselves have to realize the trade-off that they won't get properly tailored info in return.
Sorry, I agree with the OP. Your first paragraph is rather flip.

As to your second paragraph, if people ask for help without posting relevant details, they're wasting everyone else's time. Eventually, people stop helping, then community is lost. Good discussion helps many more people than the just the OP.

If you're not asking for help, then it doesn't matter if you reveal anything personal at all, but then, that wasn't the reason Holyoak started this thread, was it?

simonsez

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1576
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Midwest
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2017, 01:50:50 PM »
Dicey, I don't disagree with the OP entirely.  I think those asking for help should be specific and if the location was relevant to a topic, then without a doubt have it be integral.  I've never really asked for help that was geographically dependent.  Those giving/commenting advice don't need a geographic identifier if they don't feel like offering up one, it's free advice!

I thought Holyoak was talking about all posters and types of posts, not those just posing a question via starting a thread.  My mistake!

Side note: There are plenty of instructional threads, past examples of similar things, and stickied posts already that if someone at this stage can't properly start a thread with specific info to get good FREE advice, then maybe it deserves to be ignored by at least a good chunk.  I'm glad there are a ton of members with a good deal of patience, yourself included.

Zoot

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 517
  • Location: USA
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2017, 12:27:44 PM »
People may be reticent about divulging their location so as not to provide another clue that makes them "find-able" by a sleuth with ulterior motives.  See https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/creepy-message/ for more on this idea--some users have offered to attempt to "crack" identities based on other users' posts, and some have actually succeeded. 

The results of the experiment have made me more hesitant to use specifics in my own posts, for example.

PizzaSteve

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 501
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2017, 03:36:25 PM »
People may be reticent about divulging their location so as not to provide another clue that makes them "find-able" by a sleuth with ulterior motives.  See https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/creepy-message/ for more on this idea--some users have offered to attempt to "crack" identities based on other users' posts, and some have actually succeeded. 

The results of the experiment have made me more hesitant to use specifics in my own posts, for example.
+1
Plenty of good advice is possible without helping identity thieves target forum members.  Sharing is fine, but please keep in mind some members have been stalked. 

In another thread I note that of 400 polled, over 80% of forum members were in the upper 80% of net worth for their age.  This is a very attractive audience for fakers, scammers and fishers, so I advise the opposite.  Feel free to provide relevant, generic details, as appropriate to the topic.  This is a site for general audiences, not a listing service like Craigslist for finding room mates.

Namaste.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2017, 06:35:07 PM by PizzaSteve »

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22318
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2017, 05:17:28 PM »
People may be reticent about divulging their location so as not to provide another clue that makes them "find-able" by a sleuth with ulterior motives.  See https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/creepy-message/ for more on this idea--some users have offered to attempt to "crack" identities based on other users' posts, and some have actually succeeded. 

The results of the experiment have made me more hesitant to use specifics in my own posts, for example.
Meh. I list my location as NorCal. As of 2015, the population here was 15.38 million humans. I'm also on the thread referenced above and asked to be found by the sleuthy sleuths. Despite some darned creative thinking, it didn't happen.

Dancin'Dog

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1759
  • Location: Here & There
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2017, 06:15:34 PM »
People may be reticent about divulging their location so as not to provide another clue that makes them "find-able" by a sleuth with ulterior motives.  See https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/creepy-message/ for more on this idea--some users have offered to attempt to "crack" identities based on other users' posts, and some have actually succeeded. 

The results of the experiment have made me more hesitant to use specifics in my own posts, for example.
Meh. I list my location as NorCal. As of 2015, the population here was 15.38 million humans. I'm also on the thread referenced above and asked to be found by the sleuthy sleuths. Despite some darned creative thinking, it didn't happen.


I'm considering removing either NC or mountains from my sig. 

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22318
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: For the love of God, Please state your location...
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2017, 11:25:59 PM »
People may be reticent about divulging their location so as not to provide another clue that makes them "find-able" by a sleuth with ulterior motives.  See https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/creepy-message/ for more on this idea--some users have offered to attempt to "crack" identities based on other users' posts, and some have actually succeeded. 

The results of the experiment have made me more hesitant to use specifics in my own posts, for example.
Meh. I list my location as NorCal. As of 2015, the population here was 15.38 million humans. I'm also on the thread referenced above and asked to be found by the sleuthy sleuths. Despite some darned creative thinking, it didn't happen.
That's because you're wise! Some of us are idiots (points finger at self) who posted various specific info over many posts which could easily be connected and lead right to their doorsteps.

ETA: Now I just state that I live in coastal SoCal and leave off city as well as those many location specific and personal details I did before deleting most of my many posts. And now that my house sold and I'll be a dirt-bagger homeless wanderer for a bit until I get another place I'll talk about my temp locations. However I won't talk about where I move to perm next time although the mods can figure it out from my IP address but they aren't crazy ass stalkers...I'm sure they're not..um...kinda sure they're not ;-).
Ooooh! Almost missed this. Congratulations!