If you've been here 10 years, you should be used to "glitches" ... errr... I mean enhanced features Just Email Alan

Just to show what you mean:

There are currently two fields labeled "Location". This is a bit messy, but unfortunately unavoidable. There was already a field where one could add optional information. This was written into the script and was utilized when it became a requirement for posting an ad in the Classified section. When making having a location mandatory and a requirement upon registration, I couldn't reuse the existing database field. I had to create a new, custom field for that information. I can't transfer the date from one field to another and I can't simply delete it because it is used by all the people posting in the Classified section.

As a result, if you filled in the first field and now fill in the second one, your location will appear twice. Deleting the upper location information will remove it from displaying. It doesn't matter to me whether or not that field is blank. The double listing will persist until the change has been completed.

The lack of editing older posts will be fixed later today. It's needed so that titles can be changed to reflect the status of ads (i.e. FS changed to SOLD).

Will there be any warning sent directly to individuals with non-compliant locations before their account is terminated? For instance say I'm some random user and I accidentally made a typo in the name of my town and whatever algorithm your using to check everyones location decides my town is fake because of a typo, will I receive a warning PM or email before the January shutoff date about my location being invalid, or will my account be automatically shutoff without warning?

It would be nice for members to either have a way to check that your algorithm isn't going to black list them by mistake, or to know that if it does it'll warn them far enough in advance that it doesn't like their location that they can fix it before getting their account terminated.

I don't expect all the locations are being checked by hand, and even if they are I don't expect human nor machine to do a perfect job sorting so many users.

Question Alan Is my present location OK or not? Currently it says: Leo, IN or Zellwood, FL so yes I have two locations listed City and State. Leo Indiana my summer home and Zellwood Florida my winter home.

Thanks
John Goller, k9uwa

Editing has been fixed.
Image upload has been fixed.

Accounts that do not have a location added by the end of the year will be deactivated, not deleted. Anyone with an account that is deactivated will have to contact me to have it reactivated.

Locations will be checked by the moderator and myself as we read the forums and view topics, as it is done now in the Classified section. Blank locations are easy to spot and vague "along the mighty Mississippi River" ones aren't much harder.

Adding the location requirement accomplishes a couple of things. It makes handling the Classified ad posting a lot easier and will allow the special rules for posting an ad to be shortened and simplified. It will add an additional item to check when a new member registers. All spambots come from either Amsterdam or Australia. The location entered needs to match with the IP for those two areas. Lastly, this forum is unlike many others in that we're all friends. There is absolutely no reason why anyone would need to be posting anonymously here. If typing in a city and state is too much information about you, then you don't belong here.

"If typing in a city and state is too much information about you, then you don't belong here."


Amen brother!

Just How does this "add security"?

I, feel more comfortable knowing someone is at some place

Everyone has to be somewhere.

Well,

It doesn't, really.

IP geolocation doesn't actually indicate the address of the user, just the general location which can be way off. For example, a cable internet user in the Seattle/Tacoma/area of western Wa, can be indicated as in Tacoma, Puyallup, Auburn, Seattle, and other local area towns, etc. It can also "rotate" through those and other "locations" depending on which geo-locator you use.

Have a read on ip geo-location if you want to know more.
https://www.iplocation.net/geolocation-accuracy

But if someone "feels Better" who am I to argue?

So I added my "geo-located" "city" to my "location"......Enjoy!

73/Rick

Makes me wish I had moved to Winslow instead of Payson last year.

But he's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land.

I am in favor of general location. I miss the age information. I want to see who is older and who is younger, lol.

When I was in the USAF, we had frequent OPSEC and COMSEC briefings.

One of the main points of those briefings and OPSEC in general was controlling and protecting "eefi's" (Essential Elements of Friendly Information)

In the military these were bits of information that by themselves didn't really mean much to "anyone", but when considered all together they formed a much bigger, more useful picture.

Now before someone says something sophomoric like "This isn't the military, we're not in the military and this stuff doesn't damage national security etc" .....I'll agree in advance, but...

It shouldn't be a surprise that your actual birth-date can be an essential element if combined with say your physical address and FULL legal name (QRZ, FCC) . All someone needs then is your SSAN. With enough info, they can create ID cards, credit cards, open credit accounts etc.

And maybe someone has already stolen a box of checks out of your mailbox, or gone through your garbage and gotten a few of your bank or credit card statements.

Your actual birth date is maybe what they do not have. I will NEVER put my birthdate on any non-secure forum site.

Now if a site wants to know if I am "over 13" (me, believing that they actually think I'll answer truthfully?)


Sure. I'll "certify" I am over 13!!

IP location is not always even near accurate.

My IP shows me in the middle of Kansas. Many ISP's use this if they are too lazy to update all the IP records so the just enter the center of the US. Screws up web sites, right now Google News shows weather for Kansas and ignores my location extension for a rear location.

Also, many use VPN's to change their reported location.

+1 on VPNs....Many people have ditched cable and OTA TV for streaming services, and they will often run those services through VPNs to bypass geo lockouts on programs... Different states for sports programs, different countries for entertainment...
Some people also use VPNs for work related purposes so if they visit from both work and home computers they could log in from other ends of the country within 5 minutes or even at the same time...

And what's about foreign (out of U.S) members ?

I'm from Belgium (Europe) and can't comply with all your following requirements:


"Fill in your City and State or Country and click Submit. The location must be searchable on Google Maps, i.e. "Detroit MI" is acceptable; "Motor City" is not."

I am afraid that this new rule will generate more problems than it will solve and could lead to the exclusion of long time members who have always been fully respectful of all the (other) forum rules.

City, Country. Brussels, Belgium. Paris, France. High Meadow Mews, England.

Did it and it was accepted by the forum system, though I'm not sure a Belgian Zipcode will be G.Maps searchable from the U.S