Apparently, I wasn't clear enough in my initial announcement (since edited about the information required in your profile). All members must add their location. The minimum is your City and your State (if you reside in the United States) and your City and your Country (if you reside outside the United States). The City part is a requirement. If you don't live in a city, then put the name of the nearest City, Town, Hamlet, Village, County Seat, Barrio, Barangay, or similar. If you live in the US, then your State is also required. If you live outside the US, then your City and your Country are required. If you live in Monaco, Gibraltar, Vatican City, or a similar place that is a City and Country together, an exception can be made.

I hope this is clear now. Either Your City and your State (inside USA) must be entered OR your City and your Country (outside USA) must be listed.

Zip Code or Postal Code is optional. If you buy and sell in the Classified section, adding it to your location is recommended.

I have reworded the labels on the fields for editing your profile to reduce confusion about the two Location headings. The first one is now titled: Location: PLEASE LEAVE THIS BLANK and the other one is labeled Location (Required): *
Your City/State or City/Country.

If you have your location entered in both places it will display twice in each post you make. I don't have a problem with that. At the end of the year the Location: PLEASE LEAVE THIS BLANK portion will be deleted and just the required Location field will remain visible. I can't delete it now because it is being used as a requirement in posting an ad in the Classified section.

The deadline for entering your location in your profile is January 1, 2023. Any profile without a location will be deactivated at that time.

My apologies for being so wordy, I just want to be sure that everybody understands the City/State OR City/Country requirement. Here's the original post: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=415756

Hi,
I can get into my profile and it just says Northwest N.J. with the zip code. I can't find an update button to make it more specific. Can you help?
rgds,
Mark S.

Hi,
Sorry, didn't read the original post, fixed. Disregard previous post.
rgds,
Mark S.

This is a great help to us older members. Sometimes we get confused and don't know where we are. Now we can log on to Antique Radios and the site will tell us where we are!

Why has this become necessary?

Scot, Alan offered an explanation for this forum change in an earlier, now locked Radio Clubhouse thread.
viewtopic.php?p=3552548#p3552548

Greg.

I disagree with these changes---I don't feel comfortable with people knowing what city/town I live in.

In another post, you stated "we're all friends here"---please, elaborate; you know this how?

Granted, I get along with most of the posters here, but there could be stalkers and weirdos on ANY website....and it might not even be obvious by their postings.

I think this is a move that compromises user's safety.

I'm sure that Northeast Florida will be okay William.

Greg.

This is about as far from reality as anyone could get. You are here under a nickname. Unless you give out your real name nobody knows who you are. To actually find you someone has to find out your name, then distinguish you from all the other people with your same name and then track your address. More importantly, they have to want to find you, which means there has to be a reason.

Is there a reason anyone would want to find you?

That's just too many coincidences to be realistic. There is no safety issue with this requirement.

From Alan :

Is there a reason why anyone would want to find me? That's the whole point; I don't know. How would I? I have no idea what other people are thinking.

And I live in a pretty small town, population maybe 10K?

EDIT; btw, there are ways to use a person's IP address to find out name and location

Not unless they're an insider at whatever company the user is getting internet access from so that they could cross reference the IP to whatever account holder had that particular IP at that particular time. Which would be an account holder and their billing address, not necessarily the user here on this forum nor their actual location. Wouldn't even have that if the user was on a work IP address or open to the public hotspot, etc. Plus it would have to be a forum admin here to even get the IP to start down that path, as a normal user I don't see the IP address of any other users here. If you're truly that paranoid about this then I would expect you are already using a VPN so that there is never any possibility of anyone other than insiders at the VPN provider being able to piece together any of this. If you aren't already using a VPN, well then it just doesn't fit with your rhetoric.

For worriers, I have been using my real name and real location on ARF since I joined in 2013. I have never been contacted by anyone (unless it is one of the many phone calls where they don't say anything and just hang up). I have only knowingly physically met three ARF members in that whole time. One was someone who asked for help and I PMed him asking if he wanted to get together. I started it, not him. The other two were people I met at swap meets because I recognized their license plate from their user name or something they had posted. It's a non-existent problem.

And I too have always used my real name. Been here for decades and I have NEVER had a problem. Oh, I too live in NE Florida, Fernandina Beach.

Northeast Florida is not acceptable. Vague locations are not acceptable. The minimum is City/State if you are in the US; City/Country if you are outside the US.

If your account is using a nickname instead of your real name, nobody knows who you are. Perhaps someone could figure out your real name with a Google search, but then your address and other personal information is easily available through public records anyway. If you don't want people to know you're in Briny Breezes, Florida. just put in Fanning Springs, Florida instead. Nobody will know.


This is getting off-topic. IP addresses are not publicly visible here, so that shouldn't be a concern.

This is the bottom line. Heck, I went into the public tax records in Baltimore County, MD and saw my neighbors (when I lived there) and same thing here in Fernandina Beach, FL 32034. A list of home owners with names and addresses. It's public information.

If you're that paranoid, perhaps you shouldn't be here, or anywhere else on the internet.

.

WISCO JIM:

Very well put.

Joe Koester, 1020 Huron Drive, Crossville, TN 38572-6304

Hey, Alan said we're all friends here---no cookies for you!

I do not think "paranoid" is fair.

We have all read dozens of post about identify theft and scammers. The concern is very real. It causes me concern when an unvetted person on the internet demands my personal information to be disclosed publically.

How often do we hear " I have never had a problem, therefore there is not problem". Or, "I am not doing anything wrong so who cares?" Those are non arguments. IF you have not been a target you have been lucky. The world has changed. There are bad people lurking who will take advantage if they can. Nobody polices internet criminals.

With today's internet information resources it is easy to figure out someone's personal information. For instance, if I see John Smith, lives in Pasadina, CA on this board, it is not a big job to find his exact street address, phone #, age and relatives. From there a thief can use that information to find facts that can be used to cause harm.

In addition, EVERYTHING you post on an internet forum is recorded and archived. It can be used against you now or in the future. IF you don't feel comfortable saying something then don't. IF you want to be anonymous use a service like Torr browser. IF the website does not allow it that is a clue to you.

Yes, if you are selling things here if it fair to tell the buyer knows who you are. That is obvious. It can be handled as part of the sale.

I think personal information should be voluntary. Nobody asked me so I will leave it alone. Alan's play pen so his rules.