Anonymous Posting--Put a Stop to It

I posted this on the MIGS board, but wanted to put it here, too....

I have absolutely no desire to either keep track or track down people's aliases and identities. The legwork Gus did shows the real need for the elimination of anonymous posting on a moderated board.

Since Kristen left about.com's DL board, it has been trashed by a couple of anonymous posters, one of which is a very unskilled (but persisitent) shill for Century University. A moderator would've cut off his account by now, at least forcing him to find another alias and another means of logging in.

The same needs to be done here. Identify yourself adequately to the moderators, who can then assign you a login for the board. No "tags" or "handles," just real names.

It would also help if the participants of this board also pitched in by not feeding trolls. (I count myself as one of the guilty, of course!) It is extremely aggravating, and detracts from the real issues to be discussed.

Get it done, Chip.

 

Second.

jmbp

 

I've been watching that thread with some surprise at how long it has gone on. I doubt that the poster is operating on behalf of Century in any authorized manner -- no organization would want to be represented by an illiterate buffoon.

 

I have some concerns about that.

The old timers will remember that AED performed a rather different function than Degreeinfo. AED was a place where newbies constantly asked about how they could start out taking DL classes. They asked about particular schools (often degree mills) and they asked where they could find business and CS programs. It was often repetitive, but it performed a service.

Degreeinfo seems to be a venue for shoptalk among longtime DL buffs. We are less apt to see the kind of naive questions we once did, and discussion is now dominated by interest in doctoral degrees. Some of the people who post here work in DL or are hoping to break into the field, and are interested in networking and perhaps in job recommendations. It's a different crowd.

I think that part of the reason for that is because Degreeinfo is more intimidating to join. On AED anyone could post a question, anonymously if they wished. Here you have to register before you can post your question. If you have to give your social security number and your mother's maiden name as well, people who just have a casual question are simply gonna pass.

So would further tightening the registration process turn out to be counterproductive?

Please think about it first, Chip.

I think that Degreeinfo should be looking at ways to make itself more accessible and inviting as a source of advice, information and discussion for DL neophytes. Or at least that should be one of its functions. Perhaps a forum could be dedicated to that purpose.

 

Back when I ran a BBS (from 1993-95), I required everyone who signed in to use their "real name."

So I was visited with people who had names like Bilbo Baggins, Mike Hunt, Ronald Reagan, Harry Dick, Ann Onimus, etc. etc. etc.

The moral of the story is that asking people to use a "real name," in and of itself, won't make a significant difference when it comes to dealing with the basic problem of anonymity.

Other local BBSes (but not mine) required applicants to give out their phone numbers and be verified with a telephone call before they could participate. I thought this was excessive, and it didn't really serve the purpose very well anyway, since some people had more than one telephone number and could do voice impressions.

Others required people to give out their street addresses. I thought this was a very distressing idea after several local SysOps showed up at the doorstep of my old house uninvited. It seems they were in the neighborhood. I used my P.O. Box from then on in, and refused to give my street address to any BBS that asked for it. Every local SysOp worth dealing with caved in and let me use the P.O. Box.

But if I hadn't, I'm sure I could have signed in with a phony Downing Street or Pennsylvania Avenue address, and it would have worked just as well.


Cheers,

 

I concur that barring all anonymous posters would be an onerous task. Moreover, the decline in the number of posts would not only limit the utility of the forum, but would also make it a lot less fun as well.

Perhaps there is some kind of middle-of-the-road solution. Those members, who allow their identities to be fully verified, could somehow be identified as such on DegreeInfo. This could be accomplished either through the use of some icon or avatar, or even some designation (I’m partial to Accredited Member, myself—although some of the more creative posters might have other suggestions ).

This way, everyone will know who has put their money where their mouth is (so to speak), and those who choose to remain anonymous will be readily identifiable. Given time, anonymous posters who choose to become long-term members of this community, will want to avoid the inevitable stigma associated with anonymity (or gain additional credibility), and choose to identify themselves. A clear process that would allow them to do so should be made available.

And if some complain that this smacks of elitism, or will create some kind of class structure, so be it; that is precisely the point.

 

LOL Good point.

I understand the desire of many people to require posters to use their real names (even if they lie ) because it would probably reduce the number of trolls and it would keep a tone of seriousness to the discussion board.

Conversely, this forum allows anonymous posters, but I haven't seen any trolls and the tone of seriousness is quite evident. Would requiring posters to use their real names change the tone and quality of this forum? As the forum stands, it is growing by leaps and bounds and the quality of posters that are being attracted to this board are of a reasonably high caliber. Anyone who is interested in education can't be all bad.

Besides, it is very difficult to verify the true identity of a poster and it would put an unrealistic workload on the forum's administrators to accomplish such a feat.

I have been on forums where I had to photocopy my identification and mail it in to gain access to the forum and, surprisingly, the discussions weren't nearly as good as they are here. Go figure.

Frankly, "forums" on the internet are still evolving because it is a relatively new phenomena. It appears that many (if not most) forums are adopting "user handles" (or silly user names). My user name is a case in point. But that seems to be the direction of the internet. Maybe it will change and forums will abolish these silly "user names." And maybe not.

 

I agree that posters should be "tracked" to ensure that promoters of "less-than-wonderful" schools are denied admittance, but to force people to use their real names is not the answer. As discussed in other threads, there are legitimate reasons why some of us would rather not have our names plastered throughout "any" forum.

One suggestion might be to record the member's static IP address. This would in essense identify each user as unique. I do this on my own site and have great success in keeping people out. If the server gets a boggey, there's no access, even if they have the right user name and password.

Just a thought!

 

I think Gus has the right idea. Simple peer presure works in most situations--even electronic ones. If you want to be taken seriously, 'fes up who you are. If not, then don't.

Craig K. Hargis
Born and raised: New Orleans
Age: 45
Occupation: Teacher
Riverside, California

And no--I don't have a social security number

 

Craig and I are the same age--45--nor do I have a SS number.

My mother gave birth to me via distance learning, so like several degree mills discussed on DegreeInfo, I was never in one place long enough to qualify for a SS #.

Russell,
Yes, my real name

 

Good point, Craig - the peer pressure tack!

Name: Dan East
Occupation: Career/marriage counsellor
Age: 44 in 6 weeks
Location: look to your left

So, I post in good faith, disclosing who I am - I'm not a troll or a shill - yet, do I get treated to the abuse particular to Levicoff if my post is less than graduate level logic, grammar, semantics, etc? I may be simply asking, what is to me, a rather important DL related question! Is this a forum reserved for the intellectually gifted - Gus, Rich, Steve, et al - or can anyone play?

It is the opinion of some (opps! specificity!!!) I mean Levicoff, that one should enter this discussion forum with (intellectually) girded loins, at the very least! Not for the faint of heart...

Well, this is all very new to me. I have never belonged to an internet forum of any kind prior to DegreeInfo, so maybe I exhibit the cardinal sin of ignorance. I have taken the word "discussion" to mean a relatively free and open exchange of ideas and opinions, not a "my degree is bigger than yours and I've posted more to boot" pissing contest.

I truly exhibit the perhaps charming to Levicoff naivete of someone who thinks, "hey, we're all into the same stuff, right?" So why trash someone for not dotting all their "eyes"? (Jack Nicholson, Mars Attacks! "Can't we just...get along?"). I actually think that I can expect "forum" to mean "place where I am not trashed for being less-than-wonderful-in-the-grey-matter"!
This may seem rather quaint, but I am afraid to put in my 2 cents worth most of the time!

So, if posters use their names, perhaps the trolls and shills will go away, and people in the know will exhibit what is to me the true mark of the gifted individual: graciousness.

BTW, this missive is proof that I'm easy intillekchewal pickins', so call me a piss-ant, Steve. Believe me, I'm not smart enough to be one of the boys, a real player, so I will hardly ever interrupt...you'll hardly know I'm here, honest! But Please! Enough already with the attacks!

Sincerely,
Dan East (who should've posted this on the MIGS forum under an alias...)

PS: I can here the BWA HA HA HA already... but this is a serious question I ask: did I join a forum reserved for learned academic debate only, and should Degreeinfo have a place in my favorites file "for lurking purposes" only?

 

I like Gus's idea. Accrediting members is an excellent suggestion. Then participants can weigh for themselves how much credibility they want to put into some posters' remarks.

Rich Douglas
Burke, Virginia
Age: 42
Degrees from Community College of the Air Force, USNY, and National
Ph.D. Candidate with The Union Institute and University
Former MIGS sufferer (self-inflicted)
Corporate Trainer, AT&T (current)
Retired Air Force officer
From San Diego
Married, two children. (They're all better humans than I.)
Dalliances with Greenwich (internship) and Heriot-Watt with John Bear
Adjunct Professor with Webster University and Virginia International U. (current)
Full-time at San Diego State University (Asst Prof and Commandant of Cadets, AFROTC)
Avid golfer (7 handicap, up from 5 since resuming my doctoral pursuit)
Lifelong Democrat (with Libertarian leanings)
Padres fan (I know, I know )
Lots of other jobs, including Xerox, Prudential, and Corrections Corporation
email: [email protected]

Anything else?

 

Oh, hell, why not...

Tom Head
Central Mississippi
Age: 23

• Homeschooled K-12; degrees from USNY/Regents and CSUDH; graduate coursework at Mississippi College and Spring Hill College; Ph.D. student with Edith Cowan University.
  
  Freelance writer and editorial consultant (current); working on two books that have absolutely nothing to do with distance education, for publishers that aren't in Berkeley.
  
  Once worked at a used bookstore.
  Single, not looking.
  Considers golf boring.
  Lifelong nonconformist with left-leaning tendencies.
  Email: It's on my sigfile.

Cheers,

 

Relax, dude; he really didn't mean anything by it. Nobody's going to accuse Steve of being Kahlil Gibran, but I'm sure the last thing he wants is for you to take him seriously enough that you'd stop posting on his behalf.


Cheers,

 

I posted earlier, but Craig is right! Peer pressure has gotten the better of me.

Name: David. Last name available upon request. Please send a check or money order for fifteen dollars. For rush delivery (1-4 days), please add an additional five dollars. Make checks payable to:_________. (Leave it it blank I'll fill it out myself)

Location: I'm Tony Soprano's neighbor.

Age: older than Rich and younger than Dan, but I look 35.

Sex: yes.

Marital Status: twice.

Children: three girls. I can truly say that I'm in touch with my feminine side.

Occupation: salesman, orator, educator and occasional domestic engineer.

Degree: 98.6F

Demonination: God fearing, theologian.

Political Affiliation: diehard Republic. If Daffy Duck ran for office, he'd have my vote.

Hobbies: Wasting valuable time on forum resumes.

 

Yes, a recent photograph would be helpful and an MP3 or wav file to put some meat on the bones of the cyber persona. Alternatively, a short talking-head MPEG video file, possibly detailing an abbreviated bio. Some feel the veracity of others can be ascertained by watching their eyes, and it is said that by the age of 40, we all have the face we deserve. Are the brows furrowed? The eyes too close together from a lifetime of lies and deceit? Or is the forehead sloping feloniously? And the timbre of the voice: is it mellifluous or taut, relaxed and integrated or strained and conflicted? Is Tom really 23 or just twenty-two and three quarters?

We must know these things . . .

.

 

You might keep out quite a few legitimate members. This system would work only if each member has a static IP address. Many Internet service providers have a bank of IP numbers, and assign these to users as they connect -- you might get the same number as last time, you might not. Travellers might use Internet cafes in places ranging from Minnesota to Mongolia to stay up to date on discussions.

 

My ISP uses DHCP so my IP address changes.

 

time for a little honesty around here

Well, I guess I can go halfway with this stuff:

• I chose my “user name” (e.g. me again) because when I first saw someone else using this handle, it made me laugh hard and long. Ok, so the simple things in life give me humor.
  
  Born in ‘59 while flying from California to Germany (when the plane touched down in Maine). Military brat, son of a West Pointer who was killed while teaching a student how to fly in ‘64. Step father was also a pilot and retired as a 3 star general.
  
  I served as an enlisted military policeman in the Regular Army and as a commissioned MP in the National guard (‘84 to ‘91). I’ve been in civilian law enforcement since getting out of the military, having served as a patrol officer, a school resource officer and am currently a juvenile detective.
  
  Graduated from Los Angeles Valley College with an AA and held my head in shame for many years because I only had an Associates degree. Now I hold my head a little higher because I got a BS in ‘01 from International College. If I complete a MA from the University of South Florida in late ‘03, then I will hold my head high.
  
  Started off as a diehard Republican. As the years have gone by, I’ve seen that the Republicans are always cutting necessary government spending while the Democrats are spending more on necessary government services. The Republicans are a bunch of fiscal idiots and the Democrats are a bunch of crooks (but behind closed doors, are they all drinking out of the same pot???). What am I to do? (throws hands up in air).
  
  Email: [email protected] (yes, it’s a real email address).

That pretty much sums it up, except for my name.

 

Thanks for the advice, Tom.

My knickers are unknotted!

Really!!!