Secret Name

mountainyman

I'd like to post a personal issue but I don't want to use 'mountainyman' , Is it possible to use a name for one specific post? I understand that if I posted as 'secretname' or whatever I'd be banned. Is that right?

Basq

Can't you log-out and post as anonymous in PI?

mountainyman

Will I be banned if I do that?

Hagar

No, you won't be banned.
It's perfectly acceptable to use a "once off" name to post on PI.

Baz_

No.

There are a few boards that allow you to post anonymously, for the very reason you state above. Most boards don't let you because, well the consequences could be quite dire.

Beruthiel

mountainyman wrote:

Will I be banned if I do that?

no you won't
if you read the PI Forum Charter you will get instructions on how to post unregged
B

Sparky

only the mods of the forum and admins will know who you are, so dont worry. Its there so other users dont know who you are.

Rabies

There are a few boards that allow you to post anonymously

Where else is there apart from PI

Matthewthebig

Lgb

Gordon

Rabies wrote:

Where else is there apart from PI

And Athletics afaik.

20 Times 20 Times

Sparky_S wrote:

only the mods of the forum and admins will know who you are, so dont worry. Its there so other users dont know who you are.

Why is this even the case , if you dont want to post anonymously why should even these guys see it . NOw im knocking them i think the mods do a great job over in PI , but some people post anonymously for that very reason.Something i didnt know that they could see

Gordon

We only utilise a search on Unregistered users if the user is believed to be a problem user, it's only in extreme circumstances. We don't go around nosying up on Unreggies, that would be wrong.

20 Times 20 Times

Then why really have the function there in the first place ? I have posted on the PI board once (Thanks to beru) i asked for my post to be deleted because i didnt post private and thought others might put two and two together.But sure i wouldnt of posted anonymously at all now that o know otehr cans see its me posting , i should just log out and post.

Gordon

As I inferred in my previous post - the search capability is very useful for stopping problem users.

20 Times 20 Times

Yeah i accept your pint but we are talking about the PI forum here every post has to be looked at that it just might be a problem user , hence checking the posters ID.Now im just presuming, but i do know that if you post anonymously then the mod has to accept you thread first and im sure they look at who the real poster is to check "problem users", so therefore you arent really hiding your ID

Gordon

Correct, there is a post queue that awaits mod approval for Unregistered posts and threads.

However, the only details that we see on this are the actual text of the post and the thread that it relates to.

20 Times 20 Times

Gordon wrote:

Correct, there is a post queue that awaits mod approval for Unregistered posts and threads.

However, the only details that we see on this are the actual text of the post and the thread that it relates to.

And if you press a certain button you could see the "anonmous"posters real nick ?

Gordon

It doesn't quite work like that, but mods have a way of checking certain parallels. Smods have a more detailed tool.

Baz_

Every post made to the boards logs the IP address from whence it came, I'm not sure if there is a way to search which users have used that particular ip address recently, but if there was you could imagine how trivial a task it would become to track an unregged anonymous user down.

If you want to be truly anonymous you would have to use some sort of anonymiser before posting, without taking precautions you will be as well known as if you were logged in.

I wouldn't worry about it tbh though, as the moderators I believe were chosen with care.

Although personally if I had an issue thats so personal I wouldn't post it on boards.ie anyway, thats just me though.

ecksor

Sarge wrote:

Why is this even the case , if you dont want to post anonymously why should even these guys see it . NOw im knocking them i think the mods do a great job over in PI , but some people post anonymously for that very reason.Something i didnt know that they could see

Actually, I designed the cross post checking in such a way as to minimise the possibility of a breach of privacy in this manner, but

a) It is by no means perfect.
b) It doesn't apply in the same way to admins or SMods.

The only information that will be supplied with an unregged post is the IP address. It is entirely possible for a PI mod to match a unregistered user with their regular account if they decide to use the same address to post on the PI forum. If they post with the same address on any other forum, then it could come up if an SMod or admin decide to check you out.

Incidentally, I had one banned user that I used to periodically check out and it turned out he was posting anonymously on PI for the purposes of giving advice. His posts were obviously been taken on merit since they were being allowed through the queue and I don't recall any PI mod mentioning that he had been posting there.

If you have a proposal regarding a better way of handling this then feel free to make any suggestions you wish.

Beruthiel

ecksor wrote:

I don't recall any PI mod mentioning that he had been posting there.

I have never once checked the IP address of an unregged guest, so far I haven't felt the need to

ecksor

That was my point

Well, that and I'm not sure if you'd have come up with his regular username through the search anyway.

Sparky

sorry guys i didnt want to bring up the topic of the fact that the moderators can know who you are in respect to who you are on boards.
The only reason i said it was to point out that the function of having the IP address recorded is there in cases of, for example a banned user posting un-needed things on the PI board and aswell as say a normal user posting unrequired spam, for whatever reason as a guest.
So sorry for bringing up this topic, as i know it went off topic a bit.

Baz_

Why are you sorry Sparky?

Do you not think it's something people should be aware of?

Personally I think everyone should be made aware of it, as it would have the double impact of allowing users who are a bit undecided on the basis that people might find out about their ingrown whatchamacallit, as well as stopping people logging out to post a bit of abuse for the craic...

Haven't actually read the charter but for all I know it's probably stated in there already.

Don't be sorry anyway Sparky, it was one of your few posts that wasn't pure spam, and as such was quite a pleasant change from the norm

Gordon

Yeah, we mentioned something about it in the charter.

Sparky

oh thanky.