As suggested by the anonymous “Swimmer” in another thread “the names people use on the site are completely irrelevant.” I must respectfully disagree.
I personally give more credence to post made by people who are willing to tell us who they are, especially those who are active participants on a forum. And while there is no way to guarantee that I am who I say I am, none the less I respect the integrity of our posters enough to believe that they are who they purport to be.
What if Martin Luther had tacked his 95 Theses on his church anonymously? Would we now have legions of Anonymousans instead of Lutherans? And what of a Declaration of Independence submitted anonymously because our founding fathers did not want their dissenting opinions traced back to them? OK, maybe a little over the top.
I also like to know who I’m conversing with, so when chance brings us together, say in a stairwell at Indy, I can introduce myself and have an opportunity to really talk with anothers from our family of swimmers/posters.
With all this said, I also respect an individual’s choice of anonymity. The rules of the Forum allow this and I would hate to see folks not get involved, because they fear letting others know their true identity. So for those posting behind pseudonyms, please continue to do so. Just understand that to some of use the use of our names is relevant.
Former Member
Originally posted by kaelonj
This thread is starting to resemble a joke I know(my apologies if I offend anyone, I think I suffer from ADHD which makes this thread even harder to follow).
Question: How many ADHD children does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: Hey bike riding sounds fun !!!
Anyways back to our regularly scheduled program.
Jeff
What?
'gull80' says
By the way, "Phil Arcuni" (as you call yourself), drop the charade and tell us who you really are. Or are you too scared?
I swear that 'Phil Arcuni' is who he says he is.
I should know, I swim for him at every meet!
(good money, too)
I think your comparisons are just a little over the top but I respect your right to have an opinion.
I'm a little different in that I read it all and decide based on the content if it's something worthwhile to spend more time on. I don't really care if it's Aquageek or Rob. I don't know either of you but you still have something to say and if what you say has value then it has value. A name is just a label.
Just my take on all this.
I'm sort of flattered you thought enough of my anonymous postings to start a whole thread. If you knew who I was then we might not have this conversation.
I can understand why someone would want to post anonymously. This is very public and some people just are not comfortable putting their name out there.
I ,like swimmer read the post first, pay attention to the posters name second. I don't believe using my name allows you to know me any better, it does allow you to "find" me if you so chose, and some people would probably not want to be found.(does that make sense? I am trying to do too many things write now!)
Makes lots of sense to me. I'm not looking to be found. It's not a part of this that I want. I've got enough going on as it is. I don't put an email address out because I can't answer all the email I get as it is.
I do respect both sides of this issue though and can see both points of view. I just happen to think that an idea or thought either has merit or it doesn't. I guess I'm both a cynic and an idealist.
Not posting your name is your RIGHT….Having said that…I think anyone who posts and does not have a name listed so people know who they are…Well, I think that is kind of CHICKEN….
I always use my nickname that friends gave me when I register on a board. Friends call me "Doc" more often than Dave. So I register with the name people call me. And it's not hard to find out who somebody is, just run an IP check and from there it's pretty simple :)
Edit: Also since I'm the only master's swimmer (as far as I know) in Cheyenne, it's really pretty easy to track me down.
