+1 Hidden....let's ban it!

[Former Believer]

I don't like people hiding their profiles when visiting threads.  Feels sneaky to me.  Don't know if people have the capacity to smite while in this status, but the whole thing of hiding your identity bugs me.

Can we get rid of this function?  I vote yes to banning it!

[catwixen]

I dont mind people hiding....there can be various valid reasons for it. But I do not think they should have applaud/smite ability when hidden.

[Argyle]

Hmm, well I think this is just a rehash of karma transparency.
I believe there were very good reasons that karma transparency was rejected by the admins (it is available on WWGHA I think).
I like that we now can see how many karma changed on each post, but I also like that they are anonymous.
If you are using the "who's viewing this thread" in order to circumvent karma transparency restrictions, I fail to see how someone keeping their profile hidden should be seen as "sneaky" so much as simply taking advantage of actual board policy.

At the same time though, I can see your perspective. It is a difficult balance between karma transparency and opacity.
I do believe that admins have stepped on one or a few individuals for abusing the karma system however.
I think one of the things we are trying to avoid by enforcing karma policy as it is would be that on other boards people started forming alliances and karma dumping on their philosophical opponents whenever they posted. I much prefer the idea that someone is karma-voting on my posts as a reaction to the actual post itself.

[Maggie the Opinionated]

It is simply amazing to me that the ones who whine the loudest about smites usually have the fewest. If anyone has a right to whine about smites it is Ricky and it is I. And guess what? We don't. So what is really at work here? We have just barely gotten over (sort of) a forum drama that was started over karma. It was ugly enough that it drove quite a number of regulars away. Do you really want to chance starting another big fight over something so trivial and drive away more?

[Inertialmass]

I proudly wear the smites delivered by (+1 Hidden) (and of course it's pure random coincidence that my post here follows upon Maggie's) as blazing badges of honor and courage in the neverending quest for Truth, Justice and the American Way.

[Meat]

Spoiler

When I signed on to IGI I thought I was hiding my email only. For the longest time I had no clue I was hidden when I logged in. I've never bothered to change it or even cared.

[close]

[Traveler]

It is simply amazing to me that the ones who whine the loudest about smites usually have the fewest. If anyone has a right to whine about smites ... it is I. And guess what? We don't...

Rewrite history much? Your complaints about your "silly smiters" are legend around here. For good reason. Or have you deleted those posts too?

[Pastafarian]

Who's whining about smiting?! Jee-sus, woman. Get over it already.

I didn't know one could hide one's ID. It does feel sneaky, but I guess if you want to anonymously smite someone (makes sense too) then it makes sense...

[Pastafarian]

 

[leese]

To each his/her own conscience. If I were smiting while hidden;I'd feel sneaky. I don't like to feel sneaky or for others to perceive me as such. Perhaps others don't get that feeling.

[jetson]

Smiting is as much of a statement around here as actually replying.  What would happen to this forum if smiting and applauding were disabled?

[Happy Evolute]

We have given you this power ... use it well!

[Mooby the Golden Sock]

But I do not think they should have applaud/smite ability when hidden.

We don't have a setting that does this.

FYI, staff members can see hidden accounts (they appear as italics in the member list.)  So you're not completely invisible.

[catwixen]

But I do not think they should have applaud/smite ability when hidden.

We don't have a setting that does this.

Yeah I kinda thought that....it might have been discussed if so. 

[Traveler]

I've never understood the point of having an invisibility setting. Why are users allowed to be hidden on forums like this? Can we disable the feature? Do we want to?

[Mooby the Golden Sock]

Why are users allowed to be hidden on forums like this?

It's a default feature that we never turned off.

Can we disable the feature?

Yes.

Do we want to?

It's worked fine for four years now.


It seems to me that the members who want to be hidden use the feature, so it must be doing something for them.  I've never noted anyone using it for malice, and if they did we have other ways to address it.  Why take away a feature that works for someone else just because you're personally irked that there's someone you can't see?

And how to we know that the next person who registers isn't an ex boyfriend using this site to stalk you, and staying hidden is the only way you can browse this site while feeling safe?  If someone decides to remain hidden for their own reasons, who are we to say our curiosity should take precedence?

Or is this thread simply a matter of, "Karma should be anonymous when I do it, but I should get to know when everyone else does it?"  Either you guys want it anonymous or you don't.  This whole, "Disable every feature that doesn't let me guess that I might be getting karma on a Tuesday during a full moon while taking a bubble bath and drinking champagne" is retarded.

[Traveler]

It doesn't irk me at all. I just didn't understand the point of it.

[Meat]

I'm out in the open now. Wait let me rephrase that. 

[Pastafarian]

Lol, "meat".

[acctnt_shan]

I have my security set to Hidden.  It's not anything personal, or intended to be sneaky... I set it that way back when we were playing Survivor, I think, because I didn't want people to see where I was looking/reading/etc.  I haven't bothered to change it back, and see no reason to.  Then again, I claim a fair number of my smites/applauds, so I don't consider myself sneaky either.  I just prefer to not make it easy for people to stalk my browsing habits 

[Jay]

I've never understood the point of having an invisibility setting. Why are users allowed to be hidden on forums like this? Can we disable the feature? Do we want to?

Meh.  I set mine to 'hidden' way way back when during our Survivor game.  During that, there was a strategic reason to do so.

I have not bothered to change it since then.  And now that 1 person(he knows who he is) complained about it so much, I wont change it simply on principle.  :P

[Maggie the Opinionated]

I love it! I have decided to set my status to hidden on Tues., Thursdays and Saturdays. I will be visible at all other times except Sunday from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Keep 'em guessing, I say!