For some reason, some of these anon comments still manage to annoy me enough to make me respond. I am working on it
Maybe because they sometimes contain some inconvenient truth...
In any case, over the last weeks I rather reduced my participation on main and meta already, there was a recent peak for various circumstance, so if this makes many people happy:
a. I won't post to meta except absolutely necessary due to main.
b. I will try to use main in such ways that a. becomes rarely relevant.
]]>The response to Bill Johnson was written quickly, but actually I wanted to reply something like this already to Harry Gindi, had it actually in a more careful form written, but then did not post it as Angelo's subsequent invitation to end the discussion seemed the more reasonable option. Since however it then was restarted, I replied something quickly. I thus do not want to defend each so to say letter of it. But, I stand by the spirit of it. I believe in general, not only on MO, that the more well-establised/higherup in the hierarchy/... one is the more careful and considerate one should be what one says to or over other people. Also a pedestrian should be carful, but somebody driving a 40 tons truck more so. And I said more careful and in the original greater resposnsibilty; of course everybody should be careful, but just like some think anons should be particullarly careful (and I agree with this in certain ways) I at least think there are also other aspects to this. Setting a good example would be another one.
Finally, I agree that it would be odd if I interacted with somebody a lot on MO that would know me in real life without that person knowing it. I would not leave such a situation unresolved. Sure it could happen I meet somebody that I know from MO (but not vice versa), but somebody could also passively read MO and form an opinion on somebody based on that persons contributions; so the situation that somebody forms a opinion on a nonanonymous user without that user being aware of it, will whether there are anon users or not always be an issue as long as the page is visible without identity-check. In that sense I do not understand Alex Bartel's comment. There is a problem with publically visible professional boards. Or, perhaps there is a problem with non-anonymous publically visible professional boards. These two would make sense to me. But what he means, sorry, but I really do not understand it.
]]>This comment of "quid" is quite outrageous and summarises very well all my misgivings about anonymity on professional boards.
]]>Angelo, I am sorry if you find my formulation rather offensive. This comes as a bit of a surprise to me, since you occassionaly chose to formulate in ways that IMO at least do not qualify as friendly either, so that I thought your tolerance towards somewhat provocative formulations would be higher. I appologize that I misjudged this and will keep it in mind for further interaction.
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