[Kawika]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Just a couple of responses:

Requiring names may get rid of the bottom dwellers, so I get that, though only to a degree - who is to say what my real name is. You can call me "Paul" if you like.

But I think there's a missed point among those who put their real names, and that is what your current and future employers may think about your hobby. The number of HR departments that care about employee - current and prospective - Internet activity is only growing. Now, this is a far cry from porn, obviously. But the cleaner my Internet profile, the better. My next employer might not really want to hire someone who spends working hours browsing the b/s/t listings here.

I'd rather not have to worry about these paranoid concerns, or who will find me or look for me or whatever. And by keeping a low Internet profile, I don't have to.

So, again, if you'd like to take the small risk that posting your name with your valuables is going to get you robbed, or that your boss would fire you or not hire you, go for it, dude. But to require people who want to talk about baseball cards, of all things, to take any risk whatsoever is ridiculous.

Probably not a bad idea to keep a low profile. Nowadays some dirtbag can pick your pocket via the internet from the comfort of his basement suite in Pyongyang or Bucharest. I'm just an old guy with dated expectations who appreciates the congeniality and manners of the bygone millenium and who is apparently pissing in the wind in the new one.