paulsamuel said:
Hmm. It's the victim's fault.
It's the rich people who carry cash that are to blame for muggings. It's the women who are too pretty who are to blame for rape.
Oh for goodness sake. Grasping at straws a bit now aren't you? Did I say that rich people get blamed for muggings or pretty girls get blamed for rape? As I told you in my first post in this thread, if the calls continue then call the phone company, the police and the powers that be at your university.
I merely said that if you post your details on a public forum, ANYONE can have access to such details and track you down. It is to be expected. It shouldn't happen but it does. Internet stalking has become a major problem in today's society. We are bombarded with warnings about NOT posting personal details on unsecured sites. And on this site, everyone is a stranger to you. You cannot be sure that we are who we say we are. You wouldn't walk up to any person on the street and give them the details that you posted in your profile now would you? I wouldn't because that person would be a complete stranger and could be a murderer or rapist for all I know. I don't know their credentials or where or what they are affiliated with.
paulsamuel said:
you see, scientists discuss science openly, and don't hide behind anonymity.
i've been to many scientific meetings and proudly presented my data for peer review.
Yes. But they are your peers. If this were a forum that was restricted to people who were scientists and the checks were stringent to ensure that all were who they said they were, then your work address in your profile would not be such an issue. However this forum is one open to everyone. Your profile is available for viewing to everyone who visits this site, be they members or non-members. They can read what you say in here and form opinions and then if they don't like you, they can merely look up your very precise details in your profile and harrass you. Monkey made a good point when he said:
spuriousmonkey said:
Are you allowed to harass someone because he is in the phonebook?
No.
Why would it be different with harassment based on info on the internet?
And he is absolutely correct. It should not and is not different with harrassment based on the information attained on the internet. But there is one difference in how you are perceived as just a name in a phone book and how you are perceived on a public internet forum. On the internet you are more at risk, especially if you are participating in forums or chatrooms as such. Because in such forms of internet communication, you are putting your ideas and arguments across to a broad range of complete strangers, about whom you know absolutely nothing and who may take an extreme dislike to you. The anonymity you may have with your number merely listed in the phone book disappears because the people don't read your name in the listing and know what you are thinking, nor do they know your beliefs. Therefore, someone reading your name in the phonebook wont know whether they will agree or disagree with you or whether they will like or dislike you. This is completely different to a public forum on the internet where your details are available and merely a click of a finger away and your thoughts and viewpoints are there for all to see. While some here may be your peers, not all are. You do not know who your peers are on here. Those that tell you they are scientists could really be unemployed plumbers with a fetish for phone sex. The plain fact of the matter is that you just don't know. This is not the same as presenting a paper to a roomful of people who are indeed your peers and you know they are so because you know of their credentials and this can be checked easily. Very different to a public forum on the net.
paulsamuel said:
That's a pretty thin argument, but if you want to say that, go ahead. It's more revealing of your character and intelligence than it does address the issue.
No, I think it's more revealing of my character and intelligence that details such as my full name and place of work is not in any public profile on the net. But then again, I guess I'm not so naive as to think that just because the forum is called "Sciforum" that everyone who frequents this site is a scientists or that this is indeed a scientific community.
