hoping to spark an open, healthy and productive discussion:
personally speaking, i found this site at a time when my health was not the best and i was looking for support. i don't post often and i read less and less because, sadly, i have come to wonder how supportive an unsecured cf forum can really be?
as we read posts and blogs, we really have no idea who the author is! despite who they may claim to be. i had no concept that someone would ever pretend to be other than who they are online until i experienced internet scammers first-hand on another venue. now its sad to say, but those who are "less than authentic" seem to have found their way even to sites like this, which are supposed to be for real cf support.
i wish a site like this could be more sacred. more of a place that i knew would be safe. the site administrator has commented on this recently and said despite some requests to make this forum more secure, she wants it to remain completely open and allow for anonymity as need be. but all of the freedoms afforded here make sureity impossible.
sure, its a case of reader beware... but i think as a community, it might benefit us to require more personal accountability.
i'd love to see a system whereby some real-world verification of one's identity and purpose on the site was required for full access. or at the very least, some kind of designation next to the screennames of those who refuse to provide verifiable information (more than an email address, which anyone could create).
a signed letter from a cf provider verifying one's name, address, phone number and connection to cf, and an actual written terms of service agreement that one needed to SIGN and send to the moderator would be an excellent start. then, the moderator could indicate whether or not they have received that documentation next to each screenname. or simply indicate by a simple symbol which "members" have refused to provide this information. this hard-copy verification is done on other sites (not cf related) that want to make sure members feel totally secure, knowing with whom they are speaking.
would this be more work for the site adminsitrators, sure. but i'd hope, it would be worth it in the name of assuring genuine support for people who come here in search of it.
just wondering what people think of this idea? any other ideas for ways to make this a more secure place that might be less labor intensive? or do people feel its unnecessary. are people fine with the anonymity this site allows?
let's discuss...
-ellie (aka: a real person with cf. i've got the phlegm to prove it)
personally speaking, i found this site at a time when my health was not the best and i was looking for support. i don't post often and i read less and less because, sadly, i have come to wonder how supportive an unsecured cf forum can really be?
as we read posts and blogs, we really have no idea who the author is! despite who they may claim to be. i had no concept that someone would ever pretend to be other than who they are online until i experienced internet scammers first-hand on another venue. now its sad to say, but those who are "less than authentic" seem to have found their way even to sites like this, which are supposed to be for real cf support.
i wish a site like this could be more sacred. more of a place that i knew would be safe. the site administrator has commented on this recently and said despite some requests to make this forum more secure, she wants it to remain completely open and allow for anonymity as need be. but all of the freedoms afforded here make sureity impossible.
sure, its a case of reader beware... but i think as a community, it might benefit us to require more personal accountability.
i'd love to see a system whereby some real-world verification of one's identity and purpose on the site was required for full access. or at the very least, some kind of designation next to the screennames of those who refuse to provide verifiable information (more than an email address, which anyone could create).
a signed letter from a cf provider verifying one's name, address, phone number and connection to cf, and an actual written terms of service agreement that one needed to SIGN and send to the moderator would be an excellent start. then, the moderator could indicate whether or not they have received that documentation next to each screenname. or simply indicate by a simple symbol which "members" have refused to provide this information. this hard-copy verification is done on other sites (not cf related) that want to make sure members feel totally secure, knowing with whom they are speaking.
would this be more work for the site adminsitrators, sure. but i'd hope, it would be worth it in the name of assuring genuine support for people who come here in search of it.
just wondering what people think of this idea? any other ideas for ways to make this a more secure place that might be less labor intensive? or do people feel its unnecessary. are people fine with the anonymity this site allows?
let's discuss...
-ellie (aka: a real person with cf. i've got the phlegm to prove it)