Good idea, Joe. While many anonymous posts are informative and useful, some take potshots under the cover of anonymity. Those who are registered should have the option of sending non-publicized private messages. Happy tunes, Clifton.

Clifton, that private messaging option is available to registered users.

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Clifton Said : While many anonymous posts are informative and useful, some take potshots under the cover of anonymity.

While I do agree with your comments, most registered members too, do not reveal their 'true' identity. They ( like me ! ) post under an assumed name....

So there is hardly any True visibility ...

Even worse, on another forum where I am a member, the same person has registered under 2 different names ( probably even more ! ).

Questions are asked and answered by multiple identities of the same person

Its a rat's nest out there....

what identifying charecteristics does the IP address included next to the post heading and date carry? I assume its variable on the individual level depending on your connection locations, but could we call unregistered users 119.354.93.00 from now on, that would be fun!

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what identifying charecteristics does the IP address included next to the post heading and date carry? I assume its variable on the individual level depending on your connection locations, but could we call unregistered users 119.354.93.00 from now on, that would be fun!

Using the IP address to identify a person who posts, will work for those 'permanently' connected users, such as those with Cable Modems, or ADSL.

A dial-up user, I think is assigned a different IP address every time he logs on....

Thanks, Cheapskate -- I suspected as much but didn't know for sure. Still, one can simply not log on, get really nasty, and forum "residents" (for want of a better term) will see the post as "anonymous." It's not a BIG problem, and I'd much rather see it as it is currently set up than not have the forum available at all. As JoeE noted, many respondants use a fictitious name anyway, but I always prefer to address a name of some sort -- it's because I'm old and old fashioned, I guess: when I was a kid, there were two things I could do in the presence of my dad that would get me immediately knocked on my ass...not identify myself over the telephone, and not offer my hand to a stranger when introduced. My name is Gerald Clifton, and I hate "Gerald" so much that my friends call me "Clifton," "Clif," or "Jerry." So it's natural for me to use "Clifton" on this site -- hell, it's who I am! I feel like I know "ampnut," "cheapskate," "JoeE," and "Buddha," all frequent posters here, and it's just nicer having a name to address, even if it is a pseudonym. Jim, of course, uses his real name. There is a gentleman who is unregistered who has offered interesting, sincere audio experiences with double-blind testing, who has expressed a concern that registering might somehow obligate him to respond to everyone who might respond to his comments. This is a concern out of politeness, not an attempt to duck after slingin' some mud, so that's not a problem. I guess my concerns, like those of a couple of others responding to this thread, center more on rudeness than anonymity per se. So, whoever your names are out there, it's evening-time, the AC's starting to clean up, and it's time for a couple drinks and some tunes! Cheers, Clifton.