Just a quick thought on "communications enhancement".

There are some folks participating on this forum that, for whatever reason, can't or don't wish to use their "real" email addresses when they post. It occurs to me that many who frequent (or lurk) in this forum might want to communicate on a "private" basis in response to a particular posting. Without a valid email address, obviously, that becomes problematic. With that in mind, may I make a suggestion?

If you don't wish to use a valid email address when you submit a posting, how about setting yourself up a hotmail.com or yahoo.com private email address? It's very simple, and both hotmail.com and yahoo.com don't really ask any questions that could identify you in any manner when you set up an email account through one of those services. That way, if someone wants to communicate with you on a private basis, they can.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 1999

Answers

Rick,

I read your post and immediately thought of a friend of mine who describes himself as a "healthy paranoid". He detests spam and the idea of possible government intrusion to the point that he uses an ISP (The Freedom Network) that doesn't record or log ANY of his net activities, encrypts all of his traffic with three layers of military grade encryption and uses email psuedonyms to cover his identity. He always tells me, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you" (Johnny Fever's best known quote).

I guess they feel that Hotmail and Yahoo are traceable and can make your mailbox available to every spammer (and government spook) out there. Privacy freaks will rely on getting the replies they seek through the forum postings and will provide people who wish to email them with their public encryption key to ensure their communications remain absolutely PRIVATE. It's not convenient for the rest of us who keep an address out in broad daylight but I guess that's their right and if I don't like it, I just won't communicate with them (Their loss).Just my 2 cents worth Keep up the good work, Rick. Keith

-- Anonymous, March 17, 1999

For most people, I think that hotmail.com or yahoo.com affords the necessary degree of anonymity, short of someone saying something that could result in a supoena, or conduct of an illegal activity.

My suggestion was merely a thought - any tool that will enhance communications on the issue, public or private, is warranted.

-- Anonymous, March 18, 1999