I, for one, would appreciate it if when you post to any thread that you sign the post with your real first and last name so everyone knows who you are, I know that a lot of you do so. Thank you. Richard E. Napper
To All: From a Moderators viewpoint I want to weigh in on Richard's suggestion and say that I agree with it 100% and here's why. (1) First and foremost, I like a lot of others on this forum have a handle or nickname and that is "FriscoFriend". If I never developed a tag line with anything but "FriscoFriend" on it I'm sure that people would wonder who in the heck that guy is and is he really as friendly as he thinks he is! (2) This is a "Forum" and not a Yahoo Group or message board where people post things that sometime aren't very complimentary, either of a person or persons or their thoughts and/or ideas and opinions, and therefore really don't want people knowing their real identity. To me there isn't a single person that is a member of this "Forum" that comes anywhere close to being that way. If someone does cross the line, and it has happened a few times in the past, if I see to it they are politely sent a private message and told to either reconsider what they said and change the message or remove it themselves. The other Moderators and list owner are copied on said message. It has happened at least twice and the party immediately changed the message and sent me back a private message thanking me for pointing out the error in what they said. If I remember correctly in both cases they had openly stated their full name. (3) I think there has only been one example of a thread having to be completely deleted a because it openly attacked a list member and questioned his honesty and integrity and the two people that did it hid behind fake names that made no sense. It was done only after discussion between some of the Modertors and list owners. (4) None of us take our jobs as Moderators lightly and don't like to even have to question things. (5) It really shouldn't be necessary to have to open someone's profile to try and find out who they really are. (6) I fully realize that there are some great people on this forum that, like me, are very proud of their nickname or surname and it never crossed their mind to add their real name to the end of their messages. Most of us old-timers know who you are but some of the newer members might like to know you by your real name also. Having said all of that, one should feel comfortable to tell us your real full name and not feel that anyone is going to slam your comments and opinions in any way. None of us want anyone to feel uncomfortable enough to feel that they have to hide behind a surname. We just want you to feel 100% comfortable and part of this great group and know who you really are. I hope all of this makes sense and welcome any comments either pro or con. If you feel more comfortable contacting me privately, then that's OK also.
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of you that have followed Richard Napper's suggestion about signing your posts with your full name. If you are not already aware of this, you can go into your profile and set up a "tag line" containing your named and other pertinent information about yourself or your railroad and then check the appropriate "Show your signature" box and it will be automatically added to every post that you make. It will remain checked unless you choose to uncheck it. Thanks again to everyone!
After receiving a very nice private message from a forum member, I would like to say that I want to modify my earlier message and request about signing messages with both first and last names. This is "strictly" my opinion and totally understand if Richard or anyone else chooses to disagree with me. Sometimes people choose to post messages and NOT put their first and last names or either one for that matter because they simply don't want to be identified for personal reasons. Most of us have collections, whether it be static models, layouts, or memorabilia. Also some of us know of people that have been taken advantage of, mainly by theft, by letting it get public as to where they live. In other words, putting a name with a place or even a vicinity. With the Internet the way it is we all know that a simple search can put one in someones front yard. Therefore I am asking that we ALL RESPECT the fact that there are people on this forum that would rather NOT put their names out there for VERY legitimate reasons. Sincerely,
