Members' locations blank?

[DICKEYBIRD]

Anybody have a clue as to why so many of the forum members here choose to leave off the city/state/country from their profile? Is there some dark, devious internet security problem that stoopid me is too naive to know about? Should I go delete mine to save myself before it's too late?

I see many great posts from talented, creative contributors and I like to see where they're from just to complete the mental picture. I click on their name and boom, nothing! Almost seems impolite.

Thanks to all those that choose to include theirs.

 

[rickharris]

Paranoia - far too much media publicity about identity theft/don't reveal anything or the bogey man will get you etc.


Or on the other hand many don't read the pages and so think about entering their location because it isn't compulsory.

Stamford Lincolnshire UK - save you looking it up


(Paranoia - Just because your paranoid doesn't mean everyone's not out to get you!)

 

[GailInNM]

I agree. Even the country or hemisphere would be helpful. In the US at least the state would be most welcome. Here in the spread out Southwestern region of the the US there are few model engineers.

I have had two local model engineers that I did not know about contact me. They both lived with in 20 miles of me and now we have had face to face conversations with them. Both came about from me including my general location in my signature line. A couple more and we can form a local informal club.

Gail in NM,USA

 

[DICKEYBIRD]

Thanks Rick! I work with a couple Brits...a Yorkie (Leeds) and the other is from the Midlands, I forget which town. Both are great guys. Peter (the Yorkie) taught me how to make a proper Irish coffee. Yumm!

Wow, lucky you Gail!

...and while I'm ranting, why do so few of the members put their birthday in so the profile displays their age? More paranoia?

Oh, speaking of mental illness, I'm schizoid and so am I! ;D

 

[steamer]

I agree.

Dave

 

[rickharris]

...
taught me how to make a proper Irish coffee. Yumm!

My wife is of Irish decent - Although it isn't traditional whip the cream lightly it makes is float better. ONLY use real Irish whisky - Jameson's by personal preference - We went to a dinner in Ireland recently where they made Irish coffee for over 200 people!!!!.

 

[GailInNM]

DICKEYBIRD,
I don't consider it luck. It's just like selling a product. If you don't advertise, you don't get any business. By advertising my location I am inviting people to contact me. Unless there is a reason, viewers are not going to go to my profile to get the location. By adding my approximate location to my signature line, that gives them a reason to go look if I am in their general region.

I add the "USA" part because it is not reasonable for many of our international members to know all of the states in the USA, and New Mexico is not one of the better known states. Even in the USA, many people do now know that NM is a state. Our local newspaper runs a column about every 6 months about the missing state of NM. Most often the entries are about USA companies not wanting to ship to NM because they don't export. Geography is not as strong part of the education system as it was when I was in elementary school.

Many people do not use the signature line that is available by editing their profile, and some don't realize that it can be multi line. If you want to meet local people with similar interests you have to advertise.

Gail in NM,USA

 

[ksouers]

Gail,
I agree about NM being an "invisible" state. I've had a second home in southern NM for nearly 20 years. I had an opportunity several years ago to work from that home while working for my current employer. Being in computers and working with intelligent people, still I was always mistaken for being either in Arizona or out of the country. They didn't have a clue.

 

[malcolmt]

How many people are going to reply in this thread without putting their location in ?????? :big: :big: :big:

Kind regards

Malcolm

 

[Lew Hartswick]

Yep. I'm one of Gails "neighbors" (of course I'm across the river a ways) and I wonder just how "paranoid"
some people can be. Unless the town has only a few hundred people I don't see how even the
name of a town can give any information away to an "identify thief". It disturbing to keep seeing
requests for help and no location given that may well have a potential mentor within commuting distance.
I've always said if any of the folks on the various BBs I frequent are passing through Albuquerque,
feel free to give me a call. I'm always, well nearly always, availabe for a chat. Sme thaing goes for the
names used on the web. Whats wrong with the name you were given by your parents?
...lew...

 

[Tin Falcon]

Many moons ago I wrote a few general rules of the board in the welcome section. Rule #9 is post your location!!! Am I going to throw someone off for not putting a location? er, NO!! am i going to email all who do not have a location again NO. but guys and gals it is good to have some clue of where you are at. We are not asking for street addresses or longitude and latitude,or even requiring city and state.
Please give us an idea of where you live!!
A general location is beneficial when folk want help finding parts tools etc.
Tin

 

[rickharris]

...

Same thing goes for the names used on the web. What's wrong with the name you were given by your parents?
...lew...

Oh dear - now you have opened up a rats nest!

Although, eventually I got used to Ferdenand Marmaduke Fitzwilliam De'courcey !

Only now do I think Rick works better. Just wish it wasn't so common.

 

[Bogstandard]

Don't forget, we also have a members map.

You need to know the members location if you are going to help them with suppliers url's. No location, no help.

John

 

[Kludge]

Even in the USA, many people do now know that NM is a state. Our local newspaper runs a column about every 6 months about the missing state of NM. Most often the entries are about USA companies not wanting to ship to NM because they don't export.

This is true of Hawaii as well. I've gotten customs paperwork on too many packages from the mainland which just gives the folks at the post office cause to laugh at the lolo haoles a lot. When I try to explain to people that USPS priority flat rate boxes cost the same to Hawaii as they do to any of the contiguous states, way too many simply will not accept it. It's even better when I try to explain that UPS Ground comes here as well.

But one of the best examples was a ex-Navy sailor (Desert Storm era) who listed Pearl Harbor as one of the foreign ports he'd been to.

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[steamboatmodel]

I had a fellow on eBay refuse to give me a shipping quote as he stated he only shipped to North America.
Regards,
Gerald
Toronto, Canada.

 

[mklotz]

Gail,

I've had (American) people ask me if they needed to exchange their money if they went to New Mexico. I always tell them, "yes", and offer to do it for them for a very reasonable fee.

I too always look for location and am disappointed when it's not to be found. Be a little thoughtful of how you enter it when you do. "CA" is the abbreviation for both Canada and California. Our far flung members may not be as familiar with our city names. There is a London, UK and a London, Canada and a London, California. Be specific enough to remove ambiguity. Americans have to be very sensitive to this since we stole so many European city names, e.g.,

York, PA
Northhampton, PA
Berlin, PA
Boston, MA
Rome, GA
plus many instances of Paris and various English cities

 

[rake60]

It gets better Marv!
I live exactly 72.86 miles from Mars, PA! :big:

Rick

 

[mklotz]

Yes, I know about Mars. I grew up in Allentown, close to Emmaus (biblical) and Bethlehem (also biblical) and not far from Easton (British).

The problem is that the unimaginative Americans adopted European names but never learned to pronounce them. North Versailles is pronounced ver-sales. Also New Madrid (MO, IIRC) is pronounced maad-rid. Lima is pronounced like the bean. Cairo is kay-row. I guess geography wasn't important in the early schools.

 

[baldrocker]

Gail
Sometimes I wish I were my dog.
BR

 

[Kludge]

I think I put everything (except my real name, which is Michael) needed on my little pointy pin thingie on the map.

What I didn't mention was the I live on Oahu which is part of the City & County of Honolulu which is the largest (measuring end to end) county in the country since it stretches some 1500 miles across the Pacific. It used to be longer but the far Northwest Islands - pretty much everything on the other side of Midway - got taken by the feds as a sanctuary. We consider this a good thing since the HPD (Honolulu Police Department) had a problem with its patrols out that far, and the HFD kept losing trucks responding to fires.

Anything else, please ask.

BEst regards,

Kludge