Poll: Allow Location Viewing In Profiles?

[Ross]

Someone has taken my left arm and right leg and are holding them hostage until I post this poll. Please help me save my limbs from assured destruction! :eek:

Do you want to be able to view the location of a member in their profiles?

Yes or No

[Karlynn]

Yes, if they choose to provide the information, I find it helpful in getting to know a member. It gives a "physicalness" to their personality, if that makes any sense.

[Harrybaby666]

I find it very interesting to know where I am talking to when I am chatting with others. I think it is very interesting to find out how life is in other parts of the country/world. Harrybaby666 :D :D :D

[Hank]

I want every single member to list their locations in their profile.

However, at this point, approximately 60% of registered members have chosen to not provide this information.

The only reason I could find as to why people were not entering it is because they did not want to share this with the world.

Am I mistaken?

I could make it visible but mandatory, but that doesn't seem right either.

Suggestions?

Feedback?

[Lorraine]

I voted Yes! I don't know if it would be exactly right to make it mandatory as to their exact location, but even just their state, general location of the country or providence would be helpful. I agree with Harry666 that it's interesting to find out how life is in other parts of the country/world too.

[Ross]

They don't have to be specific, they could just put state or country unless you want it specifics. I'd just like to remind everyone that what you do on the internet is not private. If you've posted somewhere else or whatever, the search engines have you. If someone wants to find you, they will.

[Harrybaby666]

I just checked mine Hank, it's listed in my profile. Harrybaby666 :D :D :D

[Nancy]

It really all depends on how personal the location is. Knowing which state or country may be helpful, but knowing a person's address is not OK for the world to see.

We all must remember that in addition to our little known group, there is a whole world of unknowns out there looking at every word we post.

AND they are not all sane or on the up and up.

[Mary]

Hank,
You should probably have the information. Could you make it mandatory for new members to provide it, then give the option of posting it or not as they see fit? Maybe stick it with their avatar rather than with their profile?
Mary

[Ross]

I'm guessing that if they don't want their location known, they aren't going to provide it no matter what is done. It's one of those things that really cannot be controlled.

[geebee]

I would have 2 address fields when people register. One is for the required address info that Hank needs for his data. The other SPECIFICALLY MARKED as what will show in their public profile. That way they can put as little or as much as they like in that field. They could put "planet Earth", US, Australia, GB, Texas, Milford, OH or any 'ol thing they want people to see.

Hank, would that work?

[ShezaGirlie]

Ross said:
Do you want to be able to view the location of a member in their profiles?
Question: Why were the locations deleted in the first place? :(

[gadgetman]

Ross,

I came back to check the poll results and make sure you had set up some way of a "one vote limit". Otherwise it could turn into another American Idol (where do they get all those votes??).

I find the "location" sometimes helps in your reply to questions. We do it one way here in the U S of A and the UK, Canada, and some other countries face another set of circumstances. And it is always nice to see if they might be "neighbors" that you are replying to. On several AICD sites I am a member, they do not show the "where you're from" on the Forum Page (you can get it from their profile--if they list it there). One glaring difference about AICD implants is in the UK they "automatically" remove your driving rights for 6 months then you can get them back if the Doc says so. If you have a AICD shock you and you pass out your driving can be taken away for 5 years. Here (I did a google search) almost all states leave it up to the Doctor to recommend driving or not.

Put it back (continue to make it "optional") so we can see "where" we are talking.

May God Bless,

Danny

[tommy]

Allow people to be as general or as specific as they care to be in their own profile. Or they can decline. But please make the location field visible to all members.

[JimL]

I've read the posts through several times, and I still don't understand, I'm sorry. Obviously, it is very helpful to know generally where someone is, and I often check that. Were those locations removed? If so, please put them back. Are they going to be removed? In that case, please don't. I must still be pumpheaded, I can't tell.

[geebee]

Jim,

Up on the right top side of each member's profile, under the "join date", there was a line that indicated each person's place of residence. This info differed for each person in the amount of information provided. Some members had city & state, some just a state, some just a country. That line was removed by Hank a few days ago in the interest of privacy.

However, some of us feel the information was helpful in knowing a little about the person. I, myself, can't even give a reason why but I always found it interesting to know in what area someone lives.

This thread was started to let Hank know if we all want that line back.

Hope this helps explain.

[JimL]

Thanks, Gina, for the explanation. I just voted yes as many times as I could. I didn't notice the location was missing.

[fyrfytr]

I guess we could just put it in as our custom user title or will that get taken away also? :confused:
Take Care

[Marguerite53]

I think it should be optional. However, I think that members should realize that it can be very helpful to know where a person is located (and by this I really mean only the state or region or, if outside US, the country). It helps because medical communities differ. Some of us may not have strong medical communities close by and it would be very useful to connect with those, fairly close, who do. It also makes for friendly chatter about the weather and other events. It also helps when so many of us are on different clocks (time zones) as to when we can expect answers, etc. I don't actually think you can make it mandatory. You don't actually NEED that info, do you?

Anyway, my 2 cents. :) Marguerite

[bvdr]

I personally like it but I can understand how someone new to the board may hesitate to give out that info. I think our pictures on our avatars though give a greater clue to our identity :) . I know my own PCP sometimes visits this board plus others in the small town in which I live. I know that what I write may well be viewed by many people. Even my own grown sons have made comments like, "Mom, I didn't know you......." after they read entries I made on this board. I just smile at them and say, "Well, now you know."

[Ross]

I see folks making comments in this thread and not voting! Feed back is nice, but it's not helping the poll any.

[tobagotwo]

I agree with Mary, an opinion which I posted recently in another thread. I think members should supply you with their location, but allow them to choose whether it displays on their posts and in their viewable profiles.

Best wishes,

[hensylee]

As I read posts, I often glance up in the right hand corner to see where they are from - like Jim at the fishin hole. Every time I look at his avatar I also look at his location, altho I always know it's not going to change from the last time I looked. It is helpful in replying to some posts because we talk of locations, weather, events, etc. that are often relevant to the poster's physical location. I dont' know that it should be mandatory, but I do think there should be a choice. How else are we going to know who is UK, Ohio, California and Colorado - and I might've never visited Bonnie if I hadn't known she is from Georgia?

I voted, Ross.

[Rich]

I like to see where people are from but I guess that's up to each individual.
I have found a few people close by here and we have had lunch together.
That was really nice to share our local experiences.
And for instance when Cort came to town we got a chance to meet him.

[Abbanabba]

I've always found it helpful to see where others are from - especially since it's put me in touch with several people from Australia who I've been able to exchange "local" knowledge and information with.

I'm a little unclear as to why this question has come up to start with. It seemed to me that the people who wanted to list that information did, and people who didn't want to list it didn't. What was wrong with that?


Anna : )

...and yes, I voted!

[Arpy]

I agree to display the location. We are a global community on this site and its nice to know the context of any information in a post by giving it further relevance by understanding where that person is from - in a general sense.

Russell

[Bryan B]

I voted yes. My personal opinion is that it should be optional whether or not you want your address shown in your public profile. It seems there should be some way to be able to list your address when you sign up for the forum but also be able to keep it hidden from public view, however I don't know what the capabilities of vBulletin are so my opinion is soley based on my experiences from other forums I belong to.

[joy]

I think it should be optional, but I like having the location because it helps me in my replys about medical center questions etc... I like it up there, and yes, I voted!

[hensylee]

Another point of interest - for instance, if Anna posted 3 hours ago. Well, it's now 5:45 a.m. and if I compared, I might think Anna was posting at 2:45 a.m. and wonder why she isn't sleeping! except we all know she's down Under. Or Joy in Washington state. I can always glance at a member's home base and see that they were really not burning the midnight oil. (like me 'n Ross do)

[Hank]

The loacations are back and are now required with registration. As is every other field in the profiles. It's a small price to pay for the quality of support received here.

Thank you for all your input...

[fyrfytr]

Thanks, Hank.
I have always enjoyed seeing where members are from.
Take Care

[geebee]

Thanks Hank.

I am not sure why it seems so important to me other than I like traveling. I guess it's kind of like visiting people from my armchair.

Appreciate you listening to us.

[hensylee]

a very democratic decision. Thank you, Hank.

[Ross]

To the person holding my left arm and right leg hostage, may I have them back now? :confused:

[geebee]

Not knowing who that is ......

If it was me - I release you. If it was someone else, I do hearby release you for them and, if they protest, send them down to Cincy :D.

Thanks for all your help.

[Debrinha GT]

I'm glad the problem's been solved! I love knowing where people are from and as for my location, I'm sure everybody and his brother must know it by now. LOL!! Just in case here goes: City - Curitiba, state- Paraná, country- Brazil. By the way, Rossman has my full address! LOL!!
Débora from Brazil :D