using a fake ID and not revealing your real name makes finding you very difficult. unless you know my full, true name, i don't think you'll find me in any phone book or internet search site under the name "butterflywing". so knowing that i live somewhere in central new jersey won't help you unless i choose to tell you who i am and specifically where i live.

how could i find 'bearisgray' unless you privately told me your name and address?

therefore, i feel that it's safe to include a general location, such as Mule's Head, Montana. or Northern Montana. especially if you use a name such as 'Needles'.

I also think it is fun to know where people live. Most everyone goes by a different name than their own. As far as idenity theft, it is probably next to zero.

It probably is fairly safe to reveal one's general location.

However, when I googled "bearisgray" - I could find just about everything I've posted on here.

Just sayin' - - -

GG-Gma....i want to read some of your poems, see some of your figurines, and some samples of your quilting!!!!!

how do you make the message you are responding to appear in small gray print at the top of your page?

I'll bet that if we didn't have "Helpful" children, we'd be forced to figure out computer stuff for outselves.

bear, have you posted your real, full name on an open post? or
your specific address? if you joined a round robin or emailed someone here, then that info is already out there, right? so saying where you live, in general terms, doesn't put you at additional risk. if you haven't, then it puts you at little to no risk without additional information. if you have private diary then you have more info out there than just your general location, and much more personal information than most virtual friends need to have about you. there are people here who know my name and address, but they are people i trust. you know my user ID and that i live in central new jersey. can you find me?
and if you did, then you would be one more person that knows where i am. like every one of my neighbors and members of every organization i belong to.

I suppose, I lied where I live.
I wrote where I have lived the most in my life and consider it home.

when you want to answer a specific post, such as this one, you click on "quote reply" instead of "reply". the box that appears will have the quote that you're responding to, and you just answer above or below it. the program does the rest when you 'send'.

EDIT: test it and see. i just added this by clicking on 'edit'.

I thought I had put Ks. for my location. Dont know what happened but will try to correct it sorry.

Happy Mothers day every one.

I hope this thread prompts more people to fill out their location profile. I enjoy seeing where everyone is from too.

I do not feel that there is any danger in listing that I live in Florida. Even if I posted my photo and address, I wouldn't feel threatened by QUILTERS! Maybe handbag sewers, but never quilters. LOL

I joined just a few weeks ago & completed the profile. I filled it out 3 times, each time putting my location in the field. However it did not go through. It should read my location as Delaware, but says I am "in hiding." I haven't figured out yet how to post a picture in my profile.

I would take myself out of hiding if I could figure out how... I don't care if anyone knows where I live, but I just filled out the basic info when I signed up and don't know how to get back there. (computer illiterate, I guess).

After reading all of the responses, please allow me to add a different perspective. Those of us in law enforcement are selective when sharing information in a public forum. We are not afraid or paranoid, we just have a heightend awareness due to our environment. We don't call it fear, we call it vigilence. Please just excercise caution.

Just updated mine, did not know where to put it when I signed up. :-) :thumbup:

I just figured that sometimes when people have "in hiding" that they might be at work looking at the QB online and didn't want people to know.

But hey what do I know.. lol

I do like to see where people are from.

I have also asked this same question, I understand maybe not putting your town because people can find you easier, but I do not understand not putting your state.

Doreen, I thought this was a joke about Dick Cheney (always in "an undisclosed location") but I guess it is different.

It does crack me up when some one in hiding announces she DROVE over to Padukah/other festival one afternoon!!! Or did a quilt hop or you name it. Duh. People in hiding are pretty careless.

My name is in the phone book in my town, my photo is on LinkedIn for my business, my kids are on Facebook, I am not a fugitive, I do not live in fear. I live north of Boston.

I think they are paranoid someone might steal their information!

[ But to give you a hint - Hey y'all, how y'all doing today? I am going over yonder to my sewing patch and sit awhile<VBG>[/quote]

Well, a hey, yall right back atcha!!!

It also took me a while to navigate the board, but when I found the spot I enterered where I am from. I also like knowing, but can also understand the reluctance.

some of us, being older, sometimes don't catch on very soon. I was in hiding for some time and I won't even tell you how long it was before I discovered private messages.

Maybe not the quilters but there are folks who just observe this board without joining. This is where the danger is. Need to be careful everywhere these days.

Jo Mama, your response gave me a great laugh! "They can't all be in the witness protection program?" And I've already met a new friend on this board and we hope to get together for tea when she is in my area or I in hers.

My question is: How do I get a picture on to my avatar??????? HELP!

Many people are leary about providing any kind of personal info online - so many horror stories!!! After hanging out here for awhile this site is seen as "safe". It's a shame, but the world is not always a friendly place. We need more quilters LOL

OK, I'm convinced. No one from this site is going to come to my home in the middle of the night and kidnap my stash.
I'm coming out of the closet, turning the doorknow, hear the squeeking.....
Hi Ya'll, It's me MissJMac from North Kansas City, MO

Okay, I noticed I'm one who has a hidden location. I am relatively new here so I didn't understand why. I went to My Profile and saw the status but I don't know how to update or change it. I would get my DH to help me figure it out but he has gone to bed for the night.

Help please and thank you.

At the top of the page, go to "my profile."
Now go down to general information and fill in your location.
Then make sure you click the "update" button.
PM me if you need more help.

each member has the right to decide for her/himself whether or not to reveal any of their personal information.

Our curiosity does not create a right to that information.

We do not have a right to any information they don't care to share.

We do not have a right to question their motives, to accuse them of having a personality disorder, or to jump to any conclusions whatsoever about them if they choose to be cautious in cyberspace.

it has occured to me quite often that i have posted far too much Personally Identifying Information (PII) here over the years.

Again ... it's a personal choice and not one to be judged in any way.