[pct-l] Posting names

[giniajim]

Thoughtful care is the order of the day in these matters.  Folks on the trail are away from home for months.  Does this leave their home open to burglars?  One thing we're cautioned about in our connected society is not to post your travel plans on Facebook.  That caution mirrors the very old practice of not posting your vacation plans in the local paper.
   We don't have the right, imho, to bandy about someone else's comings and goings.  That's at least an invasion of their privacy.
    When I'm away from home, I'd as soon that fact not be generally known.  When I was on hiking last week, I was at a shelter with several other hikers who did not share their "real" names, but only their trail names.  While we don't want to be paranoid, its only wise to use appropriate precautions.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ken Murray 
  To: . 
  Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 1:31 PM
  Subject: [pct-l] Posting names


  I personally think that this concept of anonymity and disclosure, is a carryover of our paranoia of life in civilization.

  For example, how many of us would think it neccessary to avoid mentioning names in talking about doing something with a friend OTHER THAN ON THE TRAIL?
  "I'm going to have lunch with my friend Nancy Marshall at Classy Goose on wed".
  Would I go through life asking people for permission to post their names?

  What makes this truly bizarre, is the added security of trail names...basically most people having a "code name", that no one outside of our small community is likely to know.  OFTEN gender neutral.

  If someone is REALLY worried about keeping anonymous, THEY can SAY SO, THEY can change their trail name repeatedly, THEY can not interact with people, THEY can not sign registers with recognizable names, THEY can pay only with cash, THEY can avoid trail angels, THEY can use made up names for the mail drops, etc.  THEY can take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for their bizarre paranoia.

  When will it occur to someone, that random pictures might catch someone's image.  Or that they did not SPECIFICALLY get permission to post an image that might be recognizable. OMG!

  Instead, lets act like rational people, and the close-knit community of caring people that we are.

  What world do YOU want to live in?  I know which I do.  Others can make other choices, they have that power.

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