Giving out personal information on anandtech... How do you feel?

[Mallow]

I'm on the FS/T forum often and I routinly give out my full name and home address. Do you others do the same?

How do you feel about giving out such information and is there anything malicious anyone can do with such information? I doubt it but you never know. I guess they could track you down and either stalk you or kill you but that is pretty extreme.

Let me know what y'all think. Should I get a PO Box?

 

[mpitts]

If I want to get the stuff I am buying or trading for, then it is probably in my best interest to send it to them.

I have no problem with it.

 

[vi edit]

I almost ALWAYS give my work address for shipping things. It doesn't matter that much though. With a little bit of work, I can pretty much track down the freaking floorplan layout of your house online if I want.

 

[Mallow]

Originally posted by: mpitts
If I want to get the stuff I am buying or trading for, then it is probably in my best interest to send it to them.

I have no problem with it.

If you want to sell/buy the stuff you must do it, dur dur, however, I'm asking how people feel about doing so and do people get PO Boxes to cover their address.

 

[yoda291]

not worth it, you give your home address to people on ebay so I don't think it's THAT big a deal. Also, the cost of a PO box might nullify the savings you get on fs/ft.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Being a university student on coop, I move every four months within Canada. My US address is a UPS shipping center.

I'm not too worried, because I'm not female. 😛 And if N8Magic really wants to hop a city bus and come kick my ass - then I guess I had it coming. 😱

- M4H

 

[bGIveNs33]

I don't care at all. If someone from ATOT needed a place to stay in Tallahassee, they could crash at my place. I'm really not to concerned with being stalked. I also pick up hitchhikers from time to time. The majority of people are good... its just the few bad ones that give everyone else a bad name.

 

[Down4U]

If you're a good trader there's really no reason to worry. After all, you would want to make your buyer happy enough not to launch a probe on you.

Shipping to PO Boxes is typically more expensive for the buyer anyhow.

 

[Mallow]

All good points. However, coming from the big city I know the plain fact that some people are just weird and messed up in the head and that uncertainty can be a little scary sometimes.

 

[RossMAN]

I've only done about a dozen trades on AT (always informal never through FS/FT) and I've NEVER given out my physical address.

Even the government doesn't have my real address (using a previous address).

Just about the only company who knows where I really live is the phone company.

Everything gets sent to my PO Box although I have recently opened a Mailboxes, Etc. box which can accept parcels (FedEx, UPS, Airborne Express, etc.)

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Mallow
I'm on the FS/T forum often and I routinly give out my full name and home address. Do you others do the same?

my real info is in my profile
since i have my own website and publish it, anybody with 1/4 ounce of brain cells can find out my home phone/address . i have never had a problem

think of it like real life (crazy i know

) , if you went to a computer club meeting in person (vs the internet like we do here) and met me, we might exchange business cards, no big deal , right?

unless you already have a stalker or ex-spouse that you are hiding from, don't get too worked up about being anonymous

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: Mallow
All good points. However, coming from the big city I know the plain fact that some people are just weird and messed up in the head and that uncertainty can be a little scary sometimes.

😀

Gime? What's a gime?

Generic Imported Media Extractor ..i.e. Chinese-made ball-peen hammer used to ..uh..."finesse" CDs,VCR tapes,DVDs,etc. from within the confines of the dead media player. Please read the Hazard/Warning/Caution/etc. stickers/labels and Keep Out of the Reach of Children. 😉

 

[Spamela]

after i made my email address available i started getting a LOT more spam.

that most likely was a coincidence, but i removed it anyway.

 

[StageLeft]

Why should it be a concern? You have a bunch of people in your everyday life who can find out where you live and are in easy reach but are not concerned, so why would somebody across the internet be anymore of a concern?

 

[Mallow]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Why should it be a concern? You have a bunch of people in your everyday life who can find out where you live and are in easy reach but are not concerned, so why would somebody across the internet be anymore of a concern?

Who are you refering to? Cashiers at dept. stores and such? Co-workers? At least it is all aware to you and you can see the people. I think looking at a persons face can tell a lot about them.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Mallow

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Why should it be a concern? You have a bunch of people in your everyday life who can find out where you live and are in easy reach but are not concerned, so why would somebody across the internet be anymore of a concern?

At least it is all aware to you and you can see the people. I think looking at a persons face can tell a lot about them.

says the guy with the surgeon's mask on (from the guy with a bag on his head!)


hehehehehe

 

[Kevin]

Quick, buy something from me so I can fly to Texas and we can hang out... 😉

 

[Mallow]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Mallow

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Why should it be a concern? You have a bunch of people in your everyday life who can find out where you live and are in easy reach but are not concerned, so why would somebody across the internet be anymore of a concern?

At least it is all aware to you and you can see the people. I think looking at a persons face can tell a lot about them.

says the guy with the surgeon's mask on (from the guy with a bag on his head!)


hehehehehe

Skoorb is a lion not a bag? 😛 You have a bag tho.