anonymity

[Andreus]

how important is it for you here at JUB?

why?

 

[alister9669]

I'm not worried about anyone knowing what I answer in any of the polls. I just wouldn't answer if I felt I didn't want anyone knowing the answer. So far that hasn't happened.

 

[cozmik]

To me it's not really that important, but I would say that the polls that are set to be, really are anonymous. Even if a mod or admin could see, it's not like they're going to go around and tell everyone what you voted. They were put in their position because they can be trusted. Not because they have butter lips.

 

[GL]

I would have to venture a guess and say no. The anonymous polls may only be that to the general membership if the author of the poll so chooses. The Admin and Mods would undoubtedly have access to all that. But that's just my guess...

 

[gmoney]

To me it's not really that important, but I would say that the polls that are set to be, really are anonymous. Even if a mod or admin could see, it's not like they're going to go around and tell everyone what you voted. They were put in their position because they can be trusted. Not because they have butter lips.

This is kinda how I see it too. I'll pretty much vote whether it's a public poll or not.

 

[Andreus]

well

one...

i have always been told that the mods and admins cant see who votes how in an anonymous poll

two...

it doesnt matter if they dont talk, which is debateable unto itself but not part of this discussion.

If the mods and admins can see the responses, then people will respond to the fact that they think about 25 people can, in fact see their answers.

the perception is the motivating factor, not the reality.

that is a sad but unavoidable truth.

 

[winterknight]

Logic dictates that, as the system remembers how you've voted on a given poll (since it shows up when you return to that page later) those details must be stored in the database somewhere.

And if they're in there, there's a way of getting them out. It may involve logging on to the SQL server with a shell account and typing in some hideously complicated query string, but that's true of every SQL-based client-server system and not specific to JUB.

What I don't know is why anyone would want to.

 

[looseliam]

I find no expectation of privacy here.

ANd I don't mind who sees how I vote.

 

[3nipples]

It doesn't make any sense to me to keep the names, but filter them out for display when it's so more efficient to not write the names in the first place, so I don't believe the mods have any way of knowing.

There must be trace logs that the admins could use to extract the information, but I don't think they can afford to waste the time it would take to do it and the logs aren't going to be kept for ever.

 

[just_mills]

I wouldn't answer or vote if I didn't want my thoughts to be viewed!

 

[Zeremonie]

Anonymous polls are totally anonymous and there is absolutely no way for a mod to see who voted which way. Public polls are public.
Pms are anonymous. There is no way whatsoever for a mod to read another's PMs.

 

[Andreus]

the pm system is also supposed to be safe from being read.

see this is the issue

the perceptions override the realities.

and if people are concerned about answering a poll due to confidentiality issues, then the polls are only as accurate as the nature of the poll is in regards to the sensitivity of info asked for

 

[Andreus]

sorry mel

we were posting simultaneously.,.

but we basically said the same thing

anyway

i have seen mod after mod log in and state that the polls and the pm system is safe and anonymous, but people generally dont trust that

its odd

 

[phoenix72]

No, but again that's not something i worry about.

 

[marcde]

I wouldn't answer or vote if I didn't want my thoughts to be viewed!

Many people here choose to post very personal things about themselves all over the boards - like Millzy said - if you don't want to have your views exposed, don't answer polls or post them.

 

[Andreus]

Well there are times when I come on here and in a poll, it has everyone's names under each answer the way they voted, but most of the times you can't see who voted for what.

I agree with you that people afraid might not vote or change their answers. That makes my other HIV poll thread very inacurate. I think people who were HIV+ saw the polls and just didn't vote, or some people think they're safe but really aren't sure. You were the only one so far to admit to having it.

you csn opt to have a NON anonymous poll when you set it up, but the system always warns the voter before he votes that its anonymous...

and i also know from the Pms recieved when i disclosed my HIV status as positive a few weeks back, that there are more positive people here than you would believe based on polls and thread responses.

 

[Zeremonie]

Well there are times when I come on here and in a poll, it has everyone's names under each answer the way they voted, but most of the times you can't see who voted for what.

That's an option when you set up the poll: Anyone can set up their poll as a public poll by scrolling way down and clicking on the box that says "make poll public" (or something like that). I think public polls are fun so you will notice that every time I make a poll, or even if someone has asked me to add a poll to his thread, I usually will make the poll public.

 

[NW007]

I assume that someone somewhere sees it. but I operate on polls the same way I do about email.

I assume that the possibility always exists that "eyes" are looking at emails I send . Therefore, the old saying: "don't put in an email what you don't want in the newspaper.

 

[Jeimuzu]

It used to bother me, but as I've been growing into who I am now, from who I was a few months ago, I've began to realise I don't care what people think of me, or who they think I am. I'm gonna be honest, whether other people like it or not.

 

[VICTORIADON]

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"